It felt like prom night. Psychobilly and rockabilly fans from all over the nation showed up in full force, dressed to the nines, eager to socialize with others who had traveled to Pomona’s newly renovated Fox Theatre for this big event. The second annual Valentine’s Ball is just one of the famous “weekenders” organized by Rich of Black Cat Entertainment, the other being Labor Day weekend’s Hollywood Showdown now on its eleventh year. The Valentine’s Ball, which took place February 13th (conveniently on the Saturday of a three-day weekend in honor of President’s Day), is quickly becoming one of the nation’s hottest annual destinations.
This year’s event attracted an estimated 2,000 fans, filling the luxurious Fox Theatre with vibrant energy. The venue was perfect. There was a side room with a bar and comfortable places to sit when you needed a moment to relax, away from the noise of the main room. The spiraling staircase ushered patrons up to the prom-like photo booth and to another bar on the smoking patio. The plush lobby offered fans a chance to meet with band members at the merch tables. And, of course, there was the huge auditorium with room for the lively wrecking pit and great views for those even further back who didn’t want to risk breaking a heel or mussing up their well-done hairdo’s.
As fun as it was to see psycho/rockabilly fans from all over, we were really all there for the amazing music. The headliner - Frantic Flintstones, a legendary band who was instrumental to the development of psychobilly in the UK during the 1980s - delighted fans, most of whom have of course never had a chance to see the band in-person. Having read of their tales of alcohol, drugs, and craziness on their MySpace page, I wasn’t too surprised to find out that skinny-legged Chuck, lead singer of Frantic Flintstones, is a totally entertaining performer who shakes and spasms constantly as if either on vast amounts of cocaine or certifiably insane.
If you’re a fan of old-school psychobilly that really swings, this is definitely a band you need to listen to. They stay true to the roots of psychobilly, leaning heavily on the Western influence. The drummer’s head shook convulsively as he played hard on the ride, giving the music the swing it needs to evoke plenty of rockabilly flavor. The guitarist was a master of rockabilly licks and the bassist swung the beat, igniting the pit into a frenzied whirlwind of craziness. Check out the video below.
Also representing Europe’s psychobilly heritage were The Swampy’s from Belgium. Dressed in a very unpretentious and unpresuming way, as if they had come to the gig straight from the airport wearing everyday t-shirts and shorts, The Swampy’s coolly rocked the crowd with their distinct old-school style of music rather than crazy stage antics. Despite his normal appearance, the lead singer/bassist boasts a very strange and incredibly “psychobilly” voice - something of a cross between Johnny Rotten, Mojo Nixon, and what I imagine cockroaches would sound like if they could sing.
Representing California were three very different bands. Dr. Bizarro’s Victims, from San Fernando Valley, offer eccentric psychobilly influenced by surf and blues music that will make you “Go Bananas,” as their song promises. Hailing from the “murder capital” Santa Cruz, Stellar Corpses brought their own version of horror-punk-psychobilly to the Pomona stage with songs about cult horror movies (“Cemetery Man”) and necrophilia (“Love Like This”). And of course there was lots of excitement over Victorville-based band Mad Marge and the Stonecutters, who have re-united after a long absence from touring.
All in all, it seemed like psycho fans had a wonderful time at the well-organized event. The only criticism I had was that, despite Rich generously advertising almost everything we could expect at the show, the one thing he forgot to warn attendees about was the extremely strict Fox Theatre security enforcements that sent almost everyone back to their cars to pack away their lipsticks, gum, pens, chains, and other prohibited items, causing extremely long entrance lines as people had to wait for a second time to get by security. Other than that small inconvenience, the weekend was a complete success, packed full of events for both in-town and out-of-town guests, including a meet-and-greet at The Bigfoot Lodge and an in-store appearance at The Panorama Mall. Congrats to Rich and Black Cat Entertainment for putting on this first-rate weekender. Click here to read an interview with Rich, or click here to see the pictures from the official Valentine’s Ball photo booth.
DID YOU GO TO THE VALENTINE'S BALL? Please leave a comment about your experience by scrolling down to the bottom of this article, or contact me by clicking here.
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