Dead Boys U.S. Tour 2025
Cheetah Chrome of Dead Boys - All Photos courtesy of Paul Holstein
It was an interesting start to the evening when we arrived at The Sanctuary and some kids came up to the car and tried to sell us a live chicken that they were holding (not in a cage). I'm pretty sure that is the first time that ever happened to me. Dead Boys were originally active from 1976 to 1979 and are admittedly more mellow than the shows that I usually go to. With the death of their original singer, Stiv Bators, and various line-up changes, the only original member was Cheetah Chrome. But Cheetah Chrome is legendary in the punk rock scene and was even played by Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley from the Harry Potter movies) in the movie "CBGB". Local musician Ricky Rat (from The Trash Brats) was a former member, and of course any self-respecting punk rocker should be familiar with their marquee song "Sonic Reducer". So given all of that, even if it was a Monday night, we made the trek to Hamtramck to catch them.
Lacy Sterling of Detroit 442
Luckily we got there early, as the two local bands on the bill (Duk Butter and Detroit 442) were excellent and, in some ways, stole the show. Burn Kit was touring with Dead Boys and really was not my thing, but the energy was crazy. The singer for Burn Kit had a cordless mic and literally traversed the entire venue, singing from backstage, the bar, and even the merchandise booth. He spent more time starting a mosh pit than on the stage.
Dead Boys had a relatively new singer, Mark Thorn, and he did an excellent job. He had the expected glam-rock look with long hair, platform shoes, leather pants, hoop earrings, eyeliner, and a leopard-print scarf. They ripped right into "Sonic Reducer" as soon as they hit the stage, and all eyes were on Cheetah Chrome tearing it up at 70 years old! It wasn’t sold out, but it should have been. I was privileged to see this iconic band live in such an intimate setting, and I’m glad that I took the opportunity. They have plenty more shows coming up on this tour, so check them out when they get to your town. It could be the last time that you have the chance.
