The Teenage Werewolves

It’s not often that Scotland’s capital gets treated to rock n roll extravaganzas with promises of ace tunes and visual delights in equal measure. Well then, welcome to the awesomely high-octane world of US- outfit THE TEENAGE WEREWOLVES, the world’s best CRAMPS tribute band fronted by enigmatic singer Jack Atlantis.

Indeed, Cramps-aficionados could barely keep up with a raunchy night of stage antics during which not only the Werewolves held reign supreme but Blackpool duo DR DIABLO AND THE RODENT SHOW (comprised of Dr. Diablo and Ratfink) more than delivered the goods during a show that combined synth-infused swampy tunes with horror-cabaret… and an endless supply of dry ice. To top it all, a background screen (Acer powered…) showed clips of vintage horror flicks and the good Doctor even handed out 3-D glasses while glimpses of cult-Canadian horror-flick The Mask rolled across the canvas. How’s that for a mighty night out?

After a brief interval the much anticipated arrival of THE TEENAGE WEREWOLVES promised more dirty rock n roll and riotous stage antics, and punters weren’t disappointed! Clad in a tight-fitting wet-look black catsuit, frontman Jack Atlantis IS the ultimate dead ringer for legendary CRAMPS leader Lux Interior! Of course, where there is a Lux there must be a Poison Ivy… Let’s just say that guitarist Vivian Wilde turned out to be a worthy ‘Ivy’ and the dynamic duo were backed by Jess Furneaux on second guitar, Kate Porter on drums and Billy Miles Brooke on bass (though the latter was required to show off his formidable musical skills only during some of the songs).

Kicking into action with ‘Human Fly’ it was obvious from the start that the Werewolves were hell-bent on delivering a show that fired on all cylinders! My oh my, during ‘The Way I walk’ Jack demonstrated that he is a natural born poseur, strutting and contorting his flexible body as if he were made of rubber – with Vivian a much more anchored and steady contrast. Blitzing through a repertoire that included ‘Garbageman’, ‘Teenage Werewolf’, ‘Goo Goo Muck’, and ‘Green Fuzz’, the atmosphere was as turbo-charged as it was sweaty thanks to Bannerman’s notorious low ceilings (effectively a cave) and the complete absence of backstage facilities. Whipping the audience into a frenzy, Jack and his fellow Werewolves not only gave it their all but had an additional surprise in store when Go-Go gals Felecia and Scarletta contributed to the show’s visual aspect with their display of flesh usually reserved for places like the Titty Twister Club in Quentin Tarantino’s vampire yarn From Dusk Till Dawn! During ‘Like a Bad Girl Should’ Felecia and Scarletta demonstrated just how a bad girl should behave, while during ‘Can your Pussy do the Dog’ Jack momentarily (and literally!) fell from grace when he miscalculated the edge of the admittedly somewhat small stage… Kapow! Feli and Scarletta also had their very own drums at disposal, happily banging away when not performing out-of-this-world dance routines draped in various costumes, including Mexican Lucha Libre wrestling outfits!

What became evident is just how much the band is tuned in, not to mention the fun they seem to have during a performance from which there was no escape as Jack observed: “There is no backstage here, so we have to play on and on…” And play on they did, with not one but several encores. Indeed, stand and deliver was the motto of the night and more psychobilly / garage punk tunes followed – it was a miracle that at that point Jack hadn’t collapsed altogether from exhaustion – proof just how dedicated he is to the cause. ‘Bikini Girls with Machine Guns’ turned out to be another highlight, with our two Go-Go gals taking to the stage holding machine guns – luckily not real ones. If it were up to the punters – and let’s just say the place was packed – the Werewolves would have played all night. Alas, even the best of shows must come to an end, though not without a promise from the band that they will return to Edinburgh next year. Can’t wait for more Werewolves shenanigans!

In the meantime, you can follow the band via their Facebook page and other platforms.