Reckless Love are currently towards the
end of a month long tour of the UK, a stint that
has included four nights in four weeks at Camden
Barfly in London. Formed over a decade ago, the
glam metal band have enjoyed some considerable
success outside of their homeland of Finland,
for those seeking confirmation of their growing
popularity (myself included), tonight’s
gig was a sell-out.
The first support act was Deadly Circus Fire.
A quite frankly ludicrous name for a band if you
ask me, however the lads on stage appeared of
perfectly sound mind as they belted out a heavy
brand of melodic metal with plenty of energy,
trying their best to whip the largely static crowd
out of their lethargy. Oh, did I mention they
were sporting the kind of face paint that would
give Gene Simmons the heebie-jeebies? Perhaps
I’ll retract my ‘sound mind’
comment. The killer breakdowns, frenetic drumming
and committed, snarling vocals were impressive
if not a little far removed from what I’d
expect from a glam-rock band’s support act.
Although when you consider the fact they resembled
cheese-induced Tim Burton nightmare on steroids,
they were never going to come out and play T-Rex
covers were they?
Next up was Manchester’s Dear Superstar,
offering a mixed bag of retro rock riffs, dramatic
choruses, cheekbones, quiffs and guyliner. The
band tried their best to summon the seedy spirit
of LA strip joints on ‘Brother’s in
Blood’ an ode to groupies and touring, and
finally managed to wake the static crowd during
sing-a-long ‘Turn to Dust’ with crunchy
guitars and searing harmonies, it’s clear
that their live show is well-honed. Throughout
the gig - as impressive as the musicianship was
- it was difficult to look past the pouts, posturing,
that make-up, and their brazenly misogynistic
lyrics, because, for all the bravado and a West
Coast US imagery, they’re essentially five
guys from rainy Manchester. For Christ’s
sake chaps, have some gravy on chips, stick some
Ian Brown on and have a good moan. The illusion
was further shattered when frontman Micky Satiar
thanked the audience for reminding them that “the
UK is way better than touring Europe” to
which a northern voice from the crowd loudly responded
“That’s bollocks mate, you’ve
never left Blackburn!” And my night was
made. All in all, a solid set that got the crowd
going and set the tone for what was to come. To
be honest, if I’d have fully known what
was to come, I’d have been far less judgemental
of Satiar’s eyeliner....
It was then time for Reckless Love to bring the
night to a close, and by now the largely female
crowd were ready to be rocked, 80’s style.
Bounding on stage to the sound of Thin Lizzy’s
‘The Boys Are Back in Town’, the Fins
were ready to entertain and you could almost smell
the pheromones in the air. Actually, I’m
pretty sure in retrospect that it was hairspray
and leather trousers. It’s not often one
can say that they feel out of place wearing a
blazer and chinos, however to quote Peep Show,
I began to feel like Louis Theroux at the orgy,
desperately attempting to avoid eye contact with
any of the attendees, such was their enthusiasm
for the impending set. Of course, I’m aware
that the candle for Motley Crue et al still burns
brightly for the masses, but I must admit that
I’ve been blissfully ignorant to current
bands such as Reckless Love, bands that enjoy
such popularity by harnessing the nostalgia that
exists for glam metal ‘cock rock’
cheesiness, however much like the dung beetle,
I guess there’s a place of it, and it must
be accepted that it dutifully fulfils a purpose.
The live show itself was an electrically charged
beast, full of showmanship and balls-out (almost
literally) confidence, lead singer Olli Herman’s
vocals were impressive, full of power and range,
like a young Axl Rose before he began channelling
Keith Lemon, Pepe Salohalme’s guitar solos
were lengthy, the band swaggered and the crowd
loved every moment. There was even a drum solo
interlude that warranted a rapturous reception
from the throng of available women and denim draped
men in the audience. ‘Born to Break your
Heart’ and ‘Back to Paradise’
seemed to be crowd pleasers with their hooky choruses
and choppy riffs. I even found myself tapping
my feet and nodding my head. If I were to say
that I wasn’t entertained by it all then
I’d be dishonest, this was an entertaining
gig, much like ‘Permission to Land’
era Darkness, you nudge, you wink, and everybody
is in on the joke – it’s all light
hearted fun until someone catches an STI. However,
the longevity of Reckless Love seems to point
towards a dedication and seriousness that contradicts
their homeless Amy Childs make-up and Pamela Anderson
hairdos and it’s exactly that unnerves me
a little. They seem to take themselves seriously
enough to succeed where the Darkness flashed in
the pan. Of course, it could very well be that
the whole concept is a long term Andy Kauffman
style joke at the expense of the ticket buyers
– part of me wishes that it is – but
it could also be that in two years time, America
and the UK are in the grasp of Reckless Love.
After all, they have the live show licked, they
have the catchy tracks and another wave of glam
rock is overdue an outbreak. If that happens,
lock up your daughters, open your medicine cabinets
and find me a large rock to crawl under until
it all blows over.
All in all, not my cuppa, but a musically and
vocally impressive gig that went down well with
the crowd and, I’d imagine, Max Factor too.
Deadly Circus Fire 3/5
Dear Superstar 3/5
Reckelss Love 3/5
Review By Jack Turner
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