'Hardcore Superstar'? Hmm. Is that a reference to the genre of the band or - something else? Well no, it has nothing to do with the genre. So then it suggests sleaze rock. Ah, now we're getting somewhere.

After Googling the band's rather daft name with trepidation, I find that (phew) the first link that comes up is for the band's official site, which informs me that the band have been around almost nine years and come from Gothenburg, Sweden. This self-titled is their fourth album.

The Swedish glamsters are not, as one would expect, Wagnerian in their approach to music nor are they lyrical geniuses (the title of the second track 'Bag On Your Head' attests to that, if you hadn't already guessed from their band name).

Why then does my review continue? Well glam was never meant to be anything more than damn good fun, and 'Hardcore Superstar' fulfils that particular criterion admirably. It's been a while since I heard any proper, decent glam and Hardcore Superstar could be so described. They are the Motley Crue of the Noughties, and indeed have the same punky style as the Crue, Faster Pussycat or the Tygertailz (remember them?).

There are a few cracking tunes on the album, and for the most part it is catchy and fast-paced. Some of the slower material which doesn't quite fit with the band's image is perhaps a bit of a mistake, such as on 'Hateful' and last track 'Standin On The Verge' smacks of 'Every Rose Has Its Thorn' from when Poison started taking themselves seriously, although this is less self-indulgent. There are a few widdly guitar solos (such as on 'We Don't Celebrate Sundays'), but in general Hardcore Superstar is about simple punky riffs and rock rhythms.

I'm not sure I like their politics as such; the aforementioned 'Bag On Your Head' is about ugly women for this image-conscious quartet but that's what glam has always been about. As for 'Wild Boys', I won't go into the lyrics but, well, there's some stuff in there about incontinence, and as for 'my girlfriend, she's a whore' in 'My Good Reputation'!! I s'pose AC/DC have been coming out with this kind of stuff for decades though and it's not meant to be taken seriously.

'Hardcore Superstar' is not an album that set my world afire but much of what I would criticise about it is typical for the genre and I would be missing the point. It is fun and there are some touches which mark these guys out as having been in the music industry for a while - they are actually pretty good at the music side of things. They have twelve tracks on the album and could stand to lose a couple, especially as Jocke Berg's vocals begin to grate after a while. If you like 80s punky glam you'll love it, if that's not your thing then leave well alone.

***

Review by Amanda Hyne

Band website

Label website