Kid Congo Powers

A distinctive presence at the nexus where roots music meets punk, Kid Congo Powers played with a number of celebrated bands, including the Gun Club, the Cramps, and Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, before he struck out on his own as a solo artist. As a guitarist, Powers can play carefully sculpted noise or sturdy leads that merge his love of punk, glam, and the blues, and his melodic sense is ragged but right, primal rock & roll that's expressive and impassioned. After years as a sideman, Powers finally made his solo debut with 2005's Philosophy and Underwear and debuted his band the Pink Monkey Birds on 2009's Dracula Boots. A memorable one-off gig with Near Death Experience was preserved on 2023's Live in St. Kilda.