DEMENTED ARE GO + KING KURT + THE GO GO CULT – THE CON CLUB, LEWES 16.11.18
It was, as always, a fantastic atmosphere at the Con Club. It never fails to bring in a brilliant, eclectic crowd!
Anyway, first up tonight were The Go Go Cult, a four piece hailing from Reading. I must admit, I found it hard to pigeon hole their style, but their Facebook page has it right: “50’s Psychedelic Punk. Masks are optional”!
With an impressive discography, the guys soon whipped the crowd into a dancing mood! Songs performed included ‘We Come From Planet Goo’, ‘Bring Out Your Dead’, ‘I Melted My Mind’ and ‘Cemetery Stare’ – does this give a clue as to what to expect from this band – yes!
More on The Go Go Cult HERE.
Second band on stage were the ever amazing King Kurt! The current lineup is Smeg (vox), Paul “Thwack” (guitar), Bert (bass), John (sax), Eli (guitar), Gaff (drums), Mr Burton (drums) sometimes.
Believe it or not, the band originally started out in 1981 as Rockin’ Kurt and his Sauer Krauts, but soon shortened the name to King Kurt.
With four albums (their first, ‘Ooh Wallah Wallah’ produced by the one and only Dave Edmunds) and a fist full of singles under their belt – the best known and highest chart placing was for ‘Destination Zululand’.
The band split in 1988 and two bands were formed from the rubble, however in recent years the boys have been back on the road as one band. These guys still know how to put on a bonkers show and this evening wound everyone into a frenzy! Of course it was nice to see some of the band still performing in dresses (“Kurt Skirts”) after all these years. The setlist included ‘Destination Zululand’, ‘Zulu Beat’ and ‘Rockin’ Kurt’.
Smeg is such a cool frontman, pulling strange contorted faces and writhing throughout the whole gig, but he is also charming. He’s one of those performers that you just can’t take your eyes off for a second. And the whole band know how to play to the crowd and make them sing!
I hope the guys return again soon!
More on King Kurt HERE.
The main act tonight were Demented Are Go who formed in 1982 in Cardiff, Wales. They are considered the forerunners of the psychobilly scene, mixing punk with rockabilly, thus ‘punkabilly’ seems appropriate. It’s claimed that the bands name comes from a phrase “Demon Teds Are Go!” – which in itself was a take on “Thunderbirds Are Go!”
The band have had a chequered past and seriously knew how to live the rock’n’roll lifestyle to the max. For instance in Japan, vocalist Sparky apparently performed naked and do odd things with a rubber fish, and in 1995 the band split because of his mental state. However they reformed in 1996 to carry on with their weird and wonderful antics (including allegedly doing naughty things on stage with a vacuum cleaner!). It didn’t end there.
It was reported that Sparky was arrested in the U.S for pinching a girls bottom (she was sixteen so classed as a minor), he couldn’t afford to pay the $60,000 bail and so went to jail for a month. Oh yes, and he also caused trouble at the band’s hotel, by cross dressing and taking drugs, before setting fire to woodland at the music venue!
The current Demented Are Go band members are Sparky, Holger, Grischa and Gaybeul.
This was my first Demented gig, and even after looking at some of their stuff online – I wasn’t sure what to expect. But from the minute I walked into the venue, it was easy to tell that they have a huge, die-hard following. So many people had tattoos of the band name!
The band appeared on stage, looking like characters from a horror movie – Fake blood, big hair and tattoos being the main theme. On any other day, it would be tough having to follow King Kurt on the list of bands – but not for this lot! Their stage presence is something to behold and they can certainly hold a crowds attention!
For a band that are now well into their third decade, they certainly don’t act like it. Lead singer Sparky has a voice like he’s been eating razor blades (almost Lemmy-like), and the attitude shines through.
From the start of the set, the mosh-pit boiled like a cauldron and didn’t stop until the very last note of the very last song. The banter is good too – Sparky talks like he sings, almost growling at the crowd!
More on Demented Are Go HERE.
Find out more about the venue HERE.
Great review of a brilliant gig. All three bands were brilliant in totally individual ways. Crowd were awesome too. Great photos