Wednesday 13 + Michael Monroe + Crash Diët

Glasgow Garage, 27th November 2011

Crash Diët

Wednesday 13's got some balls. 'The legendary Michael Monroe', as Wednesday himself dubs him, is a hard act to follow, but with his usual admirable love for all things Hanoi Rocks, Wednesday has invited the band along on what, to me, is a fantastic double header tour.

First up, however, we have Crash Diët. I've been waiting to see this motley crew of sleazy Swedish glamsters for a while, so it came as a nice surprise to find them added to the bill, and although I didn't catch the entire set, but what I did hear rocked. They look good (all bleach blond hair and glittery guitars), they sound good, pedalling a clutch of catchy numbers, in particularly the '80s-tastic baby glam anthem 'Generation Wild', and lead singer Simon Cruz, besides sporting an impressive Sigue Sigue Sputnik style two-tone Mohican, can really wail. Definitely one to watch out for.

Dregen and Michael Monroe

And then we have Michael Monroe. What can I say about him that I haven't said before? Michael never gives anything less than 150 per cent, and tonight he's on especially good form, wide-eyed, wiry and full of magic beans: Michael Monroe opens for nobody; other bands close for him.

Riding the success of Sensory Overdrive at the recent Classic Rock Awards, the set cuts a swaggering swathe through the winning album, reminding me yet again what superb slices of punk rock perfection tracks like 'Hammersmith Palais' and '78' truly are, before rounding off with some Hanoi Rocks and Michael Monroe classics: 'Mystery City', 'Malibu Beach' and 'Dead, Jail and Rock'n'Roll' – oh, and what appeared to be a completely impromptu version of Aerosmith's 'Walk This Way' – love it!

The whole band are clearly having the time of their lives – and this is a bunch of individuals who know all about having a good time. Sami Yaffa and Steve Conte are supercool as ever, and you can almost see the thought bubble emerging form the head of crazy, duck-walking new boy, ex-Backyard Baby Dregen, proclaiming 'OMG! I'm in Hanoi Rocks!' (Almost…)

Follow that, Wednesday.

Wednesday 13

Ach, Wednesday rises to the challenge, taking the exuberant audience in his long white fingers and squeezing us 'til we scream. 'I Walked With A Zombie', 'Happily Ever Cadaver', 'Til Death Us Do Party', 'I Want You Dead' ('it's nothing personal…), '197666' and, the highlight for me, a rendition of 'From Here to the Hearse' that riffs on Alice's 'Under My Wheels'. A genuine rave from the grave – and 'I Like To Say F**k' has finally been dropped from the setlist – bonus!

Okay so it might have been an idea to buy the new album before we went to the gig, rather than on the way out, but new tracks like 'I Wanna Be Cremated' and 'Something Wicked This Way Comes' aren't exactly difficult to pick up. And hey, I'm sure I heard the latter namecheck Alice Cooper, so what's not to like?

I've likened Wednesday 13 to the sleazy B-Movie before Alice's main creature feature before (Ed Wood to his James Whale perhaps? I Bought A Vampire Motorcycle to his Exorcist?) and the comparison still stands. Lean, mean, pale as death and dressed to kill in a waistcoat with tails (like!), he's the ultimate underground schlock rock antihero, mixing pounding nu-metal beats with catchy feelgood melodies and tongue-in-cheek, part puerile, part postmodern lyrics, then serving it all up with a liberal overdose of Grand Guignol showmanship.

If it really is all downhill from here to the hearse, at least we'll go down laughing… and singing Wednesday 13 songs…

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