Pearl & The Oysters Steal Hearts at Turf Club
Pearl & The Oysters combine a couple of my favorite threads of music — both psychedelic — into something that is uniquely their own, a melding of 70s French jazz fusion and modern psych pop.
They brought that beautifully to Saint Paul’s Turf Club July 15.
The Los Angeles-based indie jazz-pop band — by way of France and Gainesville, Fla. — are touring the U.S., supporting Monkey Mind, their latest LP released in June on Stones Throw Records.
The duo — made up of French expatriates and high school sweeties Juliette Pearl Davis and keyboardist Joachim Polack, aka Juju and Jojo — is touring as a quintet, with a drummer Guy Paz, guitarist Adam Paulson and Jonathan Rivera on bass.
But there’s a reason the project carries Davis’ namesake.
As was seen and heard in Saint Paul, she brings so much.
Davis is a multi-instrumentalist, delivering the band’s intimate vocals, adding touches from a number of synthesizers (check out this piece on her arsenal), several percussion instruments (a Flex-A-Tone and bar chimes), flute, trumpet and even guitar.
Pearl & The Oysters last played in Minnesota at First Avenue, opening for Ginger Root October 8, 2024, and Polack recalled that show fondly to cheers from those who were in attendance.
The band delivered crowd-pleasing songs from throughout their catalog of originals, songs such as “Konami,” “Triangular Girl,” “Doom Mood,” the delicate “Tracy Hills,” “Mandarin Moon,” and “Side Quest.”
Early in the 80-or-so minute set, they played 2025’s “Sous la lune mandarine.”
“It’s our only French song in the set,” Polack said, referencing the language in which it was sung.
Part of what nails down this band’s sound is Davis’ accent.
And there was a French psychedelic vibe throughout the show.
There were multiple moments where I was transported via the blissful combination of Juju’s vocals and Polack’s keys (Polack played a Fender Rhodes style-Roland) to French fusion jazz.
Davis mentioned the resistance put up against federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement, following the deaths of Minneapolis citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti.
“Thank you for everything you did this year,” she said, during one pause between songs, later adding, “F**k ICE.”
Davis also paused the show to note that Paulson had gotten engaged that day in Minnesota, and that family and friends were in attendance.
“I love love,” she said.
They closed the set with a heart-stealing “Lights Out,” and brought up supporting act Nelson Devereaux to play saxophone (the studio version of the song does have sax). Devereaux, a Milwaukee native based in Minneapolis, is a long-time friend of Davis and Polack, and has collaborated with Paulson in Mild High Club.
Devereaux, at the urging of Davis, hopped on stage and played lights out.
His opening set was solo, where he brought many textures with a number of instruments including the sax and flute.
The band did come out to encore two more songs, including “Pacific Ave.”
