Stockholm’s Biggest Punk-Rock Losers Viagra Boys Take Denver: Photos

Mission Ballroom was buzzing as a sprinkling of Halloween costumes mixed into the crowd to kick off the holiday week the right way with Viagra Boys on October 28.

Atlanta-based Black Lips opened the show, priming the crowd with a quick set of its signature guitar-heavy garage rock. But with shrimps being the overwhelming costume of choice, Shrimptech Enterprise’s founders, Viagra Boys, proved to be a real treat.

When frontman Sebastian Murphy took the stage, he didn’t last thirty seconds in a shirt. And with his canvas from his time as a tattoo artist on full display, he dominated the stage from start to finish. The Swedish post-punk group had the Mission Ballroom crowd moving in unison to its punchy, satirical opener “Man Made of Meat.” After quickly taking a Magic: The Gathering card from an audience member, the band went into “Slow Learner” and “Waterboy” as fans danced their hearts out to the bass-heavy industrial funk.

Despite the members’ proudly degenerate personas, Viagra Boys’ live sound is surprisingly sharp. The set was delivered with near studio precision and the older tracks got a bit of a facelift to match the cleaner, sharper vibe of its newest album, viagr aboys, which was released on its own label in January. The band played an unreleased song titled “Therapy” before launching into the intense fan favorite “Ain’t No Thief.”

Viagra Boys displayed its range by playing “Medicine for Horses,” a slow, meaningful song that never loses the satirical nature of its lyrics. Then, the crowd returned to an unbridled frenzy for “Sports” and “Research Chemicals” before the encore, which left fans drooling for more.

See more photos from the show below: