The Dead Boys at the Bowery Electric

Jake Hout

In 1974 and 1975, a band called Frankenstein, later Rocket from the Tombs, was adapting some of the new punk rock sound in Cleveland, Ohio. The time came in 1976 for the band to try its merit in the thriving New York City punk scene. The band adopted a new name, the Dead Boys, which came from the Rocket from the Tombs song "Down In Flames," and gained a rapid following at CBGB's. The Dead Boys moved to New York, recorded two studio albums, but commercial success did not happen and the band split in 1979, reuniting occasionally in the late 1980s. In 1990, vocalist Stiv Bators (Steve Bator)  died in France from injuries sustained after having been hit by a taxi; the remaining band members reformed for a few shows in 2004 and 2005. With the band's legacy still strong in 2017, lead guitarist Cheetah Chrome (Gene O'Connor), who had been playing Dead Boys songs live as part of his own set, and drummer Johnny Blitz (John Madansky) formed a new Dead Boys for a 40th anniversary tour. The new band also includes vocalist Jake Hout, who led a Dead Boys tribute band, rhythm guitarist Jason "Ginchy" Kottwitz and bassist Ricky Rat. The new band  released Still Snotty: Young, Loud and Snotty at 40, a re-recording of the Dead Boys' debut album, on September 8, 2017.

The Dead Boys' performance tonight at the Bowery Electric was the third time around in about a year, and it is likely that this 40th anniversary tour may last a few more years. Played no new songs, the new Dead Boys authentically revived the spirit of the original band but with a sound that was cleaner and slicker than the original band ever was. This in itself was both a blessing and a curse: a blessing because the audience enjoyed a driving concert by a band of real musicians, and a curse because, well, these seasoned professionals understandably could not thoroughly reproduce the daring creative experimentation of the original upstarts during the first wave of the punk rock era. The band started the set with its best known song, "Sonic Reducer," and transported the audience to an earlier epoch right through to "Son of Sam." Hout even provided moments of danger when he climbed to and swung into the audience from the overhead pipes. A good time was had by all. If the first Dead Boys had performed as tightly and as polished as the 2018 lineup, perhaps the originals would have crossed over to mainstream audiences.

Setlist:

1. Sonic Reducer
2. All This and More
3. What Love Is
4. Not Anymore
5. Ain't Nothing to Do
6. Caught with the Meat in Your Mouth
7. Calling on You
8. Flame Thrower Love
9. I Won't Look Back
10. I Need Lunch
11. High Tension Wire
12. Down in Flames

Encore:

1. Ain't It Fun
2. Son of Sam