Talk about one of the best shows one could ever experience, King Khan & the Shrines at the Echo in Los Angeles! King Khan and the Shrines can be compared to a blend of James Brown, Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels, and every great raw punk act in between.

Frontman King Khan, originally from Montreal, Quebec (that’s Canada for those who have never taken a geography class) decided to stay back and live in Germany during a European tour with his then band The Spaceshits, a decision that ultimately lead to their breakup. Instead of starting another garage punk band, King Khan put together a 10-piece soul band called the Shrines, complete with a go-go dancer and a horn section. This is why it was hard to believe that his entire 10-piece outfit would be coming to tour the United States; and after seeing just how intense this hour and a half show was, I can’t believe they could do this day after day.

Sporting a Gold Cape and a Staff in Hand

The band has just recently been taken under the wing of Vice Records and has embarked on this US tour to further promote their compilation The Supreme Genius of King Khan & the Shrines, their first record released under the Vice label. Their only LA show (not counting the free show at amoeba which held a quiet blinking audience) was held last Thursday July 10th at the Echo, and after seeing their entrance alone, you could already assume that the show was going to be phenomenal! Like an Indian Screaming Jay Hawkins, King Khan stormed the stage wearing a gold cape and holding a staff in the shape of a cobra whilst laughing in an evil tone.

He immediately began jiving through over an hour-long set consisting of songs featured on their newly released compilation, and well judging by their performance that evening, I think that everyone would agree that he is definitely some sort of a “supreme genius”. Some songs such as “Land of the Freak” seem like they come straight out of the Stax Records soul revolution, while another such as “Le Fils de Jacques Dutronc” sounds like it could have been recorded by the French fuzz-filled garage outfit Les Problemes in the 1960’s. Along with their original dance-floor numbers, all drenched with elements of psychedelia, soul, garage, and r&b, they performed a cover of David Bowie’s classic “Rebel Rebel” , along with a cover of punk band the Saints “Know Your Product” as a homage to their American punk rock friends The Spits.

Sometime late during their performance they took a breather, which the audience immediately took advantage of considering that the Echo felt like a hot sauna that evening. King Khan then returned to the stage wearing only boxers, the gold cape, and what looked like a turquoise Darth Vader/Gladiator helmet from which he was spitting beer through.

Bow to Your King

They then played more tunes until the night finally came to an end. King Khan jumped off the stage and his horn section followed closely behind him through the audience. While slowly taking it all in, I think everyone felt exactly as I did, which was the need to bow down to the supreme genius. However, I felt relieved when he assured that he would return once again in November, this time in the form of his garage punk/doo-wop duo band the King Khan & BBQ show.