News

Live Review: Corey Taylor & The Junk Beer Kidnap Band — The Key Club, Los Angeles

Corey Taylor is rock n' roll's last true outlaw.

During his set with The Junk Beer Kidnap Band tonight at the Key Club, the Slipknot and Stone Sour frontman came out with all guns blazing.

In fact, Taylor is a "badass motherfucker"—in the Quentin Tarantino sense of the term. Like a character right out of Pulp Fiction, this real life Reservoir Dog has got a sharp sense of humor, exudes an undeniable cool and always manages to capture the attention of everyone in the room.

Now Junk Beer Kidnap Band differs immensely from Slipknot's aural apocalypse and Stone Sour's anthemic, poignant hard rock, showing a somewhat softer side to one of the most vibrant frontmen of our generation. Taylor looked at home the second that he hit the stage though, and he was the ringleader of a rollicking good time for the next 30 minutes.

This is beer-swillin' infectious rock music at its best. Original cut, "Kansas," was so catchy that it could push the Foo Fighters off the charts. It built up into pure rock gold, and Corey carried every line flawlessly. He even got the crowd chanting the chorus to the tune. It's a guaranteed hit once it invades airwaves, and something for fans everywhere to look forward to.

These Inglourious Basterds kicked off the festivities the best way they knew how—with a metallic cover of Prince's "Let's Go Crazy." Taylor was all smiles as he riffed out the main verse, belting out the refrain with gusto and grit. "Through Glass" saw Taylor's Stone Sour comrades, Roy Mayorga and Shawn Economacki join him. It's one of those rare hits that gets better with each performance. "Shine" was another fiery bruiser, and Taylor tore through it with swagger and substance.

"Bother" brought the set into emotional territory, while allowing the singer to showcase those immense pipes. Everything ended with a pummeling and powerful cover of Nine Inch Nails' "Wish" that saw a shirtless Taylor thrashing about with Slipknot-level intensity and something of a cathartic sensitivity. Bassist Jason Christopher kept smiling though as he seamlessly pounded away the groove, and Taylor flashed a grin and a middle finger as the song's distorted din rumbled into the distance.

As the band cleared the stage, Taylor walked off in silence alone—what's more badass than that?

—Words: Rick Florino
Photos: Corey Soria
09.29.09

Check out more photos from the show here!