Brace yourselves, America: the purveyors of sleaze, sin, and sonic seduction are hitting the road once again.
My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult, the genre-defying pioneers of industrial-disco-debauchery, are proud to announce their Delicate Terror Tour: Part 1. This blistering trek this fall promises an unholy communion of twisted visuals, pulsing beats, and the darkly glamorous chaos that only TKK can conjure.
Known for their outrageous stage presence, cult-status albums, and a rabidly loyal fanbase,
My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult have remained a feral force in underground music since the late ’80s. Their fall tour will showcase classic hits and deep cuts. Expect the unexpected—and prepare to dance with the devil under neon lights.
This fall, industrial disco guru’s MY LIFE WITH THE THRILL KILL KULT will embark on the first leg of their
“Delicate Terror Tour”, beginning October 30th at The Vogue in Indianapolis and winding it’s way through the midwest and northeast regions, concluding at the Cleveland House Of Blues on Nov 9th. A second leg of the tour is scheduled for Spring 2026.
Los Angeles based dark electronic duo DIE SEXUAL will join in on the debauchery as direct support, bringing their seductive dance beats and sensual electro vibe to the stage.
Outlaw country tale spinner DEVORA will open the evenings festivities with her intoxicating visions of a surrealist world of ghost towns and Route 66 motel rooms.
ARTIST PRESALE: Monday, July 28th @ 10:00 AM Local Time thru Friday, August 1st @ 9:45 AM Local Time (PW: TERROR25)
SPOTIFY PRESALE: Wednesday, July 30th @ 10:00 AM Local Time thru Friday, August 1st @ 9:45 AM Local Time (PW: REPENT)
ON-SALE: Friday, August 1st @ 10:00 AM Local Time
DATES, VENUES & TICKET LINKS
Oct 30 Indianapolis, IN – The Vogue – TICKETS
Oct 31 Chicago, IL – Concorde Music Hall – TICKETS
Nov 01 Ferndale, MI – The Magic Bag – TICKETS
Nov 02 Buffalo, NY – Electric City – TICKETS
Nov 04 Boston, MA – Paradise Rock Club – TICKETS
Nov 05 New York, NY – Gramercy Theatre – TICKETS
Nov 06 Reading, PA – Reverb – TICKETS
Nov 07 Baltimore, MD – Soundstage – TICKETS
Nov 08 Pittsburgh, PA – Mr. Small’s Theatre – TICKETS Nov 09 Cleveland, OH – House Of Blues – TICKETS
Hailing from Chicago’s renowned Wax Trax! Records stable of artists, MY LIFE WITH THE THRILL KILL KULT have been conjuring up sonic tales of sex, blasphemy and kitschy horror since 1987. The band helped develop the industrial music genre, yet have continued to expand their style, creating one of the most diverse repertoires in modern music. Electronic rock, heavily influenced by both disco and funk can best describe their sound, while spoken-word samples lifted from B-movies gives the band their signature mark. They have released 14 studio albums, a slew of remix compilations, and have contributed to a variety of soundtracks and film scores, including a cameo performance in the 1994 cult movie classic The Crow.
Artist Franke Nardiello and musician Marston Daley, two Chicago neighbors who enjoyed late night binges watching trashy exploitation films and horror flicks, wanted to make their own movie to be called “My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult”. While the project never came to fruition, they wrote some music to be the accompanying soundtrack. Both worked at the Wax Trax record store, and when label founders Jim Nash and Dannie Flesher heard the songs, they were intrigued. Using the film title as the name of the band, they released a 3-song EP in early 1988. The response was overwhelming, and it was clear fans wanted to hear more.
Taking the stage names Groovie Mann (Nardiello) and Buzz McCoy (Daley), the duo began to focus on music full time. They created an occult meets leather biker image to compliment the band’s name which included enlisting a bevy of voluptuous back-up singers/dancers known as the
BOMB GANG GIRLZ. In June of ’88, they flew to label mate Luc Van Acker’s studio in Belgium to record their first album
I See Good Spirits and I See Bad Spirits. It was recorded in just ten days, and mixed in another ten days at Southern Studios in London. The fans ate it up! They followed up with two hard-hitting dance floor 12” tracks – “Kooler Than Jesus” (1989) and “Cuz It’s Hot” (1990), which features no-wave chanteuse Lydia Lunch on vocals. The New York Times wrote, “Sex, blasphemy, big beats and go-go dancing; they’re all in a day’s work for My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult”. This attracted the attention of indie fans, as well as the ire of the PMRC and conservative religious groups in practically equal measure. By the time of their sophomore release, Confessions Of A Knife (1990), they were far and away one of the biggest selling acts on the label.
1991 saw the release of their third album Sexplosion!, a calculated sonic and visual departure from their previous work. 1950’s pin-up models replaced the demonic imagery, while sleazy stripper horns, disco beats and house diva vocals (provided by artist Shawn Christopher) took prominence over the more abrasive musical elements.They put together a provocative stage show, complete with spinning police lights, mirror balls and a stocked bar with bartender to serve the scantily clad musicians and dancers while they performed. Alternative Press reviewed the show as “Sin-sational!”, while Melody Maker described it as “A Cabaret from Hell”. It was a huge success, and the album sold so well (fueled by the phenomenal radio hit “Sex On Wheelz”) that the group signed a deal with Interscope Records shortly afterwards and released two more albums – 13 Above the Night (1993), and Hit & Run Holiday (1995).
Hollywood also embraced the KULT, recognizing the unique cinematic aspect in their sound. Most notably, the band scored five songs for animator Ralph Bakshi’s Cool World (1992) and wrote the lap dance song for director Paul Verhoven’s saucy Showgirls (1993). Comedies Baseketball and The Flintstones Movie prominently feature songs from the Hit & Run Holiday album. They’ve been roasted by MTV’s Beavis & Butthead, and were written into the story line of the film Sexy Evil Genius which also features the song “A Daisy Chain 4 Satan”. Most recently, the club hit “Kooler Than Jesus” can be heard blasting in Season 3 of the Netflix series Narcos.
The band moved to Rykodisc in 1997 and re-released their entire remastered / repackaged catalog, along with five more studio albums, including an homage to 70’s disco era called Gay Black & Married, and the sultry and decadent Filthiest Show In Town (2007). They also formed their own label SleazeBox Records in 2001, enabling the release of a growing number of side-projects in addition to new TKK material.
Today SLEAZEBOX.com boasts the complete THRILL KILL KULT catalog, in addition to related works such as Mann’s DARLING KANDIE, and McCoy’s self titled projects. They continue to work with Wax Trax! Records for the purpose of re-issuing special limited edition vinyl. Buzz and Groovie still record and perform live along with veteran band mates Mimi Star (bass) and Justin Thyme (drums), all the while making a reputation for themselves as one of the most notorious and controversial cult bands of their generation.
About The Author
