For more than thirty years and through various lineup changes, the Reverend Horton Heat has been awakening the masses to the power of rockabilly. Helmed by the one and only Jim Heath on guitar and vocals, the band has endured while other musical trends have come and gone. On Saturday, February 1st, the Reverend Horton Heat served up a reminder of rock and roll greatness on the second night of a 3-show run in Portland, Oregon. The previous night had found the band at the larger Wonder Ballroom before decamping to the intimate setting of the Doug Fir Lounge for two shows, where they played for a capacity crowd.
Considering the veteran status of the headliner, it was surprising to see The Buttertones opening up. Hailing from Los Angeles, the band members looked strikingly young. Their sound, on the other hand, was a throwback, but they approached it with youthful vigor. The band blazed through a set of unhinged rock and roll with frenetic surf guitar, wailing saxophone, and front man Richard Araiza singing as if possessed. No doubt rooted in surf, the band worked in elements of New Wave, shoegaze, freewheeling punk, and jangly guitars while Araiza channeled David Bowie and Morrissey through his own acid-soaked crooning style. It isn’t easy to impress a room full of Reverend Horton Heat die-hards, but the Buttertones managed to execute such a feat.
Decked out in a sparkly red jacket, the Reverend hit the stage and launched into the exotica-meets-rockabilly instrumental “Ride Before The Fall” as a way of showing off his guitar chops right out of the gate. From here, the band would take the crowd on a career-spanning journey as they played consecutive songs from their first seven albums. “Psychobilly Freakout” lived up to its name, blending Motorhead-like guitar shredding and Lemmy-esque vocals with swelling surf drums and a driving slap beat. From album two came the Chuck Berry style rocker “Big Little Baby”, only to be followed by the barn burning hot rod tune “Five-O Ford” off the third album. Stage theatrics ensued during “Big Red Rocket of Love”, with Jimbo Wallace playing his signature slap bass laid on its side while the Reverend stood on top of it and sprayed the crowd with a gloriously sinister guitar solo. As a thank you for the favor, he served up the punk rock anthem “Jimbo Song” off 1998’s Space Heater as a tribute to the bassist. “Spend a Night in the Box” would sing and sway with big band bravado, while the Reverend would show off his best automobile sound effects on “Like a Rocket”.
The Reverend has long been known for bringing out guests to sing and play, and the highlight of the show may have been the appearance of Bloodshoot Bill. Coming through like a hurricane, Bill led the band with vocals that shifted from a demonic growl to more suave stylings. Blasting through one song after the other, Bill injected the set with a hefty dose of energy, carousing around the stage and hitting powerchords like a devilish Elvis. Once he bid adieu, the band would serve up lighter fare with “Let Me Teach You How to Eat”, the lounge lizard groover “Don’t Let Go of Me”, and the boogie woogie rocker “Whole New Life”. Another highlight of the set would come with a tribute to their old pal Lemmy with a cranked up take on Motorhead’s “Ace of Spades”. Wrapping up an appropriately rowdy set with “Galaxy 500”, the Reverend and his band mates left the stage to the approving yelps and applause from the fans. It was at this point that it became clear the sound of the Reverend Horton Heat is truly timeless, just as fresh on a Saturday night in Portland in the year 2020 as it was when they first hit the scene more than thirty years ago.
