Giuda

Stripping the history of glam rock for parts and using what's left to build a new souped-up rock & roll machine, Giuda are an Italian rock band whose songs merge the hard-stomping sound of "junk shop glam" acts like Slade, Mud, and the Sweet with the swaggering energy of first-generation punk. Giuda were formed by lead vocalist Tenda and guitarist Lorenzo; both had been members of the noted Italian punk band Taxi, but after the unexpected death of their drummer Francesco, the group split up. Several months later, Tenda and Lorenzo felt ready to make music again, but decided to start a new project; teaming with onetime Taxi bassist Danilo, and new members Michele on guitar and Daniele on drums, the band adopted the name Giuda (Italian for Judas) and began playing gigs. Embracing a sporty look (the bandmembers often reference their passion for football) and a sound that paid clear homage to the commercial end of British glam rock of the 1970s, Giuda soon developed a live following and released their first album, Racey Roller, in early 2010, packaged in a cleverly designed sleeve that looked like a vintage glam LP rescued from a junk shop. Giuda supported the album with heavy touring in Europe, the U.K., and the United States, making plenty of new friends along the way; noted glam rock fan Joe Elliott of Def Leppard praised the band, saying, "When I heard Racey Roller, I was p—-ing my pants laughing, because it's so brilliant, so exhilarating and fun." A second Giuda album, Let's Do It Again, arrived in 2013.