The Pretty Reckless - Glasgow - Review - 20/11/14
Every generation needs a female rock icon. A long, long time ago, you had the likes of Hole, Bikini Kill, Babes in Toyland. But those legends predate you, or even I, by a number of years. Growing up, there seldom were the kind of women in music who would be confessional and outspoken in their songwriting prowess; who embraced the fact that their image set pulses racing and yet, could put even the boldest of men back in their place. We’ve been lacking. Until now.
One woman has led the revival, shrouded in capes of chiffon and lace, with a voice that cuts like the sweetest of knives. She is every inch as iconic as her predecessors, borrowing her dark and moody style from Stevie Nicks, and taking vocal cues from Courtney Love.
Her name? Taylor Momsen.
Tonight, Momsen has proven herself worthy of standing shoulder to shoulder with female rock legends of old.
The Pretty Reckless hit the road a few weeks ago with Nothing More and Heaven’s Basement in tow and the hype surrounding the tour since, has been astonishing, and rightly so.
Of course, the crowd excitedly chitter as Ben Phillips, Mark Damon and Jamie Perkins walk on, but the crowd positively erupts as Momsen makes her entrance. The euphoric screams from what appears to be a sea of mini-Momsens are the only proof needed of her ubiquity in these circles.
The long, drawn out intro to ‘Follow Me Down‘ rings out through the venue, but as the main crux of the song drops, the audience loses it and the room shakes.
The band give off the most majestic stage presence. Phillips, Damon and Perkins have this undeniably cool image, while Momsen has this incredibly feline quality to her performance as she growls her way through the likes of the classic rock fuelled ‘Sweet Things‘ (Phillips’ unbeatable guitar playing comes to the fore during this one, too, in the form of a bone crushing, face melting solo near the track’s end) and the rough and ready ‘Why’d You Bring A Shotgun To The Party‘.
By far, the stand out moment of The Pretty Reckless’ set is their roof raising rendition of the colossal anthem, ‘Heaven Knows‘, during which, the audience’s adoration for the band becomes evident as they rehash the song’s chorus time and time again. There really is a feeling that the roof could just about blow off the Academy at this point, and the atmosphere is positively electric.
As the band round off their set with a blistering run through of ‘F*cked Up World‘, the crowd are left wanting more.
The Pretty Reckless pull off a solid set, musically. However, the band take little risks in terms of content, playing tried and true tracks that clearly worked for them on previous UK tours. Not only that, but 12 songs can hardly be considered good value for money, no matter how much the band excel in their delivery.
