From the first time I heard the music these guys make, whether together as the King Khan and BBQ Show, or in any of their other many incarnations (King Khan & The Shrines, Mark Sultan's unbelievably good solo album The Sultanic Verses, and so on,), I was in love. The nexus of garage rock, punk, and doo-wop could not be farther up my alley. In a world of electro-this and that, and sad-faced boys and girls singing sweetly, Blacksnake (King Khan's... real name?) and Mark Sultan bring a refreshing dose of pure, dirty, fun rock 'n' roll to the table.

I'd heard tell of previous live shows – wild and raucous, unexpected guests, dancing girls – but hadn't ever seen them myself. Last night, a tuxedo-clad magician named Leo Chips took the stage of the Rock and Roll Hotel, announcing that unfortunately, the King Khan & BBQ Show wouldn't be able to make it tonight, but he was there to entertain us a bit. It was a silly bit of stage trickery, but it let the audience know that the Canadian garage rock duo would truly living up to their name. This wouldn't be just a concert, it would be a show.

After a few minutes of cigarette jokes (apparently long thin brown cigarettes are very popular in this city; this was news to me) and crowd banter, the main act took the stage, with King Khan strapping on his guitar in a skimpy, sparkly green dress and glam wig, and BBQ picking up his bass and taking a seat behind his kick drum in a robe and turban. Leo Chips joined them on stage for the first few (and last few) songs, playing the organ and tambourine. The band's recorded quite a bit together, so they had plenty of material to work from (including their most recent release, Invisible Girl).

An enourmous amount of sound then blasted from the stage, rolling from one song into the next, fuzzing the transitions and making sure the music never stopped. Even in the moments where one member would tune, the other would keep things going so much that it sounded like a full band was on stage. The set included a stand-out cover of Johnny Thunders' "You Can't Put Your Arms Around A Memory," and favorites from the band's discography, like "I Love You So" (which was heralded in with, "clap your hands, this isn't a fucking funeral! although you could clap your hands at a funeral, if you want,") and the delightfully dirty "Tastebuds."

But the set wasn't as much about individual songs as it was one expansive rock party. It was the kind of show where people in the audience could slow dance with their honey while a pit full of people bouncing beyond their control sprang up, to the same songs, and all it made sense. It was a Show with a capital S. And it was sort of perfect.

Filed in Arts and Events and tagged king khan & bbq show, music, rock and roll hotel