Cult of the Psychic Fetus Concert Review

Cult of the Psychic Fetus are a local band in the Cleveland Metro area that has national appeal. I had never heard of them prior to living here, but have learned they have made quite a name for themselves in a more underground circuit. They put on a show in Parma, Ohio (a Southern suburb of Cleveland) at a bowling alley of all places, but that proved to be a pretty good idea as the party room/banquet hall at this venue was well-equipped for bands to play at, and hopefully they book more in the future. The beer was cheap, the music was good, it had air conditioning, and lots of room (it was better for a concert than most of the concert venues in Cleveland, most lack space and venhilation or regulated utilities!)

Cult of the Psychic Fetus started their show roughly around 11pm, and they rocked! If you can picture this, they remind me of 2 legendary bands in existence (The Cramps and Alien Sex Fiend). They incorporate the same aesthetic and play a sub-genre of music known as "Gothabilly" which melds the atmosphere of the Goth genre, with the beat and rhythm of old style Rockabilly… not a band combo of genres! The music is fast and upbeat, but the lyrics are 'schlock and roll!' Lots of horror-film noir thrown into their repertoire, performance, as well as looks. It was fun to watch these guys even though I don't know much about them. What they do, they do well. The singer has a Nosferatu appearance, and glares at the audience in an ominous way… but its more of a mystique than anything. Lyrically, I think they are pretty funny… some of their songs just remind me of watching The Munsters, which is not a bad thing… The Munsters were a great show! And these guys put on a great show too. According to their website, they will be on the bill for this year's "Drop Dead Festival" in NYC at the Knitting Factory on Labor Day weekend. The Drop Dead Festival is an International Horror Festival sponsored by Drop Dead Magazine that showcases the following genres of music: Deathrock, Psychobilly, Punk, New Wave, Post Punk, Goth, Dirge, Gothabilly and more. It will be headlined this year by the infamous Lene Lovich, and if you're into this kind of thing, it's not to be missed!