St Valentines Day Massacre
Kozmic Pearl and Kerry Worton Trio
14th March 2025- The Marrs Bar, Worcester
Just maybe, that got your attention. No bloody killings, I’m afraid—just an enormous amount of energy from two bands out of the Black Country.
We kicked off with the full-blooded Kerry Worton Trio—except there were four of them: Kerry, bad-boy bassist Darren Burrell, a stand-in guitarist and a groove-riding cajón player (whose name, unfortunately, I didn’t catch). Kerry seemed determined to shred her fingers on her acoustic guitar, while Darren rolled his thunder effectively on a big Fender five-string. The incendiary indie vibe filled the air as thickly as cigarette smoke in the old days—when your clothes stank for days after a gig. Their set was packed with original songs like Break Up Song and Broken Man, alongside thumping rockers, including a fantastic take on Talking Heads’ Psycho Killer. If that didn’t get your blood pumping, you might want to check your circulation.
The star of the show? Janis Joplin. Well, not quite—but a damn good stand-in, Canadian Mena Hardy, complete with feathered hairpiece, fronting a tight four-piece from Walsall and Dudley: Chris Lloyd, Dave Poole, Alan Morgan, and Dave Pierce. A particular treat was Chris’s Gretsch and Dave’s Rickenbacker bass—rare beasts at The Marrs Bar, or anywhere, for that matter. Their name, Kozmic Pearl, is a perfect nod to the late, great queen of blues-rock.
Dave rims his snare; the clock is ticking as ‘Janis’ pulls the crowd in. Move Over blasts out, electrifying lyrics and honey-sweet guitar filling the room. I don’t usually do tribute bands—I’d take the real thing any day—but Janis left this world at 27, and I never appreciated her enough back then. So here I am, winding the clock back to Monterey, Chris’s guitar moaning in the half-light as Mena pours her soul into Ball and Chain. Absolutely stunning. I find myself wondering what she gargles to recover from a gig. Turns out, it’s just water—I thought that was only for washing!
Ella sang it flawlessly. Billie brought passion. Janis took both, squared them (maths?), and delivered a steamy, heart-wrenching Summertime. Gershwin gifted us a masterpiece, and Mena did it justice—gobsmacking stuff. Going Home was just a brief pause before Kristofferson’s Bobby McGee, with ‘Janis’ on guitar. And there was still more to come.
“Oh Lord, won’t you buy me a Mercedes Benz? My friends all drive Porsches, I must make amends.” Amen. A little acapella ditty, naturally.
Alan’s boogie piano rolled into a moody Turtle Blues (“I’m a mean, mean woman”), before sliding smoothly into Kozmic Blues—the song that inspired the band’s name. Janis’s Kozmic Blues Band lasted just a year, closing out in Madison Square Garden with Johnny Winter and Paul Butterfield.
All good things must end, as did my alcohol-free evening at The Marrs Bar in the company of JJ—almost. And yes, I was sober. Bloody medication. Wouldn’t have phased Janis, but I’ll just have to—
“Take it! Another little piece of my heart, now baby, come on!” Steam must have been coming out of my ears as midnight drew near. I wouldn’t have missed this for the world—well, almost. (You never know!)
By: Graham Munn