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When asked to sum up GWAR in one word, concertgoer Nick Renfro looked me straight in the eye and said, “Blood.” Whether or not it’s the most accurate description, it is no lie that a truly liberal amount of the stuff was left on the faces, bodies and clothing of those in attendance – as well as the floor – at 103 Ultra Lounge this past Monday.
For the uninitiated, watching a GWAR concert is like attending every Sunday school teacher’s worst nightmare. The five-piece metal band comes out in full and ornate costume, adding to their mythos of being aliens sent to defile the heavens and destroy the human race. The bass player has what looks like a bear trap for a head. The lead singer is pretty much a demon, one of the guitarists looks like the Predator, and the other one is an alien warrior with an enormous spiked helmet. The drummer is some kind of monster dog. The stage show consisted of the beheading of effigies of the Pope and George Bush, a masturbating effigy of Hitler, Jesus and the shooting of a giant penis cannon by one of the band’s slaves. All of this leaves the crowd and the venue covered with simulated blood and semen. Add the stage show, which ended with the skewering of a police officer – more blood – to the elaborate lighting and endless fog machine action, and you’ve got GWAR.
Oh yeah, they also play music.
The house was packed, and there was a line that stretched from the front door around the building at least an hour before the show. The crowd was warmed up by local act Downsoul, who played a half-hour set of metal-hardcore to start the night off. The crowd wasn’t receptive to the lead singer’s encouragement for dancing, which could have been attributed to their lack of enthusiasm for the band, but it’s probably safe to assume they were just saving their energy for the more intense acts to follow.
Horse The Band, at their first-ever Maine appearance, was up next. These guys come from Los Angeles and played a set that rivaled the theatrics of GWAR in their intensity. Lead singer Nathan gyrated around like a seizure victim while the band showcased their frantic style of metal accompanied by synth sounds reminiscent of Nintendo. The crowd was visibly more into this band, which caused a few bouncers to jump into the mosh pit and try to stop the crowd from slam-dancing. This contributed to an air of tension in the audience which seemed to really damage the experience of an otherwise great set.
GWAR was on next.
The crowd seemed to eat up every word and spatter of blood, but it left this reviewer wanting. The band sabotaged their own bizarre “alien-monster” image when lead singer “Oderus Urungus” – yes, that is his name – showed off a truly monumental prima-donna attitude, threatening to stop the show and leave if anyone tried to touch the band or their costumes. Aside from the rock-star whining, GWAR got old and repetitive after the first ten minutes. If you’re into shock for the sake of shock, GWAR is definitely for you, but if you’re not impressed by cheesy gimmicks or bland metal, GWAR will not be your cup of tea. Call me picky, but it’s taken more than weird costumes and one-dimensional satire to get me into a band since I stopped listening to Marilyn Manson when I was 16.
GWAR-bashing aside, it was a fun night. Horse The Band was an amazing act that anyone would be well-advised to check out. They were well worth the money and the wait by themselves. Besides, even if I didn’t really dig GWAR, it was an experience. I guess that’s all one should ask for from a band like GWAR.
