Over the din of a suitably noisy (and select) crowd, an excitable Tokyo MC introduces Norway's finest glamrock band, Weega. Er, Weega?
Ah, Wigwam, okay, gotcha.
But seriously, clearly and understandably cashing in on the band's fifteen minutes (yes, I know it could be longer, but why take the risk), VME Records have released this live recording on the back of two very successful albums.
The band's Spice Girls' like nicknames - Glam, Sporty, Teeny, Flash - and the banality of the vocalist's banter with the audience only serve to emphasise a total lack of originality and a surfeit of cheese.
Then you listen closely to the lyrics and you can hear a knowing mind at work, one with a sense of humour and a finger on the pulse of contemporary popular music culture. "Hey there honey you look hot tonight, do you feel the itch for a man in tights?"
The riffs are simple, the sentiments simpler. It's lowest common denominator material. But the band rocks with a strong sense of youthful urgency. And perhaps more importantly, they know how to write immediate, commercial songs and fill them with inviting (and often uplifting) hooks, instantly memorable.
Even then, some songs stand out above the others. As well as having a large tongue lodged firmly in their cheeks, the naggingly familiar '
Bless The Night', the distinctly Jovi-esque '
Get You Some Day' and the towering, majestic
'Out Of Time' have true pop class etched into their brightly coloured grooves. And instrumental '
The Riddle' would stand up to the scrutiny of any discerning Satriani / Zaza aficionado.
Elsewhere, as you would expect, the band lift more of the better tracks from their '
Wigwamania' and '
It's Hard To Be A Rock'N'Roller' albums and deliver them with immense enthusiasm. This is a key audience after all.
In a nice reversal of tradition, the album includes two bonus tracks -
'Flying High' and '
After The Nine O'Clock News' - both of which were featured on the Japanese versions of the studio releases.
Gauging by the sound of the rapturous crowd response and the manner in which the audience hang on every Glam word, in the Japanese market at least, Wigwam's future is assured.
Written by
Brian Sunday, August 12, 2007
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