The Pretty Reckless: Academy 1, Manchester – live review

The Pretty Reckless | The Cruel Knives
Academy 1, Manchester
October 27th 2022

The golden age of rock ‘n’ roll might have been on life support for the past couple of decades, but The Pretty Reckless are at the forefront of bands trying to breathe new life into the ailing patient. In singer Taylor Momsen, they have a true star at their helm, having originally found fame as an actress (Cindy Lou Who in ‘The Grinch Who Stole Christmas’ and Jenny Humphrey in ‘Gossip Girl’), she formed the band in 2009 and never looked back. However The Pretty Reckless are no mere plaything of some Hollywood brat, Momsen is the real deal, with a voice which can veer from breathtaking power to ethereal delicacy. Tonight sees the band play the Manchester leg of their first UK tour since 2017.

Support comes from The Cruel Knives who are an earnest bunch, all searing guitars, pounding bass and big choruses. Boasting Heaven’s Basement alumni Sid Glover and Rob Ellershaw, the band has a good pedigree and provides the perfect foil for the main act, effortlessly warming up the expectant crowd without ever threatening to steal the stars’ thunder.

The Pretty Reckless take the darkened stage to the sound of a wailing siren before the lights go up and they hit us with the title track of the latest album Death By Rock And Roll. A smouldering statement of intent immediately highlights Momsen’s vocal prowess. The singer, sporting a leather jacket (discarded early in the set), the shortest of silver/blue slip dresses, the best hair in the business, plus signature stack boots, commands the attention of the crowd from the off. As she prowls, struts, skips and clambers around the stage oozing sensuality from every pore, she exudes the charisma of a bona fide rock star. There are no special effects or pyrotechnics, the band opting for a simple white-on-black backdrop which merely serves to focus the attention even more keenly on the gifted singer.

The sassy Since You’re Gone from the Light Me Up album is next, a break-up song not so much along the lines of ‘I will survive’ as ‘What the hell was I thinking of in the first place?’ followed by the brooding intensity of Only Love Can Save Me Now and So It Went. Part of the appeal of The Pretty Reckless gigs lies in the lyrical diversity of the finely crafted songs as they shun the lazy clichés often associated with the rock/metal genre (although the fact that many of these songs deal with the darker side of humanity may, in part, be explained by the amount of time Taylor spent with the Grinch as a kid). From the vampiric overtones of the early single, You Make Me Want To Die and the dark fantasy of My Bones onto Sweet Things, an unsettling warning of the evils of sexual abuse, the band are happy to explore a whole gamut of themes and emotions. Witches Burn, dedicated to “all the women in the audience”, isn’t an early Halloween treat but a feminist allegory of the mistreatment of women throughout the ages which initiates chants of “Taylor, Taylor” at the end.

As the show builds to a climax, Momsen appears looking cooler than ever with a guitar thrown around her neck for the sleazy good night gone bad romp of My Medicine. One critic referred to the singer’s sense of ‘Catholic guilt’, but as she cavorts around the stage during Going To Hell, she looks quite at ease with the prospect of the trip down under and the way she works the crowd suggests she’d quite like to take them along for company. “Manchester, you are fucking awesome” Taylor gushes before launching into the highlight of the evening, the astounding Heaven Knows – a ‘We Will Rock You’ for the disaffected generation. The song includes an instrumental interlude during which guitarist Ben Phillips and bassist Mark Damon get a rare chance to take centre stage as the singer steals a well-earned rest.

The slow-burning Take Me Down from the Who You Selling For album sees Taylor signing with the devil and is introduced as the band’s last song. Of course, the crowd won’t let them slip off into the night that easily and they return to encore with the highly apt ‘Fucked Up World’ which, despite the underlying pessimism, has an almost celebratory energy. Perhaps the one blemish in an otherwise perfectly paced set is Jamie Perkins’ elongated drum solo which, although more than presentable, would have been better accommodated earlier in the show. But it’s a minor quibble and at least it gives Momsen one more grand entrance to finish the song, spitting out ‘Back to these backdoor bitches begging me to behave, Jamming Jesus down my throat, no I don’t wanna be saved’ like her life (or soul) depended on it, before the band deservedly soak up the acclaim from a hot and sated audience.

The Pretty Reckless are a band absolutely at the top of their game in every respect – accomplished performers who display skills and flexibility, both musically and lyrically, which most of their peers can only aspire to. Four albums in, they have demonstrated their staying power and amassed an impressive back catalogue. Taylor Momsen is the ace in the pack, an intelligent and engaging force of nature. With her enthusiasm showing no sign of diminishing (fucked up world or not), the future is theirs for the taking.

Please note: Use of these images in any form without permission is illegal. If you wish to contact the photographer please email: mel@mudkissphotography.co.uk

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All words by Robin Boardman. More writing from Robin on Louder Than War can be found at his author’s archive

All photos by Melanie Smith – Louder Than War | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Portfolio

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Source: louderthanwar.com