Review by Lucy Gliddon
Finnish glam metallers Reckless Love visited Nottingham on their recent month-long UK tour, which coincided with the release of their new mini LP “Born to Break Your Heart”. Although they formed more than 10 years ago, the band has only begun to make an impact in the UK in recent years, since the release of 2010’s self-titled album, and 2011’s “Animal Attraction”. I headed over to Rock City’s Main Hall to see what the band had to offer.
First up were Toadstool; a straight up hard rock band hailing from Gloucestershire. As the band began their set, I instantly noticed the superb sound quality in the venue; a volume which allowed for the perfect clarity of each instrument. They showcased a selection of catchy original tracks to a growing crowd, at one point introducing a saxophonist, adding an interesting edge. Frontman and bassist Alex Macaskill’s raw, old-school rock vocal sounds as though it has been sent straight from the 70’s, and tops off the band’s talented musicianship to deliver Toadstool’s material authentically.
Alternative rock band Mallory Knox were the main tour support, and despite frontman Mikey Chapman recognising that his band “isn’t everyone’s cup of tea”, they managed to get Nottingham’s glam metal fans jumping and clapping along to their infectious choruses. Admittedly, this is not a band I would normally find myself listening to, but I was impressed by their professionalism and determination to make an impact on what was perhaps a more tentative crowd than they are used to. Mallory Knox are incredibly talented at what they do, and I can imagine they create an electric atmosphere at gigs better suited to their style, but they seized the fantastic opportunity to support an established act, and gave it everything they had.
Finally, it was time for Reckless Love to take to the stage. Having sold out the Rock City Basement twice in the past, they were upgraded to the main room for this show. As the leather-clad foursome burst into album title track Animal Attraction, the screaming crowd was deafening. It soon became clear that most of the noise was reserved for frontman Olli Herman. Snaking around the stage, pouting, high-kicking and removing his shirt on more than one occasion, he commanded the attention everybody in the room – and he’s definitely got it. They tore through fan favourites “Beautiful Bomb”, “Born to Break Your Heart”, “Badass”, as well as previously unreleased track “Push”, treating young fans to a taste of what music was like in the 1980’s, and allowing the more mature members of the audience to reminisce. As the band left the stage, the crowd demanded an encore, and they returned to perform Judas Priest track “Living After Midnight”, crowd favourite “Hot”, and closed the evening with “One More Time”.
