The whole band are incredibly tight as musicians and there is even some nifty guitar work going on in the middle eight, despite glam never being a genre renowned for its technicalities. ‘Malibu Beach Nightmare’ follows before set then takes a slightly more angst-ridden turn with 1982’s ‘Visitor’ – Monroe snarling menacing lyrics such as ‘I’m not sorry ’bout the things that I’ve done to you / I’m not sorry, I never felt this good’. It is a songwriting masterpiece, testament to the abilities of Hanoi’s brainchild, Andy McCoy, and drummer Razzle picks up the pace for the live performance, upping the party vibe. Things are brought right back up to speed directly afterward however, with a wild version of debut hit ‘Tragedy’. It is this version that the group chose to perform on All Those Wasted Years, and it acts as a breather of sorts after all the high-octane madness that came before it. The original recording, on 1981’s ‘Bangkok Rocks, Saigon Shakes, Hanoi Rocks’ was a much more upbeat, punkier song – it was then slowed down for a subsequent re-release on 1984’s Two Steps From The Move. Another title track follows, this time 1983’s ‘Mental Beat’, before the set launches into the reworked version of their 1981 hit ‘Don’t You Ever Leave Me’. ‘And a very beautiful boy’ – which could be some reference to the group’s glamorous, androgynous image that they were once stigmatised for.

The next number ‘Until I Get You’ is ‘about a girl….’ says Michael. He has a decent range and isn’t afraid to growl, scream even trill where appropriate throughout his performance, which gives the whole thing a brilliant punk rock edge. Despite lead singer Michael Monroe never being hugely regarded for his vocal abilities, there’s no denying that he is more than fit for purpose for the kind of music his band wrote. ‘Back To Mystery City’ and ‘Motorvatin’, two of the group’s biggest hits, are up next.

It is good time rock and roll at its best, with slick work on the guitar neck at the hands of Andy McCoy, and a fun and rousing chorus. The first original Hanoi track to be played is ‘Oriental Beat’, the title track of their second album. Screams, whistles and the roar of the crowd can be heard as the track fades out and the surf-rock riff of ‘Pipeline’ plays out, a cover of the 1962 hit by The Chantays. The album opens with the remnants of classic masterpiece ‘O Fortuna’ playing in the background – a sure fire sign that Hanoi’s live shows were certainly something dramatic. Recorded at the Marquee Club in London (and originally put out there with the very dodgy typo of ‘waisted’ rather than ‘wasted’), All Those Wasted Years came at a good time for the predominantly Finnish band, as they were just starting to gain some ground in the UK at the time. It was the only live record the group released with British drummer Razzle holding the sticks, as he sadly died a year later in a tragic car crash. But not content with simply bringing out these two classic records, Dissonance have also reissued the band’s iconic 1984 live album ‘All Those Wasted Years’. If you’re keen to get your filthy mitts on some old school Finnish glam punk (and why wouldn’t you be?!), their first two records are definitely worth a punt.

Dissonance Productions have re-released some old Hanoi Rocks records.

Hanoi rocks associated acts