Simon Rushworth
For every Download there’s the surprise package who go into the festival on the back of a little bit of industry buzz and emerge with a new army of crazed devotees.
In 2012 that band was Reckless Love. The fantastic Finns – a former hair metal covers band – have made rapid progress during the last three years with two albums in quick succession planting them firmly in the consciousness of the most ardent followers of melodic rock’s healthy revival.
Now it seems the rest of the world is catching up fast and if you’d prefer Steel Panther to take their work seriously then Reckless Love is the band for you.
Playing to a packed and feverish Pepsi Max tent Olli Herman and his well-coiffured mates raced through a raft of anthems that wouldn’t sound out of place on the new Rock Of Ages soundtrack. And they did so with a kick-ass attitude resonant of Sunset Strip legends twice their age.
It’s impossible to resist singing along to stupidly glorious retro-soaked tunes like Hot, Animal Attraction and On The Radio – even if you don’t know the words straight off. Reckless Love write songs with built-in instant catchiness and a tent full of Hermanns were in fine voice come the close of a fabulous set.
To many this glam quartet will never be anything more than a feeble joke. To those in the know they’re the future of bouncing party metal.
Simon Rushworth