Parliament

The 80’s were more than a decade. They were a frame of mind, maaan. I mean, at what other point in history could the most dominant forms of popular music be synth-pop and glam metal? What other point in music history could make bands as esoteric as Devo, “Weird Al” Yankovic and Dead Or Alive chart topping succeses? And to top it all off it was the decade that gave the Stray Cats, a rockabilly band from Long Island, New York not one, but three top ten singles on the Billboard Hot 100. Clearly we give the 80’s a bad rap, a decade responsible for this bands succes can’t be all bad. However, like any self-respecting band seeking to keep the spirits of Elvis, Bill Haley and Carl Perkins alive the true Stray Cats experience comes in every live show they put on. Truth be told, the oppurtunity to watch Brian Setzer playing guitar is an oppurtunity to see a true virtuoso in his field, and is pretty much worth the price of admission alone. However, when the original trio play together it’s apparent that none of that lightening in a bottle chemistry has been lost. Every classic they penned, from Stray Cat Strut to Rock This Town and everything in between, rattles along with more swing, grit and energy that most bands can muster in a whole career. They might be the definition of a cult act, but anyone with a passing interest in rock music’s history will have the time of their life watching one of the great discoveries of the 80’s.