British neofolk pioneer Douglas Pearce has lived his life steeped in controversy. Protested and picketed against, maligned and otherwise defamed, the singer/songwriter better-known as Douglas P. has been through a lot in his years as the driving force of Death in June.
To be fair, Pearce has spent the better part of his career, spanning from 1981 to the present, exploring an unbridled infatuation with the Holocaust. This includes appropriating Nazi imagery and symbolism to represent his art and asking subversive questions through his music and collaborations, which have included the likes of an also controversial experimental voice, Boyd Rice.
Then again, the guy has the words "Let a wind catch a rainbow on fire!" above a waving rainbow flag icon on the DIJ website.
That's because Pearce is openly gay. He's also an outspoken supporter of the Israeli state, and thus not a neo-Nazi. He's never wielded these symbols from a place of hatred or ignorance, as anyone who has dug past the controversy can attest.
Pearce will be performing as the influential Death in June at West Palm Beach's Respectable Street on Tuesday, September 17, for a rare and intimate performance that will no doubt be another marathon running of Pearce's dark fare, old and new.
Death In June. 8 p.m., Tuesday, September 17, Respectable Street, 518 Clematis St., West Palm Beach. Tickets cost $28 in advance and $33 at the door. Call 561-832-9999, or visit respectablestreet.com.
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