Headkase CD Launch The Worm County Circus with special guests Devilution and The Kidney Thieves @ Rosie’s – 8 May 2009 : Live Review

by Lisa Lamb

The Kidney Thieves are a positive energy fix combining funk, rock, phychedlic and tribal metal with anti-pop tunes like Dance Town Show Down, guaranteed to get the keep the audience moving. They are talented and very comical with a passion for ludicrous song titles such as Sex Panther, Online Pelvis & the Exotic Juicer, Battle worm (escapes from Doom) etc and great stage names like Captain Chrispy Booyah and Crafty J.

Lead singer Jack Muzak is the lord of charisma, looking like a modern day Jack Sparrow. He promises to take the audience on a journey to fuzzy tinkle town via his keyboard which he also shares with Travis also known as Travesty, Intravenous and occasionally John Travolta.

   headkase
Headkase


Travis also plays guitar, percussion and occasionally the glockenspiel, which is an under appreciated instrument in metal. The band has a frantic Latino feel possibly due to Danos Direct, whose drumming appeared to be part of a circus act thanks to the balloon throwing skills of Raleigh from Headkase. As the song suggests, The Kidney Thieves are Living the Dream gaurenteed to move your body, rock your soul and sell your vital organs with love.

Devilution, once described as the musical lovechild of Motley Crue and Rob Zombie, play industrial metal. The band consists of the soaring powerful vocals of Jesse Dracman and the shredding guitar work of Postmortem Matt, backed by the solid rhythm section of Asbestoss Vorhees and Dr. Spikenstein on bass and drums. They have a strong following on Brisbane and have been achieving international success with thier first single Bitch City featuring on the soundtrack for two adult films in the US. They deliver some hard rocking metal, with the highlight being the finale to J J Cale’s Cocaine with Headkase as support.

Headkase are everything metal should be wild, loud and unpredictable. Consisting of Nutty Spotswood (vocals), Dylan DK Star (bass), Tristan Sykes (rhythm guitar), Raleigh Valemont (lead guitar) Toddy Hansen (drums) and Brett Hansen (keyboard) playing thier unique blend of Circus Metal and Industrial Techno. Combined with a metal freakshow, with highly theatrical custumes, make up and a cross dressing lead singer. Launching the much anticipated CD Worm County Circus, nine years in the making, possibly the result of trying to stick six heads into one case. It was like a metal meltdown with a carvivale feel, combining balloons, guitars and Nuttys stockings with a multitude of performers including guest vocalists Aaron from State of Integrity, Shaun from This Collision, Dylan from Amartyr, Damian from Bonesaw, plus others joining the on stage chaos.

These guys are phenomanal live, but best viewed from a distance, unless you like to slam dance, by the second song they had evoked a Wall of Death. At which stage the person next to me (so big he’d put Godzilla to shame) said “This is going to get pretty wild best move now while it is still possible”, it was like a B Grade Horror/ Comedy show with a great soundtrack, and the first time I’d been to a metal gig that required an Enter at your Own Risk warning!

It’s powerful stuff, though the true force of this band are its talented musicians, opening with the the insane drumming of Todd Hansen, looking like the demented clown from House of 1000 Corpses, how can a man at the back of the stage have so much presence? Raleigh Valemont in contrast looks like Brendan Fraser and plays lead guitar like a mad man, he is very much the showman with or without the make up. Talent shines through no matter what the disguise. The show was extremly entertaining, fun and musically tight, with the highlight being the song Cocaine & Caffiene.

These bands also perform at The Dead of Winter Festival Jubilee Hotel June 20th along with Burlesque performances from Miss Kitty Conquest, Lena Marlene and many more.