Armed with his Gibson SG, Danko Jones and his band take to the Wacken True Metal Stage for the third time. This live CD/DVD compilation from the 2015 festival gives a selection of DJ songs from over his career and shows the man himself clearly at ease in front of a large crowd doing what he does best. The band's songs are bawdy, humorous and at times bordering on adolescent, but have a charm to their immaturity; there is certainly no-one else making songs quite like Danko. By his own admission 'our songs are about having sex and
making out,' and there's defiantly a lot of back row shenanigans on the set list. From the audacious set opener, The Rules, packed with hot sexual innuendo to Cadillac and Lovercall, through to the perfect stripper mixtape track, Sugar High, Danko manages to have the crowd eating out of his hand. Danko even boasts that 'this is the best song of the festival' as the Wacken audience chant his name over and over taking it to orgasmic extremes. From anyone else this would smack of arrogance, but whilst there is a tiny bit of ego present, it's delivered with a nod and a wink, much like the music which is a hot-blooded, sexy hybrid or rock, thrash, blues, punk.
Danko's snarling vocal on Wanna Know How To Play The Blues is aggressive, yet fun as he lampoons the old blues cliché, singing 'love will hit you bad, blues will hit you worse.' Rick Knox simply kills the drum kit on Sugar Daddy and is a bulldozer of a force behind Danko's hard and heavy power chords and bassist JC Calabrese backs up Danko's electric energy every step of the way. The Twisting Knife pushes his voice to his top registers as he lets his inner madman rip. Legs continues to showcase the sassy, boyish elements of his music, whilst Invisible is a hard rock/emo attempt at a love song. It's all brilliantly entertaining fun!
It's not often you get a performers opinion on their show, let alone see them in a vulnerable post show come down, but respectfully Danko Jones has allowed us to share in that world. The audio commentary lifts the lid on Danko's love of The Scorpions, star-studded video shoots and the inspiration behind the songs from Jeff Beck to The Misfits. The rare post-show interview gives his feedback on the performance and festival. Both extras give a fascinating in-sight to the man and his sensitive, creative side versus his crazy, macho on- stage persona.
It's a terrific package for hardened fans and as an introduction to Danko's work for newbies. The CD is best played loud and the live DVD is the perfect way to experience the band at their very best. So put your feet up, turn on, tune in and make out Danko Jones style.