The Crazy World of Arthur Brown at Le Poisson Rouge
Photo by Greg Cristman

The Crazy World of Arthur Brown @ Le Poisson Rouge (pics, setlists)

With his face caked in paint, he spent an hour and a half getting the crowd to eat out of his hand. He’s incredibly theatrical, but in a way that seems organic rather than calculated. He dances around and freaks out the whole time, and the fact that he’s an older dude makes it all the more impressive–he often seems legitimately possessed. And his voice is insane, going from deep, booming baritone to high-pitched screech and everything in between with seeming ease. The older material (which of course dates back to the ’60s) is easily the best stuff here, while the more recent stuff (from 2013’s Zim Zam Zim and a handful of records released throughout the 2000s) generally leans towards the goofier side, but it’s always endearingly and convincingly so. The band bring so much old-fashioned spectacle to the performance that they almost could be playing anything, though their 1969 hit “Fire” is, well, fire.

The above text is from our review of The Crazy World of Arthur Brown‘s Los Angeles show, which kicked off his first tour in 47 years (!). He brought the fire to NYC’s Le Poisson Rouge on Thursday night (2/23), playing much the same set as the LA show and the crowd — which included Throbbing Gristle/Psychic TV’s Genesis Breyer P-Orridge — ate it up. Setlist from the show is below and pics of Arthur and his band in action (and one with Genesis), as well as ones of openers Electric Citizen, are in the gallery above.

The Crazy World of Arthur Brown at Le Poisson Rouge
Photo by Greg Cristman

SETLIST: The Crazy World of Arthur Brown @ LPR 2/23/2017
Brains
Zim Zam Zim
Prelude / Nightmare
Want to Love
The Unknown
Gypsy Escape
I Put a Spell on You
Rest Cure
Kites
Sunrise
The Tell-Tale Heart
Touched by All
Devil’s Grip
Muscle of Love
Fanfare / Fire Poem
Fire
Junkyard King
Jungle Fever

photos by Greg Cristman