When I say The Upper Crust, I mean the rock band from Boston, famous for their powedered wigs, witty banter, and driving guitars, which has been playing since the mid-90’s. Regardless of the fact that I like them a lot, they belong in The U.E.S. Journal for their both sarcastic and loving embrace of aristocratic hypocrisy. Last night The Upper Crust performed at The Knitting Factory to a hall of dedicated fans. The Upper Crust consists of Lord Bendover (guitar, vocals), Count Basie (bass), Duc D’Istortion (lead guitar), and Jackie Kickassis (drums).

Besides always appearing in 18th Century garb (with a hint of glam rock which has always seemed an intuitive combination, as visible in their use of flying V guitars and Count Basie’s leopard tights) all members of the group are quite at home using a set of old aristocratic vocabluary for their between-song banter. Lord Bendover, the front man, fully assumes this persona with a snooty sneer and an impeccable rolling of his “R”s, while Count Basie stands to the side maintaining a serious frown for the entire two-hour performance.

I found myself just as captivated between songs and eagerly awaiting Lord Bendover’s careful and deliberate placement of these nougats of old-fashioned but familiar-from-books-I-read-in-school-language.

One reason this seemingly gimicky group has had such longevity and loyal fans is the fact that they’re also a really awesome rock-n-roll band. They’re often compared to AC/DC with Bon Scott, and justly so, although they do have a number of solid songs with a surprisingly unique sound. In their more musically cliche tunes, the lyrics are the unique part, with a sense of parody , i.e. “Finished with Finishing School” and “Let Them Eat Rock” - they manage to simultaneously parody rock music as well as 18th Century foppishness. It’s a fitting match-the Upper Crust’s unabashed dandyism is similar to rockstar primadonna-ishness but with a refreshing added touch of formality, politeness, humility- and when they refer to dirty subjects it’s all the more titillating. As far as trying to describe The Upper Crust to someone who might already be a rock-nerd, if you know the song “Big Balls” by AC/DC it seems as if The Upper Crust took the character that Bon Scott assumes in that song and developped it into something larger and more refined. But see for yourself. Here is the band’s website: www.theuppercrust.org

One tidbit of trivia: Former Upper Crust member, Lord Rockingham, is actually Ted Widmer, former Clinton administration speech writer and noted American History scholar.

-Rebecca