REVIEW: RECKLESS LOVE AT BRISTOL FLEECE (16/10/12)
It was ‘grab-a-glammie’ night in Bristol as the fans turned out in force with their big hair, tight jeans and sparkly tops, and that was just the lads!
We got into The Fleece just as local band Harley Street Hookers took to the stage providing a pretty raw, but well delivered, opening set of refined punk rock to whet the gathering crowds’ appetite. The ‘Hookers’ were followed by the main support band of the evening, Mallory Knox, with their own brand of up-tempo melodic rock.
The evening, however, was about just one band, Reckless Love, one of Finland’s finest exports, fronted by Olli Herman who was, seemingly, every girls ideal man. Well, he was quite pretty (for a bloke), had a great voice and was very supple.
The band describe their music as Merry Metal, and I had to check that that wasn’t a genuine sub-genre of metal (it isn’t).
The music is certainly full of energy but nothing like the rather over-produced commercial releases. Instead we were treated to something much heavier and really not very ‘glam’ at all. This was good, old-fashioned heavy rock. The band put together a very decent main set, starting off with ‘Animal Attraction’ and ending with ‘One More Time’. Along the way we were entertained by Olli’s high kicks and solo’s from Hessu and Pepe all contained within a set which consisted almost exclusively of tracks taken from the band’s two albums, ‘Reckless Love’ and ‘Animal Attraction’, released in 2010 and 2011 respectively.
Olli is the band’s centrepiece and focal point, by the time he’d stripped himself of his leather jacket followed by his vest certain members of the assembled crowd were inspired to do the same – yes, even the girls. The set was a bit of an eye opener for me because their live performance far outshone anything I’d listened to prior to the gig, so much so that I’d have no hesitation whatsoever in going to see them again and recommending them to anyone with any hint of interest in rock music.
Words and photo: Reg Richardson
