The Toadies brought mediation and genre-mashing to Knuckleheads

Toadies. // photo by Allison Scavo

Toadies
with the Reverend Horton Heat and Nashville Pussy
Knuckleheads Saloon
Tuesday, October 4

On Tuesday night, a duo of Texas rock ‘n’ roll acts took to Knuckleheads’ stage to belatedly celebrate the 25th anniversary of a pair of classic albums. The Toadies were there to run through their debut, Rubberneck, with the Reverend Horton Heat also on deck to tackle their third album for Sub Pop, Liquor in the Front. Also along for the ride were Nashville Pussy, though they were sadly not taking on their debut, Let Them Eat Pussy.

The moment Nashville Pussy stepped on stage the floor began to vibrate. The band’s jailhouse lullabies literally rocked the crowd. Their impulsivity seems choreographed. After spending decades together as a group (and for some members, a couple), their chemistry has become clairvoyant.

Next, coming in from Dallas, Texas, was the one and only Reverend Horton Heat. They played Liquor In The Front in its entirety, which was originally released in 1994. Many songs from this album have been featured in video games, movies, and television shows.

To really kick things up a notch, Reverend blessed us with “Ace of Spades” by Motörhead.

The Toadies is a band that most know, even if they don’t realize it. They played their Rubberneck album in full, which was also released in 1994 and re-released on its 20th anniversary in 2014 with five bonus tracks, all of which were played at Knuckleheads.

They have been perfectly described as “the Pixies meets Metallica,” which sums up both their sound and followers. Frontman Vaden Todd Lewis threatened to stop the show when fans in the crowd instigated a fight, which thankfully calmed everyone down due to his upbeat demeanor.

Toadies

Toadies setlist
Little Sin
No Deliverance
The Charmer
Jigsaw Girl

Rubberneck
Mexican Hairless
Mister Love
Backslider
Possum Kingdom
Quitter
Away
I Come From the Water
Tyler
Happy Face
Velvet
I Burn
—
I Put a Spell on You (Screamin’ Jay Hawkins cover)
Long Time
Song I Hate
Closer to You
Rattler’s Revival

Reverend Horton Heat

Reverend Horton Heat setlist
Liquor in the Front
Big Sky
Baddest of the Bad
One Time for Me
Five-O Ford
In Your Wildest Dreams
Yeah, Right
Cruisin’ for a Bruisin’
I Could Get Used to It
Liquor, Beer & Wine
I Can’t Surf
Jezebel (Frankie Laine cover)
Rockin’ Dog

Sub Pop
400 Bucks
Psychobilly Freakout
Galaxy 500
Ace of Spades (Motörhead cover)

Nashville Pussy