One of the last true sleaze-rock survivors of the noughties rolled into SWG3 like a biker gang spoiling for a hard-rock rumble — loud, unapologetic and absolutely here for a good time, not a long time.
Opening with the turbo-charged one-two punch of the iconic Buckcherry track Lit Up and newer bruiser Roar Like Thunder, Josh Todd and co hit the gas with a two-ton boot and never let up. This was lean, no-frills rock’n’roll: sweat, riffs, tattoos, hooks and attitude delivered at full throttle. Deep cuts and newer material like So Hott, Ridin’, Let It Burn and Come On kept the approval meter in the red, but it was the softer side that truly gripped Glasgow. Sorry, the heart-tugging ballad from their 2005 album 15, landed like an emotional gut punch deep in the feels.
The sleaze swagger melted into something raw and human. Phone lights bloomed across the hall like fireflies as the band slowed the tempo and opened up their hearts. A ballad, when done right by a rock band, can often be a moment of genuine connection that reminds you even our hardest rock bands aren’t just barroom wrecking hellraisers; they can bleed and they can feel all the same things we do. But any tenderness didn’t last long…
The closing stretch detonated into a glorious fast paced and expletive filled montage built around their signature party-anthem Crazy Bitch. What followed was a kind of jukebox rampage with detours into Sex Machine, Bad Girls, Irresistible Bitch and even a snippet of Proud Mary (dedicated to Tina Turner) before slamming back into the chorus again.
It worked. It was outrageous. It was unforgettable. Glasgow roared every word in a delirious frenzy as Todd prowled like a tattooed ringmaster commanding his circus. We’ve seen Buckcherry loud and often — they never fail. Expect raised fists, party anthems and shredded vocal cords by closing time.
Before them, Finnish legend Michael Monroe delivered a glam-punk hurricane of old-school rock’n’roll danger, giving the crowd a double shot of nostalgia and adrenaline. Bursting out with Dead, Jail or Rock ’n’ Roll, we can’t believe that track is now thirty-seven years old. That’s frightening to imagine as the sands of time hurtle down like an avalanche and he set a breathless pace that barely relented.
Hammersmith Palais, Boulevard of Broken Dreams and a sexy saxophone-fuelled Shinola proved there’s still serious fuel in his glam tank, while Ballad of the Lower East Side offered a brief breather before detonating into Malibu Beach Nightmare and Up Around the Bend. Sweaty, grinning and thoroughly warmed up, Glasgow was primed perfectly for the main event where Buckcherry did the rest.
8/10
Written By: Eric Mackinnon
