The Batusis

When you've been around for as long as Cheetah Chrome and Sylvain Sylvain, people often forget that you can still kick ass playing that Rawk And Roll. The ex Dead Boy and the ex New York Doll have combined forces to roll out The Batusis - a band that shows they've still got a long way until they're gonna hang up the guitars.
Depending on how into the old Batman TV show will gauge if you recognize the name reference- The Batusi was the dance that the drugged up Dark Knight (well, he wasn't so dark back in the technicolor 60's) performed on an episode.



Their new self-titled ep features four songs and is a must have for any fans of the old school en why cee sound. Two instrumentals bookend the disc: "Blues Theme" (the old Davie Allen & The Arrows classic from the biker flick "Wild Angels"), and "Big Cat Stomp" (which could be for a future sequel!). Both tunes are fuzzy and nasty, like a tarantula crawlin' on some strippers teat. "What You Lack In Brains" is certainly NYC era 1975, with Sylvain taken the lead vox (even a little NY Dolls-ish "whistle"). And Cheetah takes a star turn with "Bury You Alive" - gnarly toonage and mean old lyrics for sure.



I got to see the band ( with Sean Koos (ex-Blackhearts) on bass and Lez Warner (of the Cult) on drums) in Brooklyn (aka Satan's areshole) last week and they did not disappoint. Playing the ep songs live brought a new dimension to them. Additionally, classics from the Dolls (Trash), the Dead Boys (Sonic Reducer), Johnny Thunders (I Wanna Be Loved), the Velvet Underground (Femme Fatale) and some other nuggets helped round out the set.



Bottom line - ass kicking punk rock and proof again it is not better to burn out OR fade away.