The night starts with a bang… on stage we have Collateral, a rock band from the UK. It is not the first time that they play Electric Ballroom, in fact back in June 2019 after winning a Camden Rocks Festival competition out of 20,000 bands they had a chance to perform on this very stage. In the same year, Collateral also won a competition to support Jon Bon Jovi on his Runaway to Paradise Mediterranean Cruise. After the release of their self-titled album in 2020, and the addition of two new members (Louis Malagodi on guitar and Robert Richard James Fenning on keyboards), they are now concentrating on recording their second album.
The set opens with “Mr Big Shot”, which describes perfectly frontman Angelo Tristan and a great fire starter, everyone in the audience is jumping and having fun. The band has big riffs, big choruses and even bigger energy that could light up even the smallest of venues. They sound like a stadium rock band and we are so lucky to be able to see them in such an intimate venue. The rest of the setlist it’s epic and the songs are super catchy. And we are also super lucky because they are recording their new video tonight, so it was requested to “bring our sexy smiles”! Still very impressed by the talent and charisma of these guys.
But let’s move on to the next band, The Treatment… a British rock and roll band from Cambridge. The Treatment has been getting the party on since 2008. True to the heart of rock and roll, they never fail to impress. All over the stage, there is hair flying, and jumping around all accompanied by incredible mid-tempo guitar riffs. Songs like “Let It Begin”, brings the powerhouse of energy, vibe and talent that the band is known for and will get your feet dancing and toes tapping like there is no tomorrow.
The venue is pretty filled with people that can wait to have more. And they get it as singer Tom Rampton and both the Grey brothers get down to the barricades to get closer to the fans! During one of the breaks in between songs, Rampton mentions how not impressed he is with how lout the people at the back are being mentioning something along the line of “if a man with the microphone on stage tells you to be loud, you be loud!” and after that, there is a big, fat roaring scream in the whole room. Throughout the whole performance, Rampton confirms to be a superb vocalist and showman, a perfect fit for the band! The set finishes with “Shake the Mountain” and it sure did shake the building down!
And now the moment we all have been waiting for, Reckless Love, who comes on to Thin Lizzy’s “The Boys are Back in Town” and they are! Reckless Love is a Finnish rock back, founded back in 2001. In February 2010, they released their debut album, which reached number 13 on the Finnish charts. In 2011 they released their second album “Animal Attraction”, which was in the top 10 of the Finnish charts. After the success of “Animal Attraction”, Reckless Love released their third album “Spirit” in 2013 and then in 2016 they released two singles, “Keep it up all Night” and “Monster”. In March 2022, their latest album, “Turborider”, was released.
All dressed in pastel ice cream suits and in my option a look that suits them well and still allows them to jump around and for frontman Olli Herman to do his high kick. The opening song is a recent album title track “Turborider”, which has power and melody to die for. The setlist also includes a cover of “Back at the Moon” by Ozzy Osbourne, which is featured on the last album and includes some highlights such as Pepe’s guitar licks and Olli’s incredible vocal range which give justice to the song.
All in all, Reckless Love music is filled with bouncy high-energy catchy rock melodies with sharp guitar sounds. The passion, love and attention to detail of this band are incredible and difficult not to see it. Before the encore, “On the Radio”, which is a great crowd pleaser and a perfect example of pock rock greatness. Once they come back they finish with “Night on Fire” and “Hot”, which I would say is perfect as it was definitely a hot night on fire!
Collateral Setlist:
- Mr Big Shot
- Lullaby
- Promiseland
- No Place for Love
- Sin in the City
- Merry Go Around
The Treatment Setlist:
- Let’s Get Dirty
- Let It Begin
- Eyes on You
- Vampress
- Devil in the Detail
- Dirty Money
- I Bleed Rock+Roll
- Wrong Way
- Rat Race
- Get the Party On
- Shake the Mountain
Reckelss Love Setlist:
- Turborider
- Outrun
- Monster
- Back to Paradise
- Back at the Moon (Ozzy Osbourne cover)
- Kids of the Arcade
- Loaded
- Prelude (Flight of the Cobra)
- Like a Corba
- Edge of Our Dreams
- Eyes of a Maniac
- Prodigal Sons
- Badass
- On the Radio
Encore:
- Animal Attraction
- Night on Fire
- Hot
Photos by Selena Ferro