MUSTASCH, BABYLON BOMB & HELL 'N' DIESEL
LONDON BORDERLINE - 05/06/08
This was an interesting gig. Part of the City Showcase “Spotlight on London” festival of new music. In particular for tonight all Swedish bands were to play. The crowd were very mixed and can best be described as an older metal fans day out at a student union bar.
First band of the night were ‘Hell N’ Diesel’ who can best be described as a cross between ‘LA Guns’, ‘Skid Row’ and ‘Faster Pussycat’. These Swedes bring their party right to the ever-swelling crowd. I for one was reminded of the heyday of the late 1980’s. The vocalist EK Evil looks like Sebastian Bach from a distance, whilst the remainder of the band are relentless in showing the audience a good time. ‘Sweet Sister’, the opening track of their new cd is played, with all the clichéd lyrics about women and booze. ‘Hell N’ Diesel can best be summed up as great fun and a breath of fresh air.
www.hellndiesel.net
www.myspace.com/hellndiesel
Next is ‘Babylon Bomb’. These guys can be described as a more bluesy rock ‘n’ roll band, with influences sounding like ‘Hanoi Rocks’ and ‘Cinderella’ (with neck ties/bandana’s hanging from guitar straps to match!). ‘Starstuck’ is a cool bluesy number, whilst ‘Goodbye Good Luck’ brings some emotion to the crowd. Already a number of punters are wearing these guys’ band t-shirts, and I for one was becoming a fan towards the end of their set (but did not bring myself to buy a shirt!). With all the modern attitude of ‘Babylon Babies’ and ‘Bullet’, these guys also know how to party. Apart from a few non-metal fans pushing you out of the way to take their photos, it was another good set ending with the track ‘Hometown Hero’.
www.babylonbombs.net
www.myspace.com/babylonbombs
Now we have ‘Mustasch’ (on their first UK outing) and my main reason for attending tonight. Their biker hard rock with “stoner” blends is a perfect spectacle after a few pints of the amber nectar. Opening track ‘Down In Black’ rocks out like a freight train on speed. The energy that these guys are giving out is truly uplifting and the sound is spot on, a very good mix (same for the earlier bands also). Bassist Mats Johansson was playing note perfect with a cool air of calm about him, totally relaxed and joyful. Ralf Gyllenhammer protrudes over the front of the small stage bashing the guitar and singing from the top of his voice. The crowd are really into it, some folks are headbanging and this is a welcomed sight. ‘Bring Me Everyone’ and ‘6:36’ are particular highlights of the set. After the band left the stage, the crowd were shouting and begging for an encore, sadly this never came. One hopes that it is not a long time before these guys come back to the UK and for any fans of ‘SAHG’ and ‘Orange Goblin’ would do well by checking them out. This was truly one of the most enjoyable gigs I have been too in a while. All of the bands were good fun and uplifting, but ‘Mustasch’ were definitely in a class of their own.
www.myspace.com/mustasch
Review by Paul Maddison
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS
MTUK HOME
