Lords of Acid w/ My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult, Blownload

Lords of Acid have not toured in eight long years. By the hungry look on the people in the crowd’s eyes on Tuesday (7.27.10) that is eight years too many. This was actually a co-headlining tour packaged as the “Sextreme Ball,” with My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult also performing. The tour celebrates the 15 year anniversary of their 1995 tour, “Sextacy Ball” which had the same lineup. Lords of Acid never fails to bring out the wildest crowds and their Cleveland gig was no exception. Corsets, 8 inch heels, and vinyl were par for the course, and if you threw in a feather boa and some glitter you might just get pulled onstage with the band. The smoking hot Lacey Conner from VH1’s ‘Rock of Love’ series is the newest vocalist, and she is paired with Sin Quirin from RevCo on guitar, M3 from Powerman 5000 on bass, and Kirk Salvador on drums. Of course, the founder of LOA and always the ringleader, Praga Khan ran all the beats.

The show ran like a “best of” Lords of Acid, peppering in all the fan favorites. Lacey hit the stage in a rubber dress with high-heeled boots complimented by opera gloves. The crowd cheered in approval. “Lover” was a favorite and saw fans jumping and writhing furiously. Lacey’s voice is a bit higher than the other vocalists that have performed with LOA, but she managed to fit the songs to her range and never lacked in showmanship. “Rough Sex” was another hard-hitting techno classic and Praga Khan practically rocked himself and his console straight into the crowd. He was dancing with such abandon that it’s hard to believe he has done this for 25 years. M3 on bass seemed to jump higher and higher with each song as The Lords kept them coming. The highlight of the evening was “Spank My Booty,” during which girls were picked out of the crowd to, naturally, spank each other’s booties. Normally, LOA travels with an elaborate stage set up; not so for this tour (save the huge drum kit). The presence of all the girls onstage and Lacey and Khan’s over the top showmanship more than made up for it.

My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult never disappoints. Even though they lacked a drummer (he broke his hand trying to fight someone off the bus who was wielding a gun in another city) and backup vocalist, Thrill Kill Kult still managed to get the crowd moving. They also played a “best of” setlist that included cult classics such as “Sex on Wheels” and “Daisy Chain for Satan.” The crowd ate up every line of “Daisy Chain,” especially, “I live for drugs, I flipped out very badly once…I freaked out on acid!” The group’s leader, Groovie Mann was moving like someone half his age, gyrating and sweating up a storm. Of course, the trademark shades hardly ever came off of anyone in the band and the fog readily flowed off the stage. Bassist Charles Levi stroked his instrument lovingly, all the while delivering lightning fast and classic bass riffs. His hulking physique clad in leather and grooving smoothly to the music lent added mystique to the set. “Cuz It’s Hot” rounded out their show, leaving the crowd wanting more.

Unabashedly raunchy and fun, opening act Blownload knows how to put on a show, even if their set was a little unusual. Their sound was, at times, a bit heavier than the other bands on the bill, but the crowd seemed to really be getting into it. The singer, Erie, is a portly man, and he makes no bones about it. “Yes, I know I’m fat,” he said to the crowd as he proudly flounced around the stage, offering to show people his man boobs. Songs tended to be on the risqué edge, with titles like “Holy Sh*t” and “Milfin USA” and possessed a heavy sound that was perfectly orchestrated by their drummer, Sprocket, who, at only 20 years of age, is definitely one of the most charismatic and talented drummers in the biz.