Hurricane Party- Camden Underworld 16th December 2004
By Maz McColl

Los Angeles 1987, a bunch of dirty maverick rockers are about to release an album that would go down in the history books as one of the finest rock albums of the 20th century. That album was “Appetite for Destruction” and the band were of course Guns N’ Roses. With their Devil-may-care attitude and gut-wrenching guitar riffs ‘Guns fast became an institution even if the world had to wait a while for their second studio album(s) “Use Your Illusion I & II”. The press loved and loathed them in equal measure. They were gods.

All that was back in the excessive 80’s when Hair-Metal ruled the rock world and cocaine was the drug of choice. Fast-forward to 2004 and Velvet Revolver, the band made up of Ex-Gunners Slash, Duff McKagan & Matt Sorum along with former Stone Temple Pilots front man Scott Weiland and Wasted Youth guitarist Dave Kushner, are getting a Luke-warm response from the British press. Despite being an incredible live band and having a massive-selling debut album, the press seem more interested in unmentionable throw-away pop-rock acts and jungle dwelling celebrities.

Let us hope that the press will be more interested in the leaner, cleaner and apparently British Hurricane Party. Although they draw their influences more from Aerosmith, Led Zep & AC/DC, their sound is unmistakable 80’s era LA Rock’n’Roll. They may not have the whole Lines’N’Noses aura (yet) but they dick on The Darkness in the Cool Wall of Rock. They are already getting rave reviews from the likes of Classic Rock & Kerrang! but the for the sour grapes indie press like NME the band remain off the radar. So that brings us to their live show, do they pack the punch their credentials seem to suggest? Or will they Crash’N’Burn and sink into the ‘nearly made it’ consignment of so many British bands of late?

Are they worthy of my attention?
Well, if the sheer rocktastic looks of the band is anything to go by they will indeed make the grade. Singer Richie Hevanz (is that a real name?) takes to the stage in a tight black shirt, rose-red flares and a black mane that Black Beauty would be proud of, an attire fit to match his immediate stage presence which takes heavy cue’s from Robert Plant. The rest of the band share a combination of denim, cowboy boots and cut-off T-Shirts, a look which will make you think you’ve entered Orson Wells’ Time Machine. The band reeks of 80’s hair-metal excess in a way ancient chancers The Darkness can only dream of, the weird thing is the crowd echo the band’s taste in fashion (all be it in a more watered-down way). When the guitars kick in the tension drops out and the band creates the type of electricity only found in a 10,000,000 kw dynamo. Tonight the Camden Underworld could very easily be a seedy LA rock venue tracks like Killer, Roadstar & Get This give the impression that there could be a post-the Darkness renaissance of 80’s rock that is actually cool to like. The only criticism I have is they seemed a little too eager to please, a bit too showy, but maybe that’s just because I was too young to appreciate the 80’s rock scene.

So who are they like?
Well the obvious ones include Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, Whitesnake, & Poison. Curiously they also have hints of Megadeth, Ugly Kid Joe, & INXS about them, one song even managing to sound not dissimilar to “Cats in the Cradle”!

I’m in a rock band but in the late nineties early noughties sense, should I be afraid?
Yes, yes and maybe. Style wise these guys are instantly recognisable as Rock Stars, there is nothing else they could be. If you didn’t know what Julian Casablancas looked like you could easily dismiss him as a university drop-out when passing him in the street, there’s no chance of that with ‘the Party. As far as X-factor these lads have 10 times more of it than any of those stupid twats from X-factor, so that’s two out of three so far. Musically they defiantly hit the right spots but only time will tell if the 80’s revival is just a 5 minute phase.

So what’s the verdict?
I was doing my usual thing of striking up conversation with random members of the crowd I got chatting to an industry insider who let out a rather disturbing secret. These guys were actually ‘put together’ by a record company! Shock! Horror! I know, and when you think about it things start to make sense. Their ability to play note perfect, their over-the-top togetherness, their obviously thought-out names! If this rumour is to be believed then the shocking reality is, for once a record company has manufactured a band that actually appeals to a rock audience. Make no mistake, these guys are not Busted, they are the Hurricane Party and they pack the power of thunder!

www.hurricane-party.com