Sahara Hotnights

Jennie Bomb (Jetset)
by Scott Hefflon

Sahara Hotnights are like a Swedish garage rock version of early Donnas, and that’s why they’re selling pretty damn well. They’re cute, they rock pretty hard, and while the singer yelps and hisses like a pissy kitty, she (or someone in the band, I don’t follow such shit) is going out with the lead dude from The Hives, and that’s that. Like The Donnas early on, they pull it off with youthful exuberance and “that spark” more than being especially noteworthy songwriters or musicians, and if that’s yer bag, here ya are. For my money, I saw them open for fellow Jetset (by way of Bad Afro) Scandinavian rockers, The Flaming Sideburns, and the Sideburns obviously played circles around the gals, but Sahara Hotnights put on a decent show, considering the singer yelps instead of sings. And bratty/cutesy/shouty sing-a-long choruses only go so far, ya know?

Both Fluffy and NY Loose rocked harder and played better (and look where it got them), and luckily, The Donnas have really learned their craft over the years, so sure, give Sahara Hotnights a thumbs-up for a good start, just don’t let ’em rest on their cute lil leather-clad asses cuz they still have a long way to go before they’ll be more than a novelty. May sound harsh, but if ya blow yer hard-earned bucks on a CD, you want it to be more than adorable. My fave is the dark glam, Hanoi Rocks-ish “With or Without Control,” and hell, Mike Monroe never could really sing either, and he pulled it off… Most people’ve probably heard the single “Alright, Alright (Here’s my Fist, Where’s the Fight?),” but that song grates on my nerves, catchy and jerky as it is.
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