The Poodles, Pretty Wild
27.4.2015 Z7 Konzertfabrik, Pratteln, CH
This evening is dedicated to Sweden – the „Devil in the Details“ Tour 2015 under blue and yellow flag also stops in Pratteln, although they have another concert planned in another Swiss location. This is why I am actually worried that not so many people find their way to Z7 on a Monday and rather visit the second show near Zurich on a Saturday…
First on are Pretty Wild, consisting of band members from Stockholm and Malmö, and even before the gig they gather a lot of fans. The band released their first album in 2009 and have been working on their career since then. This year should see album nro 3, and it seems they have gathered some fans in Switzerland. The band around front man Ivan play 80s hard rock and can also be heard in a Swedish Honda advertisement.
The guys impress musically and with their charisma. Although the string section Axl and Kim don´t provide a lot of action and Ivan is not trained to heat up a crowd, they give a great performance; only the audience interaction was missing. Still they manage to warm up those 70-80 fans for the Poodles. www.prettywildband.com
After a short changeover it´s time for the Kings of Swedish Hard/GlamRock The Poodles. I am curious how they do with the new line-up and the new songs of their recent album „Devil in the Details“ which was released end of March. For the first time most of the songs were written by Henrik Bergquist. On bass no longer Pontus Egberg, who has been important for the band, but Johan Flodqvist. How do band members cooperate, how does the new material work live, as well as on the album? For the first time the string section takes over the back vocals, which I don´t like. As usual, singer Jakob Samuel draws all the attention as he fills the stage with his presence, dancing and firing up the crowd, just like a squirrel on speed.
What he might be overdoing, the others are lacking, although they obviously give their best. Drummer Kicken does not even smile once, as if he does not enjoy playing at all. Unfortunately the new material does not work smoothly, Jakob struggles to hit the high notes that Henrik wrote for him. Not that Jakob isn´t capable, but studio recordings and a tour are two different situations, especially for vocal chords – therefore songs should not be too demanding vocally, a fact which might not be clear to a guitar player. A pity, and I feel for Jakob, because he also has to endure the string section´s croaking. And I have to point out that the sound was less than perfect, presumably also via stage monitors. Still the guys delivered a good show, perhaps not as well as usual, but still worth watching.
Another important thing, for me as well as the band: The Poodles promote a campaign of the St. Clara´s church in Stockholm, which provides support for the homeless and other people in trouble. Their video „The Greatest“ was recorded in this church: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvqarSnBQN8
http://www.poodles.se – photos S. Mahrer