DS Show Review & Gallery: Heet Deth, Lollygagger, The Cult of SpaceSkull, and Hail Alien in Chicago (01.13.2023)

Heet Deth returned to Liar’s Club as headliners. We were excited to first introduce the duo to our readers last year. Julia Bards and Laila Eskin were dressed in their uniforms of red overalls with the band’s name slashed in white across the back. The black and red grease paint on their faces rendered them looking like slightly less deranged first cousins of the late Heath Ledger’s The Joker from The Dark Knight. Different color scheme but similar mood. In the case of Heet Deth, they don’t want the world to burn, just the stage on which they perform. And burn up the stage, they did. Blasting through its set, Heet Deth gave the crowd not just a visual wow, but an auditory one as well. The band directs its anger at those who put profits over people and the environment. In “Bootlicker” the band addresses those supporting politicians caging kids:

“How’s this for progress? I’ll set the stage We’ll flip the script, throw you in there How you think you’re gonna like it Bootlicker.”

Borrowing from cinematic history to make a point in “Planet of the Apes“:

“We’re not here to be put in our place

To praise the demagogues of a fascist state

Here is just one solution, reverse the institution

There is no master race This is the planet of the apes“

The group’s set also included “Blood,” “Big Bang Boom,” and “We Should Have a Party.” Heet Deth pulls no punches and the ferocity of its music and performances stick with you for days. Put this band in your ears, in front of your eyes, and on your “must see list.” Or for some, your “must see again” list.

If there is a punk rock version of LARPing [Live Action Role Playing], The Cult of SpaceSkull can surely be described at doing that. That’s not a bad thing. This band, from Detroit, is horror punk, with a dash of performance art. The band “characters” go by stage names. Led by Red Witch on vocals, the rest of the band members were almost fully covered by long red hooded robes and corpse face masks, bringing to mind demonic Monks. But there’s more, as in sword fighting, an inflatable black and white skeleton tube man, and an unnamed red and black glitter-covered creature. In addition, Red Witch has a nemesis who tries to destroy her. The troupe ran through a set which included, “Fucked Up,” “Red Bitch,” “SpaceSkull, and “Satan’s Slut.” Red Witch told me, post-show, that they often change up characters and storylines but for this event the arch nemesis dress all in black, was known as Beserker. It’s a unique experience to say the least.