Artist: The Pretty Reckless
Venue: Terminal 5 (New York, NY)
Opener: Them Evils & Holy White Hounds
Date: 11/16/2016
Label: Razor and Tie

Though I hadn’t yet heard the full new album by The Pretty Reckless, I was loving the first single that I had been spinning with “Take Me Down”. I spoke about the rocking hit song HERE if you wanted to learn my thoughts and what excited me about tonight was that this would be the largest venue that I had seen TPR doing their thing in concert. I’ve often mentioned how Terminal 5 was not my favorite venue in the music scene of NYC and that remains true based on the distance and time it adds onto one’s schedule when bounding about the city but since tonight was a comfortable evening and not yet super cold, an early arrival made this alright by me. This time LOL.

Them Evils: I had made sure to be on point for a couple of reasons and the first was based on the aforementioned hike to the actual club but the second was a lot more important when it came down to it since it was to check out this lead off band. One of my reps was working with them and was interested in my take so why not enjoy the whole show from beginning to end. Sometimes it’s not possible to do that but I was glad that tonight offered that means. Them Evils is a three-piece Hard Rock band out of Orange County, CA and to my knowledge they are not yet signed. They really got the crowd started and I was happy to find the audience that was already on point was rocking out hard as they played a mixture of originals and some peppered in covers. I’ll have to assume that they played their whole self-titled EP for the masses tonight and the covers chosen were AC/DC’s “It’s a Long Way To The Top” and Motorhead’s “Ace Of Spades”. Hopefully they will be remembered after this tour for more than doing some solid renditions on classics as the band really deserves the nod. Add them to your up and coming list with thumbs up from me. Holy White Hounds was next.

Holy White Hounds: The changeover was superfast tonight and I really, really like when that happens. According to some post show research, the Holy White Hounds who I will call HWH from now on in this narrative, are also a Razor and Tie artist. As a band, they were another new name to me but one that I think a lot of you fans can get behind rather easily. There is a very strong melodic sense to their brand of Rock and the guys up on stage were clearly eating up all of the attention that the now larger audience was sending back to them. There was an older school vibe in terms of the music that they were doing but nothing that would make you feel they are performing ancient tunes. There is an exciting sound to the band and they have a lot of energy as well which is always wonderful to witness in an opening act. I am going to have to check out their album on Razor and Tie when I get my hands on it. Now it was time to relax for a few minutes with a cold beer and catch up with fellow media peeps while the changeover to the main event took place. The Pretty Reckless were going to be arriving on the stage soon and you could feel that excitement in the air.

The Pretty Reckless: A short prep time before TPR would hit the stage and that is normal when it comes to the mains. By now the venue was at the fullest it would be and it was interesting to observe that the top tier of the venue was closed off to the public and that the second floor was relegated to the fans who had paid for the higher priced VIP ticket. I loved seeing all the smiles of the mostly female audience members that were pressed up against the barricade. The ones I spoke to were so psyched to be seeing Taylor in concert again and for many it was the first time doing this which I always become a softy about as I think back to my own first concert experience. Here we go, Taylor and the guys have hit the stage. They would begin with “Follow Me Down” which hails from their Razor and Tie debut “Going To Hell” and it sounded rock solid to me. For those who might not yet have seen them, I must say that they are tight as hell and that Taylor’s voice is a wonderful thing to experience. The downside is that the early songs in the set are almost completely in the dark blue light or deep reds which make the photography for the professionals something of a challenge. What can you do.

The new album is “Who You Selling For” and we would get the first live taste of it during “Oh My God” and I had to say that Taylor was sounding great. I bring this up especially when one considers how the night before performance had been cancelled due to illness so I guess whatever was
plaguing her had run its course. Being sick and on the road, is not a pleasant thing at all so I was glad for her NYC fans that she could do it. With the band hailing from the city in the first place I can imagine that this is a gig that is impossible to cancel unless the situation is most dire. The set rundown while on the shorter side at thirteen numbers was rather comprehensive since it covered all three of the groups recordings. I don’t have a copy of their Interscope stuff and only was a casual listener to them once they got onto Razor and Tie with “Going To Hell” but I think from now on I will be focusing a little more attention here since the material is so satisfying. The new album “Who You Selling For” is a winner from beginning to end if you are looking for some proper Blues tinged Rock. Great musicianship from the whole quartet.

Taylor would grab a guitar at one point and from far away you could observe the stark white Punisher logo (which is a popular Marvel Comics character for those who don’t know what I mean) and it was great to find that she could play also and add more sonic value to the sounds that Mark and Ben are making. The lead single “Take Me Down” was a massive audience participation singalong and very powerful to be a part of. Taylor sure knows how to rock her fans socks off. A quick drum solo by Perkins led us into the closing number “Fucked Up World” and then I was sad to find that it was all over. Don’t worry fans I am sure that she will be back with the guys soon enough so just be patient. Closing up I have to say that this is one of the tighter Hard Rock groups on the road today. Though Taylor is or was an actress in her youth, her talents in this area speak for themselves and she is not to be taken lightly. It’s not too late to begin following the group so if you are looking for something new to appreciate do give this band a chance. I was skeptical myself at first but quickly learned that any reservations were misguided. Now to get myself a copy of the new recording and share my thoughts with you all. Stay tuned.

The Pretty Reckless Photo Gallery: http://piercingmetal.com/the-pretty-reckless-live-photos-terminal-5-11162016/

TPR Set List:
1. Follow Me Down
2. Since You’re Gone
3. Oh My God
4. Hangman
5. Make Me Wanna Die
6. My Medicine
7. Prisoner
8. Sweet Things
9. Living in the Storm
10. Heaven Knows
11. Going to Hell
12. Take Me Down
13. Fucked Up World

Here’s a few photos of the members of the audience that were early to arrive for the best possible visual of the show. I enjoyed their smiles and positive energy and am happy to include them in this narrative.

Official Website: http://www.theprettyreckless.com
Official Website: http://www.themevils.com
Official Website: http://www.holywhitehounds.com