When the rapture goes down, when the end of days has come and gone, and survivors Cher and Lemmy Kilmister have repopulated a still-smoldering, post-apocalyptic earth, what music will their children listen to? If I may make a pre-emptive suggestion, I would nominate the punk rock godfathers of Batusis. With a name borrowed from the Adam West-era Batman TV show and a pedigree that reaches back to the early ‘70s, the band is led by New York Dolls legend Sylvain Sylvain and the Cleveland hellraiser himself, Cheetah Chrome of the Dead Boys. The duo is backed by Joan Jett’s all-guns-blazing Blackhearts rhythm section of bassist Enzo Penizzotto and drummer Thommy Price. Batusis has the electric, barbed wire pulse of a teenager mashed with the raucous swagger of experienced dudes who’ve been around the block and know how to put that kind of energy to use.

 

The band recently released a killer self-titled, four-song EP on Smog Veil Records, produced by Ken Coomer (formerly of Wilco), as a sort of teaser for a full length due out next year. The songs explode and crackle in your ears like power-punk lady fingers, leaving you dying to hear these guys shake the walls live.

 

Currently on a brief US tour, Batusis will be playing Off Broadway in St. Louis this weekend, transforming the venue into a cross between a fever-dream CBGBs and a grimy Hotel Diplomat. The band will be playing lots of original material, like the gritty, salacious “What You Lack in Brains” and dark-side of the soul “Bury You Alive.” You can also expect a handful of classic tracks from their respective rock ‘n’ roll histories, like the Dolls’ “Trash” and the Dead Boys’ “Sonic Reducer.” There should also be a few off-the-cuff surprises thrown into the swirling mass of beer, sweat and shout-along choruses. 

 

So spare yourself the inevitable regret you’ll face if you miss a rock and roll show of this magnitude. Give yourself an early Christmas gift of blistering guitars, pounding anthems and punk rock legends still on top of their game. | Jim Ousley

 

Batusis with openers The Unmutuals will be playing Sunday, December 5^th at Off Broadway. Doors are at 7:30, the show starts at 8:30. Tickets are $12.00 (over 21) and $18.00 (under 21). For information, contact Off Broadway at 314-773-3363.