Reviews Archiv 44

Nazareth is not a simple band anymore. It's more or less an institution, a sort of legend, a ghoststory. Yes, they've got enough hitsingles to show off with within the last 300 years. Okay, okay, not quite that long. But it's enough to be a guarantee to get the house full with about 400 dinos, granddaddys,mehtusalems, but also the heirs of the Rock'n'Roll generation of the Seventees. Old Hippies and rocker brides peacefully in harmony are celebrating for the 142nd time or even more, the gangster rap with songs like "Dream On", "Razamanaz", "Love Hurts", "Miss Misery" and of course the usual encore "This Flight Tonight". - Nazareth stand above all conventions, above clichees and good spirits (exept the one's in the bottle) and don't care about the circumstances. Whether the waste of tons of dry ice is there to get an additional wouw effect or to hide some bits and pieces I can't make out. If it's Dan McCafferty's nicely polished teeth, showing it's beauty every time he opens his mouth, and every dentist would assume the deal of his life. Or is it Pete Agnew's sexy bold head? But as we all know Rock'n Roll is Sex so what?! He is besider Cafferty the only surviving original member of the group. But at least he taking in the next generation, as his son Lee Agnew sits behind the drumkit. The guitar is played by handsome 41 year old Jimmy Murrison. One thing they all have got together. They are all scottish including the backpipe used in the set. And even the dry ice fog is delivered from up north Britain from the highlands. It takes care, that we all hear more than we can make out visually, as I mentioned before, and it gets us photographers panicing because of upcoming lense horror. Thanks god, there are only two of us here tonight, but otherwise melting in selfpity and hoping for a miracle.
Nazareth still rock, that's for sure. No they are not a tiring Oldie group, who only play all over the place because of money matters. They still like what they'are doing. Let the nostalgic of past days living up. Whether the cover of "Cocaine" is a dedication to JJ.Cale or the ghostspirits have gonne too much to their heads, - don't ask me. But Oscar Wilde would have loved to lend his ghost of Canterville to help 'em on stage. But over all this here is a solid good Rock'n'Roll performance with lots of fun playing live and still so much better than some of nowadays youngsters. It never dies.... I mean the music.... does it?!

Yep, women are storming the front, I knew it. Even there ain't many females defending their status in Rock'n'Roll. But The Donnas from California wanna prove once more, that women can do this straight and non compromising Rock. They are here for the second time, with their second album "Gold Medal". No, this girls don't wear a lot of make up, no glammer or fashion victims. They go on stage in jeans and t-shirt without hairspray outfits and partly with no model shapes. But it doesn't matter. The Donnas like it raw, natural and free from the soul. Thier music doesn't include soapy ballads, but rough and ready rockmusic. And the lyrics don't tell about sentimental love stories but ask for: "Who Invited You" or tell ya' "I Don't Care". The motto is - kiss my ass, we do what we wanna do. But despite this image, the Donnas don't seem like feminists. The guitar is almost as big as it's player Allison Robertson. And behind the drumkit you can only make out a blonde shade of Torry Castellano. Only bassist Maya Ford owns some kind of Rubens shape.

But over all singer Brett Anderson is the focus of the group and transfers at least something like a sexy vibe to tne audiance. But let's be honest musiclovers... you wanna have an eyecatch as well, when you check out an all girls group, don't ya'?!. Never mind. The Donnas give everything, sweating and power wasting. Unfortunately this sort of high energy level takes it's toll by ending the show after just one hour. One encore more, and the magic is over for good. Yep, it was a smashing wild Rock'n'Roll party performed by four really talented young musicians, apart from the fact of a too short set due to a female lack of condition (I suppose). And in the end many of their songs sound somehow similar... - Who gives a f..... Let's get rocked and have some fun..... - and I can asure you - you will have it with The Donnas.

Glamrock is dead, - long live Glamrock! And both is true, somehow... Dead because of the lack of fans, who are here today. But alive because of those individuals up there on stage. Jes... I do remember so well at these glory times, when Hanoi Rocks rose up to the sky like rockets in the middle of the eightees. No, they were not from L.A., like all the others, but from far up north in finland. And they overwhelmed the sleaze rock scenery as the heirs of this T-Rex - Spandexpants and make-up heaven. Yes, they did it and stormed up the charts with only one song, which they didn't even write by themselves. I'm talking about "All Around The Bent", a track from Creedance Clearwater Revival, penned by John Fogerty. However, Hanoi Rocks with their colurful archengel Michael Monroe a.k.a. Matti Fagerholm shot up like phoenix from the ashes. Accompanied by Andy McCoy a.k.a Antti Hulkko, hte musical spirit behind the band, Nasty Suicide and Razzle. But live is live and noone lives forever, neither Hanoi Rocks nor Razzle, who, thanx to Vince Neil of Mötley Crüe, plays the drums in heaven for now and forever. - And what he will never be able to, the band could manage about tow years ago by rising up again. Not on eastersunday, but therefore appearing on several open air festivals first of all. A so called first test, if 1) this lotus flowers still get recognized after so many years and 2) if there's still place for them . The question is only how much they'll get outta it in the present. Halleluja, with 42 years of age, Michael Monroe and Andy McCoy still have got the condition of 25 years old ironman athlets. Whether this is due to a hell of a fitness training or to some tranquilizer goodies I can't tell personally. But if you've got the chance to have a closer look at them, this question is a waste. Thanx god, this is no important matter to the fact for us nostalgic glammer rock lovers. They are here, today, up there, crazy, smashing, shooting of and full of energy, and they rock the hell outta Andy's golden tooth in his mouth.

All around the bent, - in the truest sense of it's meaning and even more. Nasty Suicide is past as well. But therefore another well known musician of the past jumped in for him. It's Conny Bloom from the Electric Boys, a once in the past swedish one dish of the day, as we call it. They had one great album and a few more. But like all the others they followed the strategy - it didn't happen, so let's go for another challenge. And the name Electric Boys is left as a wage memory of a project once existing in the late eightees, early ninetees. - I almost bet, one day, they'll be back again as well. Think about me, when it comes up. Anyway, Conny still looks fantastic, has exchanged his curly style to a rasta look par excellence in the sense of Hanoi Rocks. He's trying to make the sound of Monroe and McCoy perfect with his brilliant guitar playing. Yes well done Conny.

Last but not least, it's Michael Monroe. who's the focus of the performance up there, who takes our breath with at least ten different costumes of the Haute Couture a la' extravaganza, an aura like his female name sharer once used to own and he's provoking a multiple orgasm within the audiance. He is the centerpoint. And with him the whole show is standing and falling and going on. The stage is too small for the act, and the bar right hand side is transfered into a catwalk for Michael. And right there, he must have realised, that a wireless mike would have been much more eerot... no sorry, practical. Okay, don't give a f... damn. - Smirnoff vodka is bouncing up and down from above the bar and takes care for the right athmosphere. All you hippies get together, even we are only about 150 Sleaze- ultra strong hairspray - souls getting nuts right here. This here is pure party-fun-Rock'n'Roll. And we take the risk, that many concerts following this one tonight, will seem to us like sleeping pills. For my part, I can only say, - it's a shame that the acceptance for this energy level a.k.a. Hanoi Rocks doesn't find a wider spectrum. But what not is, still can happen in the future. We have just reborn, whatever reasons for. And Mötley Crüe, thanx to recarnation also back again, will take care playing the the flagship, that our psychobimbos will conquer back their well deserved status , on the search for the lost place in the scene.

And over all..... Zombies really seem to live longer, - what you think Andy?!!! Including a vodka on the rocks - the bill goes to the room number of course.

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