Review: H.e.a.t turn on the heat at Cambridge Junction
Unbelievably for a band of this stature, who have been around for 15 years now and constantly praised by the likes of Classic Rock Magazine, the Junction’s J1 wasn’t full on Wednesday, November 30, to witness the return of these heavyweights of Swedish rock who hail from the same town as 80s icons Europe, of Final Countdown fame.
Still, if this powerhouse quintet found that in any way disheartening, they certainly didn’t let it show, giving their all throughout and treating the gig as if they were performing to a packed out Wembley Stadium (why aren’t they?!). It also meant that I was able to get right to the front without having to arrive two hours before.
The Heat Is On by Glenn Frey was the ideal song to get the crowd in the mood, before the five members - singer Kenny Leckremo, guitarist Dave Dalone, keyboard player Jona Tee, bass player Jimmy Jay and drummer Don Crash - came out on stage to a very warm welcome from an enthusiastic and ‘pumped’ audience.
Hard-hitting opening number Back to the Rhythm, also the first track on the band’s latest album Force Majeure, kicked off the proceedings in style and set the high-energy tone for the evening.
Kenny expressed his gratitude to the fans who had come out to see the band and instructed us to put our hands in their air and shake our hips “especially you ladies”, adding: “It’s called Rock Your Body for a reason.” Cue the epic Rock Your Body, off H.e.a.t’s 2020 offering H.E.A.T II.
The group’s music emphatically and unashamedly celebrates the melodic, synth-heavy rock of the 80s and it can’t help but bring a smile to your face - Tainted Blood and One by One were further great examples of this.
Each of the members were given the chance to show what they can do on their instruments but thankfully there were no 20-minute drum solos. Kenny, who has an amazing voice perfectly suited to the songs, expressed how humbling it was to have the crowd singing the songs back to him and the band. “You know the lyrics better than I do!” he observed.
He also suggested that the English “sauna better” than the Scandinavians, recounting an experience in a sauna at the band’s hotel, and thanked support act, Collateral, who had performed at the same venue just last month supporting Skid Row, noting that some of the band’s members were “hiding” among the crowd.
Hollywood and Nationwide were two further gems from the new album, Beg Beg Beg, Breaking the Silence and Cry - the closest thing H.e.a.t have to a ballad - got the crowd passionately singing along, while Living on the Run, probably my favourite song by the band, was positively euphoric.
[Read more: Jona Tee of H.e.a.t: ‘I started growing my hair at 11 and never looked back’]
Constantly prowling the stage, coming down to interact with fans at the front, getting us all singing along, lovingly introducing his “brothers” in the band, headbanging, jumping and singing like his life depended on it, the charismatic Kenny Leckremo is some frontman, ably supported by four supremely talented musicians. At one point in the show, he even suggested that we should all get together and “do this every night”. If only.
For more on H.e.a.t, visit heatsweden.com.
