Chris DeLine

Notorious for their wild, occasionally nude live shows, King Khan and the Shrines have succeeded in building a sinister reputation in the States despite having a limited release history here. The Shrines are essentially a hodgepodge of characters that have joined over the years; the band’s members range from French to German, from a cheerleader to acclaimed percussionist Ron Streeter (who has played with everyone from Bo Diddley to Curtis Mayfield to Stevie Wonder). King Khan himself is a Canadian-born spaz-soul singer who wails and thrashes about the stage looking like a sweaty, Indian Little Richard. Khan was in his first band at the age of 12, and set the foundation for the Shrines while playing in both the punk-inspired Maury Povitch Three and the Spaceshits. The latter group also included one half of the freak-out doo-wop duo King Khan & the BBQ Show, Mark Sultan. Sultan will also be playing tonight’s show, along with local act France Has the Bomb. 18+.

[This critics’ pick was originally published by City Pages.]