The Black Halos
Live at Elm Street Rock Cafe, Oslo
19/03/06

Every once in a while I discover a new band that makes me remember why I love rock’n’roll. Because it makes me happy. Because it fills that empty space around my heart. The Black Halos are my new favourite band.

Do you long for the days when rock stars wore leather jackets,  did insane amounts of drugs, were constantly drinking and still made great music? I know I do. And if your answer is yes, you should check out The Black Halos. They play rock’n’roll the way it’s supposed to be played. Loud,  fast and with a lot of attitude.

 But first things first; their support act Susie Cain deserves a few words as well. They might be young, and oh, so cute, but they sure know how to play rock’n’roll. Give them a few more years,  and they’ll be headlining
Elm Street themselves.

 I must admit,  before this night I had hardly heard of the Black Halos. And I’ve been missing out.
The Elm Street website had words like CBGBs and Johnny Thunders on it, and since I trust Elm Street
(or whoever ’s booking gigs there), I decided to give it a shot.

The Black Halos were formed back in 1994, and have more or less been touring ever since. They have released three albums, four 7” singles, and contributed to a shitload of different compilations. They are one of not very many bands who successfully passes on the legacy of bands like the New York Dolls, the Stooges, and the Dead Boys. The foundation of their music is built on Adam Becvare and Jay Millettes combined efforts on guitars. Then there’s Rob Zgaljic and Denyss McKnight on drums and bass. On top of it you have singer Billy Hopeless, with that wonderful ”I’ve been drinking whiskey and smoking 30 a day since I was twelve”- snarl in his voice.

 They started off with a song from their newest release,  Alive Without Control. Only, the sound didn’t work until well into their second song. Too bad, because Three Sheets To The Wind is a favourite of mine. When the sound decided to co-operate again,  I had so much fun I totally forgot about it. Their set-list concisted of what seemed to be an endless row of simply great songs. So, how many songs did they play? I have no idea. All I know is that I wanted more when they finally laid down their guitars and headed for the bar.
There is something fundamentally catchy and lovable about their tunes,
they make you want to get up on the nearest table and dance. 

 The band seemed to enjoy the show just as much as we did, making jokes about the fact that in Norway drinks at the bar costs more than the prostitutes at the corner. They could be right.

Hopeless tried to charm some of the front row girls, getting really close. They all looked very uncomfortable.. He also had some sort of weird striptease going on. And I usually don’t complain when boys take their clothes of, but next time,  honey,  please keep your pants on. The rest of the guys did keep their clothes on, but still looked extremely good. You could argue that what a band looks like doesn’t matter. You couldn’t be more wrong.  The Black Halos look like a bunch of near-dead trashy heroin chicks. And it fits their music perfectly. Ok, so this isn’t the most original band-look in the world. And their music isn’t either. But still, it’s a million times better than anything on the radio these days! The next time the Black Halos visit Oslo, I’ll be there. First in line.