The King Khan & BBQ Show

A Canadian garage rock duo tangentially based out of Montreal, Quebec, the King Khan & BBQ Show mix doo wop, punk, soul, and who knows what else into a loose, wild sound that is drenched in pure raw energy. The duo at the heart of things is <a href="spotify:artist:1GQkBtj9Z4YrXVu6WKy28X">Mark Sultan</a> (BBQ) and <a href="spotify:artist:091jlZfoPypFSyg9yIXjea">Blacksnake</a> (<a href="spotify:artist:5zExg5Z9MmcUh2B2K93bbs">King Khan</a>), both former bandmates in fellow Montreal band <a href="spotify:artist:3syYIJ8mAG9T477ItqEOGA">Spaceshits</a>, which disbanded in 1999. <a href="spotify:artist:1GQkBtj9Z4YrXVu6WKy28X">Sultan</a> started a new band (<a href="spotify:artist:0jTOyh4tUJWtIMDV73fcN4">Les Sexareenos</a>) before going solo in 2002, playing gigs as a one-man band under the name BBQ. <a href="spotify:artist:091jlZfoPypFSyg9yIXjea">Blacksnake</a>, meanwhile, had formed King Khan & His Shrines, and the two former bandmates met up and began writing songs together at <a href="spotify:artist:091jlZfoPypFSyg9yIXjea">Blacksnake</a>'s home in Germany, venturing out to play the occasional show in Germany and Spain, with <a href="spotify:artist:091jlZfoPypFSyg9yIXjea">Blacksnake</a> now billed as <a href="spotify:artist:5zExg5Z9MmcUh2B2K93bbs">King Khan</a>. A debut album by the duo, The King Khan & BBQ Show, was released in the United States on <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Goner+Records%22">Goner Records</a> and in Europe by <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Hazelwood+Records%22">Hazelwood Records</a> in 2004. An international tour followed, with a second album, What's for Dinner?, appearing on <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22In+the+Red+Records%22">In the Red Records</a> in 2006. A third album, Invisible Girl, emerged three years later in 2009, also on <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22In+the+Red%22">In the Red</a>. In 2010 the band was selected by <a href="spotify:artist:5hqB3Fxgin9YGYa0mIGf1G">Laurie Anderson</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:42TFhl7WlMRXiNqzSrnzPL">Lou Reed</a> to play as part of their curated festival Vivid Live, taking place at the Sydney Opera House in Australia. Following the show, the band announced a break-up, but were working on music together again by 2011. A few scant releases and semi-regular touring made up the majority of the band's activity until the release of their fourth album, Bad News Boys, in early 2015. ~ Steve Leggett, Rovi