The Wildhearts and Locke N’ Load

The Key Club

The Sunset Strip

Hollywood, California

October 21, 2007

By Victoria Joyce
(SugarBuzz Hollywood)

SugarBuzz Magazine

“Are you up to it?” Sugarbuzz Editor-in-Chief asked us this question after an emergency summons home by Mrs. Lucky. In case you didn’t hear, “Los Angeles is Burning” isn’t just a song by the Foo Fighters.

Originally set to review the legendary Wildhearts show, Mr. Lucky had to head home with a broken heart. Well, were we up to it? Review and shoot the show? One word answer, “Hell-yeah.” It was an easy answer. Locke N’ Load was opening.

Last Summer JT and Johnny Locke escaped from LA to Portland, Oregon (and lovin’ it). Tonight The Brothers Locke came home, driving “a long way down for this show.” “We are the biggest Wildhearts fans in the world,” brother Johnny told us.

LNL’s fans were in abundance and loving this homecoming. Touting their new CD release, “Celebrity Killing Spree,” JT Kicking it off, belting out “Sorry That I’m High” and wrapping it up with the mighty fine “Raise Hell.” Welcome home.

A musician heavy crowd filled the Key Club and lost the Hollywood attitude. They were like little kids at their first rock show. The mood was giddy, positively girly.

Lead singer, Ginger is quite the gent. No more dreadlocks. His hair is a sexy mud red freaked out in shiny spikes. Put that in a jacket and tie and you have Sid Vicious meets Ray Davies. God made a rock star.

With a raspy staccato delivery, lyrics get snapped like bullets. And Ginger has that cocked left leg unstoppable stomp as he slashes his axe, very Joe Strummer. He breaks rhythm to close his eyes and throw his head back in Guitar Ecstasy. It is easy to understand why so many musicians venerate this band and reference them in the “sounds like” portion of their MySpace pages. Cut. Paste. Save all changes.

The Wildhearts played their hearts out. For two hours. Blending Metal, Punk, Rock and a touch of the Celtic ring, songs were glued together. Breaking here and there, Ginger invited all to sing along. They did. Rock and Roll love is when your audience sings backup.

“Turn Your Radio Down” was a big smash, as was “Too Much, Too Soon,” and “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised” (nod to Gil Scott Heron). These songs were filled with drama and urgency, anger and abandon. The performance was polished and precise.

“Anyone got anything flammable?” Ginger asked midset. Most people held up their cel phones to his delight. “That’s the modern day lighter – the mobile phone.” Hit send.

www.thewildhearts.com

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