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Although I was initially skeptical of all the hype, the Atlanta psychedelic garage rock band The Black Lips do indeed put on an incredible show. I had the opportunity of seeing them at Antone’s at an ACL after party.  Guitarist Cole Alexander was spitting constantly, fans crowd surfed and threw beer onstage.  All in all the Black Lips surprised me by putting on an amazing performance, just four days after returning from a tour in the Middle East.

Cole Alexander, puking on stage during a show

It’s interesting that the Black Lips decided to go on tour in the Middle East this September, especially after they were kicked out of India a couple years ago for public indecency.  The provocative band is known for their shocking behavior onstage, which historically has included public nudity, urination, vomiting, and kissing each other. It’s no surprise these antics didn’t go over well in India. Nevertheless, it appears that their recent Middle East tour was a success. They played shows in Egypt, Tunisia, Lebanon, Dubai, Cyprus, Jordan, and two concerts in Iraq.

Much like everything these guys do, their Middle East tour was an attempt to shock and gain publicity for the band. They seem to have this down to a science. When the Chic-fil-A – gay rights controversy was in full swing this summer, a photograph of band members Cole Alexander and Jared Swilley making out while eating Chic-Fil-A sandwiches at an airport immediately went viral on the Internet. The Black Lips live for controversy like this; in fact, they’ve said that they want conservative Church groups to picket and protest outside their concerts.

Arguably much of their desire to offend conservatives comes from their upbringing in Atlanta. Their public high school implemented a zero tolerance policy for bad behavior directly after the Columbine massacre, which lead to Swilley and Alexander’s expulsions from school. Since then, they haven’t stopped outraging people, and although it undoubtedly comes with some consequences, it sure makes for an awesome live show.  I’m looking forward to seeing them perform at ACL for a hopefully more vulgar, outrageous performance.