By Brandon Caylor
Dressed in all black, covered in tattoos, and sporting a slick, high, “kool flattop,” Necroman looks the part of the dangerous rebel, which is perfect for his band, the Horrorpops. The band itself has a rebellious attitude, in the fact that they make the music they want, however they want. They won’t be categorized into any single genre.
The Horrorpops, now a three piece band, consists of Patricia on stand-up bass and lead vocals, Nekroman on guitar and backing vocals, and Niedermeier on drums and backing vocals. And of course the band would not be complete without their ghoulie go-go dancers, Rita-tah and Tweek. Together they create raw, entertaining rock and roll music with a punk attitude and a psychobilly twist. Their songs are upbeat, fun, and as catchy as a cold in winter!
Photo by Kevin Graft |
Hanging out with Nekroman and Niedermeier before their show at the Boardwalk, I had the opportunity to chat about the band, and other things. The Horrorpops, originally hailing from Copenhagen, Denmark, are now certified Californians. When, and why did the band make the move?
“This is where it’s all happening!” Nekroman explained. “There’s no scene back there. We’ve been in Los Angeles for about five years now. “And the weather’s nicer, too.” Niedermeier added.
If you happen to wander over to the band’s MySpace page, not only will you be treated to some episodes of Horrorpops TV, but you will also happen across a collection of photographs of fan tattoo art. I asked if it was cool to see fans with the Horrorpops tattooed on themselves. “Hell, yeah!” Niedermeier said. “That’s what it’s all about, man!”
And speaking of tattoos, this band has plenty of ‘em! I asked about a few.
“He did this one,” Niedermeier explained, showing me his arm and pointing to Necroman.
“You mean you trust this guy with a tattoo needle?” I asked, jokingly.
“Oh, yeah! He’s great,” Niedermeier assured.
Photo by Kevin Graft |
“He’s done some of his own, too.”
I had to ask Necroman about that. “You mean you tattooed yourself?”
He just nodded. Ouch! The band’s current tour is still in support of their latest release, Bring It On. Not to worry though, there is a new collection of music on its way.
“The new CD should be out in February,” Necroman explained.
And the title?
“It’s going to be called ‘Kiss Kiss, Kill Kill’,” Niedermeier stated. “It’s being recorded in Hell.” “That’s the name of our studio,” Necroman said. “It will sound more like the first album, but a bit more diverse.”
They wouldn’t go into too much detail, but there were a few little hints. “There’s a little ode to a place over where Patricia and Necroman grew up,” Niedermeier said.
“There was an old children’s home. A lot of kids grew up there. We went back there recently and the place was just gone. It’s just not right,”
Necroman lamented. “So there’s some stuff like that on there, and some other surprises as well. You’ll just have to wait until February,” Niedermeier said.
“Being on the road a lot, what kind of music do you guys listen to?” I asked.
“Everything,” Niedermeier said, “music is our lives!”
“Everything, huh?” I asked. “So you listen to a lot of Chinese rap?”
Photo by Kevin Graft |
“No, nothing like that!” Niedermeier laughed. “But anything from Dolly Pardon to Motorhead.”
Some of the band’s songs are of the dark ilk, hence the name. I recently read somewhere that Patricia doesn’t even like horror movies.
“That’s true,” Necroman explained. “She can’t watch them. She gets these really intense, insane nightmares. I really have to start writing songs about them.”
“So what’s your favorite horror film?” I asked.
“I like the original Nosferatu film,” Necroman said. “It’s creepy.”
“Debbie Does Dallas!” Niedermeier added. I gave him a strange look. “No,” he warned. “Don’t write that! That movie is terrible. What I meant was that it’s so terrible that it’s scary!”
Yeah, sure. I’m sure he probably owns the extended Director’s Cut DVD.
Back inside the Boardwalk, the fans were getting restless. When the road crew guy brought out Patricia’s huge stand-up bass, the crowd cheered. The lights went down, and out came the band, wasting no time in blasting out their surf instrumental, Horror Beach. The dancers then joined them on stage, creating a high energy festive atmosphere, singing backup to Freaks In Uniform. Niedermeier was an animal behind the drum kit, and Necroman was running around all over the place, never keeping still. Patricia owned the stage, slappin’ the bass like it was nobody’s business.
Photo by Kevin Graft |
The band stormed through seventeen songs from their first two CDs, including Julia, Ghouls, and my personal favorite, Walk Like a Zombie. Towards the end of the set, Patricia shouted, “It’s really hot up here, so we’re going to just forget the whole ‘walk off the stage and come back for an encore’ thing. We’re just going to do it all right now!” The crowd appreciated that, as it truly was like an oven in there.
Yeah, it was definitely hot in there. It’s not surprising though, judging by the amount of energy these performers put out there. Necroman had sweat pouring down the tip of his nose after the first song!
But alas, the show did come to an end. Necroman and Niedermeier hung around to sign some autographs while Patricia retired to their bus, not feeling well. Then they were off to the hotel before heading down to Santa Cruz for the next stop on their tour.
For those of you that missed the show, have no worries, for they will be back on tour once the new CD is released. Hmmm…that’s only four short months away. Hopefully it’ll go by fast.
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