Doyle Wolfgang Von Frankenstein Destroys Manchester Music Hall In Lexington
Doyle Wolfgang Von Frankenstein is a legend in the annals of Punk Rock history. At the tender young age of sixteen, he was skulking about the stage in Frankenstein attire playing quick licks for Hall of Fame snubbed Horror Punk Band, The Misfits. The costume-clad group made a name for themselves in the early eighties with horror-themed theatrics and morbid, sometimes outlandish lyrics that embodied the true nature of Punk Rock. After going through several members in his previous band, Gorgeous Frankenstein, Doyle along with the band’s latest singer, Alex Tory decided to move on under Doyle’s name. The band has had success releasing two albums and several collaborations with industry heavyweights.
After going through several members in his previous band, Gorgeous Frankenstein, Doyle along with the band’s latest singer, Alex Tory decided to move on under Doyle’s name. The band has had success releasing two albums and several collaborations with industry heavyweights. It was the perfect day for a horror show, the leaves were dying and being blown about by a cold October wind and carved pumpkin on doorsteps marked the coming of Halloween. Monsters were about. It was 8:00 on a Tuesday and things were about to get weird. The first opening act was Octalux. Their sound is that of an old school Punk group reminiscent of Doyle’s roots. There weren’t any gimmicks or sub-genre stylings, this was plain Punk Rock, something you don’t see that much anymore.
Manchester Music Hall is an impressive venue with some of the friendliest staff in the game, but the acoustics can be difficult to work around. Many bands of high caliber have suffered on this front. The first opening act was Octalux. Their sound is that of an old school Punk group reminiscent of Doyle’s roots. There weren’t any gimmicks or sub-genre stylings, this was plain Punk Rock, something you don’t see that much anymore. Octalux managed to work around this problem with a pure sound. Perhaps it was that raw, gritty Punk sound that sounded natural wherever it’s played.
Last of the Dodo was highly comedic, like something out of a Tim Burton musical with gothic carnival styled singing, occasionally from a megaphone and zany trumpet accompaniment to Punk and Metal music. Their set wasn’t just amusing in terms of their showmanship, their experimental style worked in moving the dancing, moshing crowd, many of whom showed up to just to cheer on the local boys.
Sinful Lilly was the last opening act. In truth, they felt more like a headliner, on the same level as Doyle. The makeup on these musicians was top notch, not something cheap out of the Halloween section of the drugstore. This three-piece band had a sound of a much larger band, full and rich. An example of how gifted this group was, was in their effect on members of the audience. One man was whining about having to wait through three bands to see the main attraction. This guy was somehow ignorant to the fact that Doyle wasn’t the only group to go on and his bitterness to that fact was made apparent to everyone around him as he ran his mouth, “Who the hell is this Sinful Lilly anyway?” But once they took to the stage and played those first few notes, this guy made a beeline to the front row and did not stop bopping his head until he succumbed to whiplash.
Of course, as great of a fright night, as we were all having, the real fun didn’t start until Doyle came stomping out on stage in his Frankenstein boots, playing “Abominator.” Alex Story, formerly of Cancerslug danced across the stage like a madman, climbing speakers, and fanning the audience with his maim in headbanging to beat the band.
This certainly was not the Misfits. Doyle was doing something different rather than being bogged down by the genre he started his career with. Rather than classic Punk, this was more in the realm of Hard Core and Metal. We were lucky enough to hear a few Misfits covers like “Skulls” and Last Caress.”
It was slightly disappointing, I must admit, to hear the Misfits seasonal favorite, “Halloween.” This was probably due to the fact that the band was going for a more romantic vibe that night, at least according to Story.
He began Every song with “This is a Love song, you can dance…if you want to.” Of course, you could float that with “Love Like Murder” maybe even “Die, Die Darling,” but I think songs about headhunters and the temperature of hellfire were a little far from romantic but hey, that’s just me, you can dance… if you want to. It became a running joke with the crowd as they would request for love songs throughout the set. At one point he responded to the crowd, “F*ck you, we’ll play what we damn well want. Now this is a love song you can dance… if you want to.” Needless to say, the audience danced until the last song or moshed, but that’s really the same thing depending on the crowd.
The show didn’t disappoint, even if you were just an old Misfits fan jonesing for nostalgia. The new genre worked for Frankenstein’s rocking abomination and the opening bands held their own, all three of them.
Check out Doyle’s website for upcoming concerts in your hometown and be on the lookout for his new album. Much like the man himself, it promises to be a monster!
