Mix the Stray Cats with Marilyn Manson (or Alice Cooper, if you are as old as I am) and you'll end up with the strange hybrid Psychobilly. Musically speaking, it's rockabilly with a punk edge, but the culture is straight from Night of the Living Dead. In fact, the audience for the show I saw looked liked extras from Grease as directed by George A. Romero.
The Nekromantix are a three-piece band from Norway. Like many groups that survive with a limited selection of instruments, they manage to get very creative with the sounds they are able to produce. The first 20 minutes of their set at Old Ironsides was the tightest, best sounding live music that I've heard in many months. You would never guess it was all from just drums, guitar and a slap bass shaped like a casket.
Every song was introduced with something like, "this song is about decapitation" or "dead chicks are easy." I know, every music style has its hoaky factor that you either buy into or not. Punk is for angry people living in the 80's, classical is for people living in the 1800's, and psychobilly is for people that think it's cooler to pretend they aren't living at all.
A little of anything so specific and unusual goes a long way, and after 20 great minutes, I headed out of the show room and back to the bar to spread my attention between the band on a closed-circuit TV and ESPN on another TV. Rock, Jack Danials and basketball highlights. Now that's a strange hybrid I can get into.
Article comments
1 - Eric Olsen
I LOVE the Nekros Ken, though I've never seen them live. Another great live review - you rock. Thanks!
2 - Jim Carruthers
Are they sending timely cheques to The Cramps? And I'm sure Roky Erickson would like to have a word too. Then of course, there are the long gone daddies of Deja Voodoo, who deserve to have their albums back in print. There must be something about cold, dark countries which encourages horror rockabilly.
3 - Ross
When I think of Psychobilly, I think of the two Sub Pop (or formerly Sub Pop) acts Reverend Horton Heat and The Supersuckers. But I'm about eight years out of date on that front.
4 - I think
That you are an idiot!
5 - marcus
the nekromantix are from Copenhagen (Denmark).Not from Norway.But they are fuckin' good anyway.
6 - Random person
It's not THE Nekromantix, just Nekromantix.
They are from Denmark by the way, not Norway