SUN 9/25
After years of enthralling European fans with their ghoulish-yet-lively stage shows, Denmark natives the HorrorPops took up residence in Los Angeles. The move paid off; the band landed a spot touring with the Offspring, managed to sell out the Troubadour in West Hollywood, and got to show its rockin' goods on Jimmy Kimmel Live. That's pretty good for a band that otherwise might have been a side project.
A chance encounter at the 1996 POPKOMM Festival in Germany brought together vocalist/bassist Patricia Day and guitarist Kim Nekroman, who were there with their bands, Peanut Pump Gun and the Nekromantix, respectively. The two quickly realized that their shared interests went beyond what either band was doing, and a year later, the HorrorPops were born.
Aesthetically, the HorrorPops have psychobilly written all over them: an upright bass, lots of tattoos, and a healthy B-movie influence. Day's Bettie-Page-meets-Morticia-Addams visage further enhances that assumption. But a listen to the band's latest album, Bring It On!, makes it obvious these Danes dig deeper than your average group of hepcats. So perhaps it might be easiest to describe the band for its different fan types.
New wavers: There's plenty here for fans of real new wave (not the synthetic hairspray crap of the mid-'80s). The Blondie/Pretenders influence is obvious from start to finish in Day's sexy yet damaged vocals on songs like "Where You Can't Follow."
Punks: What's not to like here, kids? It's fast and furious, and it was produced by Bad Religion's Brett Gurewitz. And songs like "You vs. Me" will remind all those old-school punks of first-wave Brit bands like Penetration.
Greasers: We're not going to lie -- the '50s influence isn't very prominent. But country-flavored tunes like "S.O.B." should keep your Brylcreem from drying up.
Dudes: Yep, all you horndogs out there, take note: The HorrorPops have a couple of hot go-go dancers on stage -- and they make the Suicide Girls look like the Olsen twins. The HorrorPops perform Sunday with Roger Miret and the Disasters and Left Alone at Respectable Street (518 Clematis St., West Palm Beach). The all-ages show starts at 6 p.m. Tickets cost $10. Call 561-832-9999. -- Jason Budjinski Indulge Thyself
Urine for a Good Time
FRI 9/23
New York City's Mindless Self Indulgence pisses people off, and that's not just because the singer calls himself Little Jimmy Urine. On its latest album, You'll Rebel to Anything, this group of not-so-merry gothic industrial pranksters takes an irreverent stab at Rush's math-rock classic "Tom Sawyer" while still recognizing the irony that the sort of misfit kids who worshiped Rush in 1980 are the same sort of misfit kids who worship MSI today. Any guy who can keep a straight face while singing lyrics like "I like my coffee black/Just like my metal" can certainly appreciate the more subtle points of deadpan humor -- or perhaps, in this case, deathpan humor. Bad puns aside, MSI is hanging out at the crossroads where Ministry and the Dead Milkmen meet Insane Clown Posse over a bottle of Faygo, a mindlessly self-indulgent place indeed. Mindless Self Indulgence goths it up with an all-ages show at Revolution (200 W. Broward Blvd., Fort Lauderdale) at 6 p.m. Friday. Opening are Retard-O-Bot and Suicide City (featuring Karl Bernholtz, formerly of the Groovenics). Tickets cost $14.99 in advance, $18 the day of the show. Call 954-727-0950, or visit www.jointherevolution.net. -- Lewis Goldberg
See Him, Hear Him
And laugh at Tommy Davidson
THU 9/22
Bam! It's been a long time since Tommy Davidson last shared the small screen with David Alan Grier in those classic "Funky Fingers Productions" sketches on Fox's In Living Color. Since then, the comic from our nation's capital has made a name for himself with a quick-witted standup routine and a few noticeable movie roles. You might remember him starring opposite future Oscar-winner Jamie Foxx in Booty Call or hamming it up with other In Living Color alumni in Juwanna Man or Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls. Davidson's also made the rounds as a frequent guest on the late-night talk-show circuit and has been featured in three HBO specials of his own. So we'll forgive him for participating in those endless yet oddly compelling VH1 nostalgia shows. Davidson brings his brand of urban comedy to the Palm Beach Improv (550 S. Rosemary Ave., Ste. 250, West Palm Beach) Thursday through Sunday. Tickets cost $21.30 to $23.43. Call 561-833-1812, or visit www.palmbeachimprov.com. -- Lewis Goldberg
31 Flavors of Rock
FRI 9/23
Rock 'n' roll used to mean Chuck Berry and Elvis Presley. Then came the Beatles... then the hippies, punks, new wavers, goths, headbangers, and every subgenre in between. So when you hear there's a rock show this Friday at the Orange Door (798 Tenth St., Lake Park), you don't know whether it's emo-core, bluesy funk-core, Ramones-style punk, melodic hardcore, or surf-metal. But if you somehow guessed that exact description, you'd be right. The multiflavored lineup includes Aurora (a brighter brand of emo), Squaz (cool, laid-back blues rhythms), the Ridicules (the kind of punk rock you have to spell out -- R-A-M-O-N-E-S), Hit Show (fast-paced Epitaph Records-core), and Fantastic Amazing (imagine Dick Dale in a neo-prog metal band with lots of bizarre jokes between songs). The show starts at 8 p.m. Tickets cost $5. Call 561-842-7949, or visit www.theorangedoor.com. -- Jason Budjinski
