Vampire Lezbos

Vampires, lesbians and rock have long been intermingled, from David Bowie’s starring turn in the Sapphic oddity The Hunger to erstwhile Spacehog groupie Alyssa Milano’s softcore bloodsucker-fest Embrace of the Vampire. The all-male band Vampire Lezbos lacks for hot girl-on-girl action, but it manages to generate controversy asexually through its provocative political stances. From the unpleasant and indisputable (seal clubbing) to the intriguing yet unproven (aliens on Earth, the Bush administration’s role in 9/11), this San Francisco band addresses every hot-button topic. Aptly founded in 1984, this Orwell-informed outfit originally sang about less pressing subjects, as early song titles such as “Red Sphincter” suggest. Inspired by the Internet’s unprecedented research tools, the group became obsessed with spreading the “suppressed truth.” Live, its incendiary blend of industrial noise and three-chord punk sets the stage for between-song banter about all the frightening facts “they” don’t want you to know.