The Phantom Limbs have subjected West Coast punk, goth, metal, and indie audiences alike to their psychosis with equal appreciation since the late 90’s. Like a carny sideshow, The Phantom Limbs thrive equally on the awe and anxiety of the crowd. Their music is a swirling amalgamation of old school punk, deathrock, and no wave mixed with the theatre songs of Kurt Weil, or Gilbert and Sullivan gone terribly wrong.
Ex-patriots from Los Angeles, the members of The Phantom Limbs have previously lent their talents to such cult faves as Circus Redickuless’s Organ Grinders from Hell, The Boyscouts of Annihilation, Anal Kitties, Scurvy Dogs and Black Ice. They now find themselves quite at home among the run-down, piss soaked streets of Oakland. Give them beer and they wont hurt you.
Eerie, grinding keys mix with driving bass, thundering drums, wall-of-sound guitar and frantic, desperate vocals. Their live shows have become stuff of legend with singer Hopeless invariably naked or covered in grease paint, duct tape, wrapping paper or substances of unknown origin. Crowd interaction is mandatory, with Hopeless sometimes going so far as to handcuff himself to unsuspecting fans. Prodded by pitchforks to see them by DEAD & GONE, Jello Biafra thought THE PHANTOM LIMBS were the strangest band he had EVER witnessed at Gilman St.