Live Review: The Pretty Reckless

The Pretty Reckless brought a modern twist to the classic, fiery and energetic rock and roll show with their O2 Academy appearance on Sunday night. Just in time for Halloween, the band showcased an eclectic plethora of familiar favourites and new songs ahead of the release of their album Other Worlds on the 4^{th of} November.

Whilst each member of the band possesses a wild musical talent, frontwoman Taylor Momsen certainly stole the show. Outside of the rock and roll sphere, Momsen is best known as Jenny Humphrey from Gossip Girl, or Cindy Lou from the Grinch. However, she has demonstrated that these early acting projects are far behind her and dedicating herself to rock music is where her heart truly lies. Joined by her bandmates Ben Phillips, Mark Damon, and Jamie Perkins, Momsen really commanded the whole room. Each audience member remained transfixed on her, and her every word, for the entirety of the show.

Momsen burst onto the stage with her infamous energy and sex appeal

In true Halloween spirit, the pyrotechnics were deployed to create a shroud of smoke across the stage as the lights went down, slowly changing to a blue and pink hue as each band member appeared. Momsen burst onto the stage with her infamous energy and sex appeal, her slinky frame clad in a bright orange dress and of course, her signature leather jacket. Her trusses of platinum blonde hair are certainly her trademark, taking pride of place in the performance as Momsen banged her head and waved playfully to the crowd.

The performance began with ‘Death by Rock and Roll’, an apt start which drove the crowd wild. The show then continued with new endeavours from the latest album, like ‘And So It Went’ and ‘Only Love Can Save Me Now.” Particularly mesmerising was the band’s effort to relight the love for their seminal 2010 album, Light Me Up. Their best-known song, ‘Make Me Wanna Die’ written when Momsen was just 16, was certainly a crowd-pleaser. This was then followed by the equally punchy ‘Miss Nothing’, before Momsen proclaimed her love for all things Halloween, launching into the spooky anthems ‘Broomsticks’ and ‘Witches Burn.’

Momsen’s engagement with the crowd was a highlight of the show, specifically when she addressed the women of the crowd, stating “This song is for any woman who has been fu**ed over by a man!”. An excited crowd member threw a decorated witch hat onto the stage, with which Momsen playfully pranced about the stage. Earlier in the day she had encouraged fancy dress on social media, to which many the audience had eagerly obliged.

The band effortlessly engaged with the Halloween theme, creating an unsettling but exciting atmosphere for each crowd member

The band then transitioned into the unnerving track ‘Sweet Things’, described by Momsen as “telling the story of Peter and the Wolf”. The band effortlessly engaged with the Halloween theme, creating an unsettling but exciting atmosphere for each crowd member. Particularly captivating was guitarist Ben Phillips’s ethereal backing vocals that harmonised perfectly with Momsen’s honey-dripped mezzo-soprano drone.

For me, the best part of the show was the band’s rendition of ‘Heaven Knows’ a modern rock anthem that in my mind, commands audience participation reminiscent of Queen’s ‘We Will Rock You.’ The pounding drum beat and catchy chorus ‘Oh Lord, heaven knows, we belong way down below’ matched with the previous track, ‘Going to Hell’ was the perfect choice for a spooky Halloween spectacular.

The encore, ‘F***ed Up World’ was the perfect end to a stellar performance, representing the band’s panache for a truly enthralling rock show, leaving fans reeling, starstruck and animated. A perfectly apt song closed the show as fans poured out of the venue, beaming and in awe of the intense experience they had just been part of. The show was a perfect melange of hazy pyrotechnics, crunchy guitar solos and exquisite vocals. The Pretty Reckless have shown that despite a successful 12 years in the music industry, their music career isn’t stalling, it’s just getting started.