There was a time, during the last century, when rock ‘n’ roll was smelling like sulfur and was done up like a dog’s dinner: traces of glitter on shiny foreheads, dried blood on the corner of lips, spaghetti legs in leatherette slim pants and howling guitars that were exuberant as ever. From the Runaways to Joan Jett, to Lux’ and Ivy’s Cramps to the Stooges, Kiss and Alice Cooper, it’s this great glam ‘n’ punk bedlam that is resuscitated by Starcrawler. This L.A. combo carried by the very young Arrow de Wilde knows every page of the user manual of this 70s rock machine filled with all those irresistible clichés. A big fan of Ozzy, the 18 year old Californian violently grabs the chorus by the scruff of the neck of his songs to bring them alive and dominate them. We are left rinsed and exhausted after the 28 minutes of their first album which, if not for being incredibly innovative, is a true electric elixir of youth. © MZ/Qobuz