This tends to be the effect lead singer and guitarist Jon Spencer has had on his audience throughout his career. Back in the late 1980s, he was terrorising all and sundry as part of arty iconoclasts Pussy Galore. Then, shortly after launching the sleazy Boss Hog with his partner Cristina Martinez, came mainstream recognition with his baby (the clue is in the name): Jon Spencer Blues Explosion. Mixing the raw energy of The Cramps with the riff-based efficiency of the Rolling Stones and the work ethic of James Brown, JSBX wrote the blueprint for many of today’s more commercially successful acts, most notably The White Stripes (with their main man Jack White coming across like a cheap, contrived version of Jon Spencer).

Given the Spencer’s propensity for starting new projects, Heavy Trash were quickly dismissed as yet another distraction, this time celebrating the oft-underrated world of 1950s rock’n’roll. But five years and three albums later, Spencer and his sidekick, Matt Verta-Ray (of defunct indie darlings Madder Rose) have acquired a cast-iron reputation among notoriously unforgiving rockabilly audiences the world over. Somehow this tribute to the ’50s was always on the cards, Spencer having on countless occasions spoken of his undying admiration for Sam Phillips, the owner of Memphis’ legendary Sun Studios.

Any good musician can come up with a decent record; true artists, however, bring another dimension to their music when in a live environment, and Heavy Trash’s trump card is the effervescent interaction between Spencer and Verta-Ray. Howling like men possessed, grinning like Cheshire cats and hamming it up Vegasstyle, these two really know how to put on a show.

The bulk of the material on this tour will surely consist of songs from the band’s latest opus, Midnight Soul Serenade, but nods to the past are inevitable – listen out in particular for the infectious “Kissy Baby” and the ultimate showstopper “They Were Kings”. Speaking of kings, as we celebrate the 75th anniversary of Elvis’ birth, you would be hard pressed to find a more fitting tribute.

15 January, 20.00
Ancienne Belgique
Anspachlaan 110
www. abconcerts.be