Five Most Outrageous Fun Fun Fun Fest 2014 Performances

King Diamond –   Satanic pageantry is poured on hard with living metal god, King Diamond, performing as a headliner.  KD’s relationship with the dark lord Beezlebub goes wayyyy back.  Unlike other metal ‘performers’, KD is a practicing LaVeyan Satanist which adds an element of veracity to his insidious and demented act. Between his bone cross microphone, made out of a tibia and fibula bone, songs like “Welcome Home” , and his frightening falsetto, King Diamond made his dark presence known to the Austinite non-believers.

Peelander Z – This zany Japanese punk outfit feels like an anime comic playing out in real life. Lead singer, Peelander Yellow, who is a common fixture in Austin, commands a three-ring circus of outrageousness featuring surfing the crowd on a guitar case, giving the crowd pots and sticks to bang on, and inviting a cornucopia of assorted foods to dance onstage. Set highlights included   “So Many Mike” & “Tacos”

Pissed Jeans – Allentown, PA is personified in this unrelenting punk quartet that describes itself as the musical equivalent to watching a toilet flush.  Lead singer, Matt Korvette, is content displaying a nice hybrid of Jim Morrison and Johnny Rotten stage antics, constantly sticking his hands down his leather pants into his crotch while calling out the press “ I wish for one show there could be a crowd full of press photographers and the front row was just hard core fans.  These photographers aren’t even fans, they have ear plugs and in a couple of songs, will retire to their cooling tent after they pick up their free pair of sponsored converse sneakers.”  Putting on his shades he quipped “I’m here for the glory not the glaucoma.”

Run the Jewels  – Saying this group is provocative, would be the understatement of the weekend, with this deadly pairing of both rap artists El-P and Killer Mike.  Not only did they call out Mark Kozelek of Sun Kil Moon by asking the crowd to chant “Suck my dick Sun Kil Moon!”, but they also succeeded in getting their crowd frenzied and enervated at a time when the sun was most intense and most of the fest was seeking refuge.

Iron Reagan – Thrashers from Richmond, Virginia threw down the gauntlet claiming they would play more songs in their set than any other band at the festival, and still finish their set early.  They did just that by playing around 24 songs, some as short as 8 seconds, like the track called “Your Kid’s An Asshole”, which they in fact played twice.