This is an archive of the band profile for Paul James Berry.

PJB - Biography - 2015:

"Paul James Berry is an English singer-songwriter who writes and performs with an incredible emotionally charged sincerity - he's the real thing; blood, guts and honesty!" - Rock/Folk-France

"The missing link between Neil Young & Nick Cave with the added cheeky wit of John Lennon and Spike Milligan" - Leeds Music/ UK

'A paradoxical mix of a Yorkshire man's Northern bluntness that tells it like it is and a continental poetic tongue which educates and stirs...!" - Bubblegum Slut/ UK



With the aid of an electro/acoustic guitar he sits center-stage and recounts with his powerful seducing voice the tales of his life on the back streets of Leeds/England, all the years of touring clubs and bars of Europe and finally to his crippling road accident in Brighton/England in 2009 which still leaves him limping around with a stick like Dr House.....



In the 80s he formed the successful Rock/Goth band, The Rose of Avalanche, which produced many great albums and singles, but eventually enough was enough and he broke up the band in the 90s and embarked on a solo career under his own name. he played in every possible venue in the UK and Europe performing anywhere and everywhere his own songs (strip clubs in Hamburg, flee markets in Paris, techno discos, prisons, etc).



3 solo albums later (PJB, Ginnel and Nations) which saw him support giants of the songwriting genre such as Frank Black, Vic Chestnutt, Kevin Coyne, David Bowie, Howe Gelb, ThomThom Geigenschrey, Townes Van Zandt and many more......,

he's back after rehabilitating from his accident and has recorded a new album called Spitfire Jukebox. It's simply recorded, mainly with one instrument and voice to give a beautiful raw insight to the human soul....... It reveals a personal account of the last few years. touches on a cathartic necessity to get through the nightmare of his road accident to the celebration of life itself.......


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Quick Facts:

1966 - Born - Leeds, Yorkshire, UK 

1983 - Founder member and guitarist of The Rose of Avalanche affiliated to the cult Leeds Goff/Rock scene. 

1992 - PJB becomes a solo artist. 

1997 - PJB releases his 1st solo album 'PJB'.

2000 - PJB releases his 2nd album 'Ginnel'.

2004 - PJB releases his 3rd album 'Nations'.

2009 - PJB involved in a devastating crippling road accident.

2015 - PJB releases his 4th album 'Spitfire Jukebox' .

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Supports: 

Calexico, The Cranberries, David Bowie, Frank Black, Giant Sand, Kevin Coyen, Nico (Velvet Underground), Nikki Sudden, Townes Van Zandt, Vic Chesnutt, and many many more....

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Style: 

Sits on a stage with an acoustic guitar/ piano/ or ukulele and sings songs about his and others lifes.

A modern singer-songwriter sometimes compared to: Coyne, Cave, Waits, The Eels, Tom McRae, REM, The Tindersticks, Neil Young, blahblahblah.

Instruments:  Voice/ Guitar/ Ukelele/ Piano/ Harmonica

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Press Quotes:

Soulshine/ Canada:

"Direct and never subtle, his lyrics step up to what true songmanship should be; occasionally tough to accept overall, an honest and well compiled 'brutal' look at heaven........"

Stylusmag/ Canada:

"Berry has a keen intellect, a disdain for those buffered from reality, and an internalized anger that fuels the vitriol in every adjective. It is real life undecorated, and smolders like the everyday pressures. This is fucking brilliant. Clean glass please, and leave the bottle!"


Bubblegum Slut/ UK:

"Berry's music is an understated masterpiece. Paradoxical mix of the kind of Northern bluntness that tells it like it is and a continental poetic tongue............. Mean, moody and quite, quite brilliant.
Synthetics/ Germany:

"Red wine a small cigarette and you will become one with this album".

DNAsix/ Germany:

"Berry sets the listener's soul vibrating. An exquisite jewel".

Rock Folk/ France:

"Pure British singer/songwriter! His third album is pure and authentic craftsmanship...he cuts, sculpts, weaves each and every song to get to its core and wraps it up in musical chemistry in order to get his message across. Unravel and cherish".

Les Inrockuptibles/ France:

"A voice that often evokes Stuart Staples from the Tindersticks. PJB writes beautiful 'torch songs' basked in strong alcohol, reminding you of the greatest English acoustic heroes... from Mark Bolan to Nikky Sudden...".