Nekromantix @ Asbury Lanes—May 5, 2007

Forget “Curse of the Coffin”—I’ve been cursed to never get to see Nekromantix. From the ill-fated Psycho vs. Punks tour in 2002 through today, every single time I’ve tried to catch this wild psychobilly band, I’ve been cursed to either miss their set, or have the show get canceled. Their set at Asbury Lanes on May 5, 2007 was no exception. After a two hour drive, two driving citations, and two failed attempts to find food, we arrived at the venue only to find out that the band was already on stage and it was sold out…I almost dropped dead. Luckily, the hottie running the door at The Lanes was super nice and let my poor soul in and told me that the band was actually performing their first song. The curse has been lifted.

Nekromantix are one of those bands that can get any kind of punk to like their music. Most psychobilly shows at Asbury Lanes usually draw the same crowd—flat top dudes with old school tats, and chicks that look like Bettie Page. That wasn’t the case last night, as a sea of gutter punks, rockabilly dudes, hardcore kids, and gearheads rocked out to the coolest band to sport a coffin-shaped upright bass. Nekromantix tore through all their classics, focusing more on their recent Epitaph releases, but peppering the set with crowd favorites like “Nekrofelia.”

Bassist/vocalist Kim Nekroman spun around the stage, pumping the audience up as he belted out tunes in his ghoulish croon. Guitarist Troy Destroy bounced in and out of the fans rocking out to “Gargoyles Over Copenhagen,” as drummer Andrew Martinez held the trio together with some punchy rockabilly beats. I don’t know whether the Asbury Lanes sound system has gotten better over the years, but the sound that night was awesome. Nekroman’s bass slaps shook fillings loose without making ears bleed, and the vocals were spot on.

The band played for close to an hour and a half, stopping only to let the crowd breathe. Kids shouted out songs and begged the band to play all night. Nekroman compromised by breaking out the band’s biggest hit, “Who Killed The Cheerleader,” replacing the answer “You did, You did” with “Jersey, Jersey.” The punks seemed to agree.