Black Lips

Black Lips

This garage-rock renaissance we’ve been enjoying over the past few years has been the source of some of the most exciting new music in ages. Visceral, fun, outlandish rock ‘n roll exists again in its most natural form — unfettered and pure! Hurrah! And yes, while many of these bands have gleaned their sonic cues from the sounds of the past (who hasn’t?), the energy these artists exude is really the key to their charm. For example, Atlanta’s Black Lips: When it comes to exuding energy, the Black Lips are Gosh-darned class of their own! It’s almost difficult to explain to those that have not experienced a Black Lips gig the promise of good times held within a Black Lips gig. However, we’re going to try because we really don’t want you to sleep on the band’s show at the Culture Room with Black Linen and Plastic Pinks on March 20. Here’s a taste of what you might miss:

The first time I saw the Black Lips in the flesh was in Austin, Texas at Fun Fun Fun Fest in 2012. I had just finished covering a heavy metal band’s performance a few stages away and was sauntering through the dust in the direction of a jangling, reverb-drenched racket across the festival grounds. When I arrived at the stage, I happened upon what appeared to be Val Kilmer — donning a suit and brandishing a hunting knife — sharing the stage with the Black Lips. I edged closer and confirmed that it was, in fact, Val Kilmer, who was now seen cutting off locks of his long blonde hair with the hunting knife and howling into a mic between stabs of guitar noise, sounding not unlike his version of Jim Morrison from the Doors flick. The band fed off of the moment and the energy was absolutely surreal. Kilmer eventually nicked his hand and just stood there, bleeding profusely and screaming as the band pounded through more of its sweaty, thumping garage-rock. I don’t know if it was for a film, just an odd convergence, or maybe performance art, but I do know that I’ve never seen anything else like it in my life.

Then there was the time the Black Lips played on South Beach at the foot of the Shore Club’s luxurious pool as part of that year’s Art Basel festivities. The show culminated with some rowdy audience members jumping into the pool naked, surrounded by a crowd of horror-stricken art stiffs and ritzy locals. The band’s guitarist, Cole Alexander, eventually jumped into the pool as well, and then he vomited into the pool from the stage after climbing back up to finish his set. The vomit didn’t stop more people from eventually jumping in, though, and the gig looked like a montage of party scenes pulled from B-list ‘80s movies.

~Von Bader