Location: Ljubljana / Orto Bar / Slovenia
Date: Thursday, 10.10.2019
Crashdiet coming to Slovenia has always seemed like a complete pipe dream. Seriously. For once in my life I didn’t have to drive abroad for a change — even if that would’ve (hypothetically) only meant a trip to Graz or Trieste. You don’t remember… Ahhh, how could you not? 2015 and Sister’s gig in Kranj. The sleaze/glam metal revival is alive and well on the old European continent, but back home we simply get no shows in this genre. The trio of Crashdiet, The Cruel Intensions and Highride — two from Stockholm and The Cruel Intensions from Oslo — joined forces for a tour under the name “Idiots On Tour”. Crashdiet and The Cruel Intensions both on the road with new albums, while Highride brought their upcoming second studio album.
Orto Bar was already thundering by eight o’clock. I was running late — something you can tell from the photo gallery as well — and caught only the final notes of Highride wrapping up their set. They’d been playing new material alongside songs from their self-titled debut, released in 2013. The venue wasn’t exactly packed — maybe around 40 people. In the slice of the set I managed to catch, the band radiated professionalism and confidence. Rock’n’roll troublemakers with punk attitude. A solid opening punch of half-hour dynamite on a hot Thursday night!
The Norwegian The Cruel Intensions already have a solid following in the crowd. The name has really caught on, and the first few rows went absolutely wild during their set. The crowd knew the songs — two brave souls even climbed on stage to try their hand at lead vocals. Luckily they gave up pretty quickly, though we don’t doubt their enormous fan dedication. The main spotlight was stolen by the experienced and forceful Lizzy DeVine (ex-Vains Of Jenna), the raspy vocalist (and rhythm guitarist) whose delivery more than once drew comparisons to Jeff Keith (Tesla), though he did run a little low on gas in the final third. Still, the guy’s a charismatic street-punk frontman. The sleaze vibe is fully present in this band too, though their ragged, garage-wrapped rock’n’roll and stripped-back hard rock is definitely laced with the punk aggression and untamed wildness of the New York Dolls. Big, memorable chorus hooks aren’t missing either. Above all, though, there’s the high-octane energy ride that was generating a very real adrenaline rush in a crowd of around 150. The Cruel Intensions are a brilliantly tight band — a quartet that fills the sonic space beautifully, comes at it with full force, and clearly loves playing their own material. From the opening Weekend Suffering through Sick Adrenaline, Check Your Head, then Genie’s Got A Problem, Go Fuck Yourself, Borderline Crazy, White Pony and Accidentally Intoxicated, The Cruel Intensions rolled out track after track and in 45 minutes laid down a scorching hot runway for Crashdiet’s landing.
By the time Crashdiet hit the stage, a good 200 people had gathered. But the first five or six rows were absolutely on fire. A colourful crowd of fans from all corners of Europe — from Hungary, Serbia, even a guy who said he’d come from Israel, to a van full of Italians and, of course, the unwavering garrison of Slovenian fans who’d made their way to the venue mostly from the Gorenjska region, where sleaze and glam metal enjoy a particularly devoted following. It was boiling. Genuinely boiling. So hot that Keyes remarked during the show that Crashdiet really hadn’t expected anything like this in Slovenia. Maybe that’s why, mid-set, he stood alone on stage with an acoustic guitar and played the W.A.S.P. track Hold On To My Heart — which the crowd, hand on heart, could have sung along with a bit better. This is no parody of Motley Crue, Twisted Sister, Ratt, Poison. What Crashdiet do is a serious f***ing glam metal revival. In that, they remain true perfectionists and the standard-bearers of Scandinavian sleaze. Though more mature than ever before — they’ve been through more than a few Armagedons and come out stronger in their new incarnation — let’s hope this lineup sticks around as long as possible, because Gabriel Keyes is one hell of a vocalist, as he proved on the band’s excellent new album “Rust”. The guy will never replace the unforgettable Lepard, which isn’t the band’s goal either, but he’s developing serious power, has the required charisma, and comes across as enough of a rogue — which, for a band with Crashdiet’s whole attitude, is frankly an absolute must. During the show he built an incredible connection with the crowd, greeting almost everyone in the audience personally, shaking hands in the front rows. The band struck a great balance with the setlist, splitting songs fairly and mostly evenly between the new album and the debut “Rest In Sleaze” (2003). The set opened with the catchy new Reptile (which, title aside, develops in an almost Motörhead-ish direction), followed immediately by two Rest In Sleaze classics, Tikket and Riot In Everyone, slowly pushing Thursday night’s fever toward boiling point.
Crashdiet also have a remarkable sense of musicality — in that department their chorus melodies more than once call to mind Def Leppard — but on this occasion the sound at Orto Bar was giving trouble. Especially early on, everything was muddy and Martin Sweet’s guitar work was barely audible. The tech crew sorted it out somewhat later in the set. It’s particularly a shame since the band also sings backing vocals. A pity the sound wasn’t optimal, but never mind. The crowd lost themselves completely, and everyone got their satisfaction and sleaze salvation in the unforgettable mayhem of this 10/10 Thursday night in October.
Three “idiot” bands on tour, then! A fantastic lineup, incredible energy, and good vibes all around. Throughout. Cocaine Cowboys was the only track from “The Savage Palyground” and there was simply no way it could be left out. And it wasn’t. The band didn’t forget Generation Wild, tailing it with Falling Rain (the only track from “The Unattractive Revolution”), and late in the set the classic It’s A Miracle from the debut threw even more fuel on the fire. Breakin’ the Chainz and Queen Obscene / 69 Shots were non-negotiable. The only thing missing was Knokk ’em Down. After the sets, the bands took their great mood — and there was no shortage of party energy that evening — to the bar area, where band members hung out with fans well into the night, signing autographs, taking photos, and generally having a blast. The kind of energy and vibe you just wish for every time. Let’s hope this wasn’t the last time a genre package like this comes to Slovenia.
author: Aleš Podbrežnik
photos: Aleš Podbrežnik
Crashdiet setlist:
1. Reptile
2. Tikket
3. Riot In Everyone
4. Down With the Dust
5. We Are the Legion
6. Cocaine Cowboys
7. Rust
8. Queen Obscene / 69 Shots
9. In the Maze
10. Hold on to My Heart (orig. W.A.S.P.)
11. Breakin’ the Chainz
12. Idiots
13. Chemical
14. Falling Rain
15. It’s a Miracle
16. Generation Wild
