Last night in Barcelona debauchery took over for a night. The Crank County Daredevils were playing at a small sweaty club, right next door to the venue where who but the band Europe should be playing as well that same night.

Well, personally speaking, Europe can go and fuck off for all I care, in fact, they should have fucked off a long time ago. Their shit music bugged me ocasionally during my teenage years every time I turned on the radio or tv, so also it was very surreal to watch the queues of people outside the big venue willing to actually pay and go see a concert of Europe. But stranger things happen all the time, right?! Anyway, that other show did not stop people from coming to see the Crank County Daredevils, a REAL in-your-face, ass-kickin', not-givin'-a-shit-about-Europe-and-the-likes attitude rock 'n' roll band. Not bland. Hell yeah. I like them. Surprise.

So there they were, on tour, all the way from the South of the U.S.A., from the city of Asheville, North Carolina. Singer/guitarist Scotty P, looking cooler than usual for some unknown reason. Maybe because of that voice he's got when he sings, like he's been munching at some crushed glass flakes for breakfast and washed it down with a big bowl of Jack D, and smoking like 40 a day. Bassist Billy Velvet, a most wonderful creature of the night, creating yet another new legendary trail of anecdotes with his dead (allegedly) dog carcass which looked more like a coyote hat on (he likes to make people wear it too). Amazing, amazing and amazing once more, guitarist Rory Kelly, and the new super badass drummer, Mike Irwin, who really does bang the drums.

The set started at about 11 p.m. and Scotty P introduces the band as: "this is no goddamn Europe show! This is the Crank County Daredevils show!", then proceeded to crank out full volume into a raw, loud and very supermean 'We Want It All', followed by 'Take Me To The Riverside', and there you go - the Daredevils were fucking up the place already. The people quickly went nuts and bonkers and stuff, the Devils stepping out off the li'l stage several times to fuck with the crowd a bit, crowd very pleased of course. It was wild, sweaty, pure raw energy, real rock 'n' roll, fuck it is southern sleaze as they call it but I myself decided to call it: "now THIS is what I like to see when I go to a hard rock concert"... Some real rock attitude... Some fucking BALLS please!!! Thank you very much!!!

The Daredevils delivered song after song after song, many from their brand new third record, just released, and also lots of Crank County classics such as 'Love Me Like A Suicide' and of course 'Kings Of Sleaze' and 'Back In The Nasty', two of my faves from their first record, which I remember buying mainly because it was one of the most beautiful cd covers I had seen in a good while (imagine the pleasure when I listened to it and... ooohhh!!!, etc.).

They had no setlist prepared, just played the songs they felt like playing. Scotty kept asking the sound guys to turn up the volume once and again, "everything louder than everything else!". Yeah! People from the audience would give them cigarettes, beer... and they would ask for drinks too during the set, of course. Complete mayhem as usual. The Daredevils sure know how to party. At one point Scotty's guitar had one string broken as he'd just been rubbing it against the mike stand, so from then on he continued the show without it anyway, borrowing Rory's during the cover of AC/DC's 'Have A Drink On Me' as Rory was on vocals (he sings in his metal band Intethod as well as on his forthcoming solo album too). Almost two hours of a totally awesome crazy wonderful rock show anyone with an ounce of hot rock blood inside would've thoroughly enjoyed. The Daredevils also played a cool cover of Rose Tattoo's 'Nice Boys (Don't Play R 'n' R)' and the Stones' 'Let It Bleed' as the very last song, after which they just walked off the stage to join all the crowd at the bar and partied all night with everyone who stayed there till the early morning.

Truly, a night to remember. I had been listening to this band for a couple of years but had never had the opportunity to catch them live until this time, and the experience was unforgettable. You don't find bands like these every day, with such a real, aggressive, attitude-laden live show and who just give it all onstage. This is the kind of concert where you go home afterwards feeling so good, like you have seen something special, and you remember it the day after, and think, wow what a show I just saw last night! And you wanna play and play their records once and again...

So if you are lucky to have them come play live nearby do not hesitate for a minute, go
see them. And if you still haven't got their new and older shit, go buy it all, crank it up loud, get high and enjoy. Keep up the dirty work guys!!! See you in Hell! Or somewhere else along the road.