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Peter Perrett: The Cleansing review – a darkly humorous gem

For all his talk of death and dying, the former Only Ones frontman is on top form on this 20-track bonanza

After three sublime albums as frontman with the Only Ones between 1978 and 1980, he spent much of the following three and a half decades mired in addiction, only breaking cover in 2017 with How the West Was Won. It’s Perrett’s always engaging storytelling that takes centre stage – whether on the rueful Set the House on Fire, in which his partner in self-annihilation accidentally immolates herself “like Richard Pryor”, or his Secret Taliban Wife who’s “sending me videos on WhatsApp”. Perrett is backed by a stellar supporting cast that includes Johnny Marr, Bobby Gillespie and Fontaines DC’s Carlos O’Connell, alongside his sons Jamie (guitar/production) and Peter Jr (bass), who provide sympathetic and largely unshowy backing.

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