La Maroquinerie is one of the best rock clubs in town, and last night it was packed with rockers, punks, goths, hipsters and derelicts, which can only mean one thing: the Psychedelic Dracula of Cool is in town. Kid Congo Powers, looking regal in his camp cowboy outfit and luchador cape, and flanked by two Pink Monkey Birds, delivered a raw, expressionist performance that was primal as primal as it was fun, and the absolute epitome of rock n' roll.
Equal part lounge act, gothic bluesman, psychedelic voodoo priest and punk storyteller, Kid played a few songs from an upcoming LP as well as some classics of his repertoire like "Bubble Trouble", as well as some tunes from the bands in his resume like The Cramps and, of course, The Gun Club. In fact, the wildest moments occurred during "She's Like Heroin To Me" and an absolutely crushing rendition of "Sex Beat" with Julia Coagels from The Coathanger, who was opening the show with her other project Soft Palms.
Another highlight was the long, lysergic psychedelia of "The Smoke Is The Ghost" with its rumbling bass and the exploratory sonics of Congo and second guitarist Mark Cisneros. Homage was also paid to performance artist and musician Sean De Lear with a song bearing their name.
Halloween came early thanks to the tongue-in-cheek, yet absolutely genuine performance of Kid Congo, looking like a cross between a Mexican John Waters and a lo-fi Alice Cooper, and his impeccable Pink Monkey Birds. Despite the theatrics and flamboyance, this is as earnest a rock n' roll show as you are likely to experience. Rock n' roll is in Congo's blood, and last night he bled all over his frantic Parisian audience, much to everyone's delight.
