The Mentors @ The Black Heart 06.04.15 London

The Mentors are probably one of the most obscure bands Old Empire have ever put on, not in regards to their musical styling, but the fact they’re one of the most explicit, un-PC and straight up degenerate bands we’ve ever brought over.
A walking ‘parental advisory’ sticker, the original Hooded Menaces are, surprisingly, being allowed into the UK for this one off exclusive. Witnessing the founders of ‘rape rock’ keep the spirit of legendary fallen brother, and apparent Kurt Cobain hired hit-man, ‘El Duce’ alive, may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but there’s a reason they’ve remained an underground cult sensation for the last 30 years.
Personally I remain 1/4 nervous, 1/4 offended and 2/4 stoked at the prospect of the brutality soon to be laid upon us and, really, what better way is there to spend your Bank Holiday Monday?

Established in the late-70s in a gritty part of Los Angeles, The Mentors are the pioneers of shock rock, influencing the likes of GG Allin and The Dwarves. Known for their deliberately shocking lyrics, immeasurably wild behaviour and outlandish stage outfits, that once consisted of Klu Klux Klan shaped hoods (but black, instead of white…)

They established a unique underground following that quickly lead to some slightly more surprising support from the likes of Nine Inch Nails, Faith No More and Ministry. Alongside their new ‘cult heroes’ status, The Mentors unsurprisingly, saw a barrage of outrage in the media, spearheaded by the PMRC (Parents Music Resource Centre), this disgust was spurred on by founding member ‘El Duce’ guest appearance on The Jerry Springer Show, where he not only brought with him an underage groupie, but claimed Courtney Love offered him $50,000 to kill Kurt Cobain. Two days later, El Duce was hit by a train near his house, there were no witness’s.
Un-sure if the shock-rockers would be able to continue without their most outspoken member, Dr. Heathen Scum eventually stepped up and rallied his degenerate comrades to keep the spirit of El Duce alive. Sporadically touring and rarely releasing records, it became a rare sight to see one of the most shocking bands in history take to the stage. But now, in the humble year of 2015, we are bringing them back for a one-off UK exclusive, miss this one and you’ll never get to tell your kids how you got to witness THE MENTORS, the fucking Mentors, rip shit apart like the scumbags they are.
Tickets are £12 advance from the following link – www.seetickets.com/Event/the-mentors-the-black-heart-camden

www.old-empire.co.uk/

About David Farrell

General Manager and 'THE' competition guy at planetmosh.com. Manager of The Goddanm Electric www.thegde.co.uk, Tour manager for Serpentine, and ex-general Dogsbody at Hammerfest.co.uk. Media partner to numerous bands. Also takes photos, writes reviews and likes classic rock, with a touch of thrash to get the blood flowing.