As social distancing all over the world and compulsory lockdown for most countries continue, Live Streams have become the norm. Every weekend on Facebook, YouTube or Instagram, a band or a member of a band is doing a livestream trying to keep themselves occupied or for some, it’s to make money as it is their only income. Covid-19 has turned the whole world upside down and many industries have had to adapt to a new way of life. The Music Industry is one of them, since public places are not allowed to open and we can only spend a limited amount of time outside, musicians are having to find new ways to promote themselves and generate money, so everyone has taken to the internet. To be honest, I have enjoyed seeing bands interacting so much with the internet, a lot more than normal, but Saturdays nights are spoilt for choice. If it’s not a band, it’s a singer, if not a singer it’s a pub quiz and some nightclub hotspots have been doing live streams such as Wildside and Decadence! Saturday 9th May was no exception but one for me stood high above them all, I just had to watch it! Crashdïet, Sleaze Kings of Sweden, took their place on the virtual stage.
Crashdïet chose Twenty Studios in Stockholm to be their stage and were sponsored by Motörhead Spirits which included beer, wine and rum! As the live streams kicks off (5pm gmt) we are treated to a lovely slick set up of black leather couches, a table filled with glasses and booze with “Reptile” creating the sleazy mood for the evening. Most importantly a cardboard cut out of the one and only Lemmy, watching over the evening’s proceedings. The guys all sat round laughing and getting themselves warmed up. It’s great to see the guys so jovial and neck a quick shot to get the blood pumping! Dave Lepard’s voice blasts out in the background with “Riot in Everyone” getting the boys flexing their guitar fingers, Eric twirling them sticks and Gabriel doing some very entertaining jumps and jiggles. Their manager comes into and grabs the boys in a warm up and circle and here we go!
With a few blasts on each other’s respective equipment, Gabriel toasts to the virtual crowd before the grind of Martin’s guitar curdles together with the encroaching drums to thrash together “Reptile”. It isn’t without it’s few little hitches with the levels being a bit all over the place and most notable missing is the bass drum but Gabriel’s vocals are on point as always! As the song continues the levels become more… level and the lights show is amazing! YouTube and Facebook both go nuts for the next song, “Tikket” but for some reasons Gabriel’s mic decides it doesn’t want to play, why I don’t know because he is smashing every note. I love the lights going mad in the background and then the additional camera shake and now it seamlessly bleeds into “Riot in Everyone” which
definitely gets my head banging! It is always my favourite song live (next to Queen Obscene/69Shots). What transcends to me as I watch with giddy fangirl giggles is how tight they perform as a band no matter what the circumstance are. Martin is always clean with his guitar, Peter bounces around with that striking red bass and Eric flinging his hair about. Gabriel ends with his gorgeous face in the camera (breaking that 4th wall if you can call it that) and welcomes everyone across the world to the event, having a cheers and introducing the next track “Rust” off their latest album released last year. As the song opens, it is sadly sad that the drums are not as pounding as they ought to be with Martin’s guitar crunching taking centre stage but doesn’t take away from the foot stomping moment. I would love to hear a bit more of Peter’s bass but I’m not taking the gleam off this sleazy gem of a show. Gabriel once again brings that handsome face to the camera and I have to say he is just as gorgeous in the flesh as he is through my TV screen and towards the end of the song all levels have become perfect and ends seamlessly almost as if it was playing straight off the record player. The YouTube comment panel is going mad becoming a revolving door of love and shout outs from all over the world and I spot quite a few people I know over the virtual world giving it their all. Gabriel’s t-shirt displaying “Fuck” is the mood for the world right now but with the added fun of Sleazy Glam Rock, the world is doing alright! And here it comes! My inner stripper song “Queen Obscene/69Shots” but it doesn’t slip on through without a bump! As we go into the all important first chorus, the mic crackles, it clamps up and then the lead just decides it’s had enough but it’s nothing that Gabriel can’t handle. I just can’t explain how perfect this show is for me and yeah alright, it’s got hiccups but that can happen at any gig, let alone one going out live to the world in a small setting but it remains such a brilliant show and the performances from all of the guys is so professional and makes you feel like you are really there “To all the ladies out there in Quaratine-a!” Gabriel squeals. Eric is dizzy and thirty/thirsty much to the giggle of all the guys and Gabriel has to break it to him that he’s 36 “I’m Eric Young not Eric Old” Eric cries before grabbing a drink and the boys rehydrate themselves and toast to the virtual world. Before unleashing a song they don’t usually play live… off the “Unattractive Truth” album and it is the fantastic “Like A Sin”! My gorgeous girl Azzy Poizon in the USA goes nuts! It’s her first Crashdïet concert and it’s a great bonding moment for us wanting to be friends so badly with an ocean separating us, but for a night we are joined together at one of the greatest live streams I’ve witnessed so far in Quarantine! We have one of the cutest moments in the show with Eric shouting out to his mommy, with Martin chirping “I think most moms are watching”, giving me a tickle in the funny bone. Jump right into “Cocaine Cowboys” one my favourite beats in their songs and it’s Eric’s favourite to play live, so much so that he puts his beater through his kit! As Tommy helps Eric fix his beater problem, Gabriel fills the air with quips, stories and wishing everyone to stay safe and brings a nice realism to the whole situation, Gabriel gets the boys talking and nothing in the world can’t be fixed with gaffa tape. Martin starts the gorgeous opening rifts with a silky delay. The beautiful “It’s a Miracle” chorus flows through which I always think that even as beautiful and delectable as Gabriel’s voice is, that song for me belongs to Dave Lepard, Rest in Sleaze. The track comes to life with all the instruments climbing through and breaking into the full force of a Sleazy love letter of a scorned sweetheart. “Chemical” is cranked up and they tease everyone with the opening of Guns n Roses “It’s So Easy” then claiming it’s not so easy to do, therefore we are followed by a slight cool down with “In the Maze”, we punch up the head-bang factor with “Down with the Dust”, a little more gaffa tape is added to the drums before we laugh and dance with these “Idiots”. We take a moment to thank a friend of the band’s in Brazil who sadly has passed from Corona Virus before dedicating their final song to the man himself and to all the fans across the world… it is time for “Generation Wild”.
The Q&A after the show is kept short as the amount of questions and comments falling in, is just going mad and it’s hard to keep up. A few questions are asked but not many as the influx is insane. Maybe next time they could ask people to put forward their questions beforehand so it’s easier to answer, but everything right now is a learning curve. The boys have put on such a spectacular show, with most of the set list done off the cuff by fans requests and yes it had problems but you can’t expect there not to be. As a band they are tight performers, a beat isn’t missed, a note isn’t hit and how they gel together is brilliant. The lighting was fantastic and the cameras really made you feel like a part of the whole thing, even though you
‘re watching it through a small screen or your tv. The band has been through trying times but now I feel like the band is stronger than it ever, their fan base has exploded and are in demand the world over. I know for sure that I am desperate for them to do a tour here in the UK (They will be performing at HRH Spring Break in March 2021). It has been amazing at the response they have received from people across the world, bringing us together for the love of this sleazy band at one concert we all wish we could attend in person. My love for the band has increased 1000% over the past 2 years and they hold a special place in my heart. I ordered my Quarantine Thrills Vest along with another one (why not) and I can’t wait to wear it! If this has become the normal, having Livestreams of all my favourite bands then this is a high threshold to surpass in entertainment values and the inclusion of the fans. I can’t wait for the next one and my heart has been fit to burst with excitement and admiration for my sleazy boys!
Click here for Crashdïet’s Quarantine Thrills Livestream for your viewing pleasure and why not grab some awesome t-shirts from Crashdïet’s Merch Store!
GlamRat 