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support Crashdïet
author AP date 14/04/11 venue The Rock, Copenhagen, DEN

You can always count on the RTN Crüe for booking the finest sleaze, glam and hard rock acts for the Rock the Night club sensation. Usually the club nights take place several months apart, but since April boded an opportunity to book both Michael Monroe and this, the Dark Decadence tour, on consecutive weekends, Copenhagen's leather clad underground had two exclusive events to look forward to. Unfortunately, ahead of tonight's gig it had been announced that co-headliners Hardcore Superstar were forced to cancel their appearance due to vocalist Joakim Berg suffering from throat problems. Their compatriots Crashdïet were thus allocated a longer support set, while The 69 Eyes had to deliver a performance that would satisfy both Hardcore Superstar's fans and their own.

Crashdïet

Crashdïet, together with Star*Rats, is a name oft featured at Rock the Night, and not without reason. It is hard to imagine a more extravagant and glamorous appearance without porting back to the 80's hair metal scene, or to consider that Crashdïet could have been influenced by other bands than Guns N' Roses, Mötley Crüe and Hanoi Rocks. The songs are delivered with a clamorous swagger and contain countless innuendos; the riffs speak attitude and the solos are performed with the obligatory tongue histrionic. Crashdïet are... I want to say a no-frills rock n' roll band, but I realize frills are the very essence of the band - at least visually. What I mean is that even with the massive gimmicks and arrogance Crashdïet are neither special nor original, but rather an elaborate tribute to past maidens. But even so, the abundance of massive choruses coupled with the flamboyance of the show is sufficiently entertaining and, judging from the bewildering response, exactly what fans of the genre would expect. Glam metal thrives on being as excessive and pretentious as possible, and Crashdïet get top marks for faithfully extending the 80's legacy to the modern generation.

The 69 Eyes

The 69 Eyes, on the other hand, are much more understated both in terms of music and attire. Drawing a large portion of their lyrical palette from vampire stories, it is only appropriate that they should look like the modern conception of the creature: black leather, sun glasses, frisky hair, and lots of metal ornaments. Even more befitting the dark theme is vocalist Jyrki 69's whiskey powered baritone, which seems to wet the pants of a handful of young females who have desperately clung to the front of stage all evening, clearly in anticipation of that one moment where Jyrki makes eye contact with them. The lighting is expectedly depressing, as a perfect reflection of the brooding melancholy of the majority of the songs. I say the majority, because the band has been known to explore a more guitar oriented, straight up rock n' roll sound in the past, as well as of late, and these songs are clearly distinguished from an otherwise despondent soundscape.

It is only natural, then, that The 69 Eyes are met with a much less frantic response, as the subconscious reaction to the gothic stylings of "Kiss Me Undead" and "Sister of Charity" is not to jump and headbang, but to stand and admire the subtlety and perpetual darkness. Fans of HIM are likely to recognize the feeling; however, The 69 Eyes take it down a notch, effectively ridding themselves of the lurking pop elements. Still, despite the doom and gloom, The 69 Eyes have a surprisingly energetic presence - nothing too extravagant or wild, but enough to present them as the rock band that they are at heart. Two decades of experience have also given the band supreme confidence in their own material, not to mention an intrinsic knowledge of how to carry themselves on stage. As such, while The 69 Eyes are not exactly my cup of tea, it is difficult to put a finger on anything decidedly wrong about their music or performance.

Setlist:

• 1. Devils
• 2. Dance d'Amour
• 3. Wings & Hearts
• 4. Christina Death
• 5. Lips of Blood
• 6. Perfect Skin
• 7. Still Waters Run Deep
• 8. Kiss Me Undead
• 9. Velvet Touch
• 10. Sister of Charity
• 11. Betty Blue
• 12. Feel Berlin
• 13. Never Say Die
• 14. Dead Girls Are Easy
• --Encore--
• 15. Brandon Lee
• 16. The Chair
• 17. Lost Boys