WHATEVER happened to Glam Rock? That was the question which came to mind as the band formerly known as The Sweet pounced on stage in full metal jacket, and proceeded to demolish the tinsel with a steel-plated guitar assault. The band launched into Hellraiser, sounding more AC/DC than Sweet, and guitarist Andy Scott, the only original member, cranked the tune along with razor sharp riffs, while singer Chad Brown belted out the helium driven vocals with inflated exaggeration.
While many of us remember The Sweet as a charmingly dross bubble gum band, we tend to overlook the fact that Andy Scott was constantly pushing them away from Chinn/Chapman ditties and into stronger hard rock territory. Hearing Burn On The Flame which a reliable source informs me is on the b side of Ballroom Blitz it's easy to understand why The Sweet were considered an early influence on Queen. The arpeggiated guitars and celestial harmonies are evident on songs like The Six Teens and Sweet F.A while Teenage, Rampage comes with the hidden warning Sweet will rock you.
Wig Wam Bam and Little Willie are two quick forays into bubble gum land, and Scott's three chord chops and string bends distract attention from the unbelievably inane lyrics. Love Is Like Oxygen is a, prog rock epic by comparison, but the band spoils it somewhat by inserting tributes to Free, Deep Purple, AC/DC (natch) and, gulp, Emerson, Lake and Palmer. Quick, give me some air.
Action, in contrast, is not a Def Leppard cover, but the original version of a song which Joe Elliot and the boys covered on last year's Vault album. So that's two megabands who owe a debt to The Sweet. A metallic and, quite frankly, manipulative set was wrapped up by the wailing sirens of Blockbuster and the thumping momentum of Fox On The Run, with an encore of Ballroom Blitz to deliver the final blow.
