My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult & Idaho Syndrome 04.26 @ Speedway Cafe

Are the disco demons from another dimension? Or, are they the favorite Saturday morning cartoon in hell?

Whatever they are, Nervous Xians beware! My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult continues to shock and amaze as they beat their way across the West on a two-and-a-half-week tour jaunt. April found them at The Speedway, with a much larger and more enthusiastic crowd to greet them than when they were in Salt Lake a year ago. From the first cloud of fog to the last throb of their dance club favorites, TKK delivered high-tech, synth-sampled dance music with driving energy from “straight outta hell.”

Taking the stage in leather bondage face coverings, Buck and Buzz handled the keyboards, samples, sequencers and percussion with technical precision. Groovie appeared on stage in his devil horns hat, like something you’d see on an unassuming trick-or-treater on Halloween or any ghoulish demon on Scooby Doo, Where are you?. Distorted vocals by Groovie and Buzz in  “devil voice” mode rounded out the sound. Back and forth they traded, making a near duet out of “Do You Fear for Your Child?” And when Groovie sings “Kooler Than Jesus,” you almost have to believe him.

All that was missing were the Bomb Gang Girlz. But who needs ‘em? The TKKBoyz performed just as actively on their own, enraging the hormones of the female members of the audience. (The photo queen is still drooling over Groovie Mann—sexist bitch!)

Slammin’ and jammin’ and groovin’, TKK followed Dante’s illustration trail down into the depths of the Inferno—dance inferno. “Nervous Xians,” “Kooler Than Jesus,” “And This Is What The Devil Does” and “X Communication” mixed and meshed with new trash disco hits “A Daisy Chain 4 Satan,” “Ride the Mindway” and “The Days of Swine & Roses.” The less familiar songs were greeted with just as much enthusiasm from the crowd as they danced their way into a devilish frenzy.

You want danger? Thrill Kill Kult will show you what danger is, baby. They’re “America’s most dangerous cult.”

We can’t say enough about our local favorites, Idaho Syndrome. If this review seems tainted by personal prejudice in favor of the band, it’s only because it is.

Blending guitars and keyboards with ever-shifting, unpredictable rhythms, lead singer Ryley Fogg adds the final touches with his deep, rich voice—a musical trend that started with Ian Curtis and Joy Division, a refreshing change from screaming tenors that usually front bands. Still, he has the strength and the voice to lead the band on their musical exploration of the Syndrome that caught hold of The Speedway crowd.

Audience response was excellent, one member even naming Idaho Syndrome as his new “number one local band.”

Hopefully there’s no cure for the Idaho Syndrome, but it will haunt us, weaving through our minds and sweetly tormenting our souls for years to come. 

Check out these other articles featuring Thrill Kill Kult:
My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult: Gabbing With Groovie Man
My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult @ Lofi Cafe 06.25 with DJ Toxic Rainbow