“The version of ‘Human Cannonball’ on ‘Live at the Leather Fly’ better than the studio version,” contends Butthole Surfers’ Paul Leary (guitar/vocals/art master) about the second track released from their upcoming live album which will be released on May 9th, 2025 via Sunset Blvd. “There’s just something about the energy that a packed house inspires that is hard to replicate in a recording studio.”
Known especially for their unpredictable, extremely visceral, chaotic live shows, Butthole Surfers channeled much of their abrasive yet tuneful albums into frenetic (and sometimes naked) performances in a fashion very few have been able to match. ‘Live At The Leather Fly’ unearths 21 tracks from a gig whose origins are shrouded in mystery. The “where” or “when” it was recorded is debatable, but the band have created a mythos surrounding it. “Back in the ‘80s, Gibby Haynes used to fantasize about a nightclub called The Leather Fly. He wanted it to have a stuffed leather fly hanging in front of it,” reminisces Leary about the illusory venue where this show was recorded.
Originally released in studio form on 1987’s ‘Locust Abortion Technician’, ‘Human Cannonball’ served as the album debut of Haynes’ ‘Gibbytronix’ effects which distorted his vocals by using delays, pitch-shift, and other sound manipulations to create a very distinctive and unsettling soundscape. The live version adds a heavy dose of sweat-drenched adrenaline, amplifying the band’s hardcore yet extremely musical aesthetics into a frenzy with Haynes’ vocals keeping the energy to breakneck levels.
Following the previously-released ‘The Annoying Song’ that set the stage for the release of this album next month, ‘Human Cannonball’ continues the grittiness of their live sets, which UK’s The Guardian characterized their live shows as “being pummeled by a squealing cacophony of acid-fried psychedelic noise-rock, as a man tripping wildly in his underpants screams at you through a megaphone.” Dean Ween of the band Ween agrees, calling them “the greatest live band of my lifetime.”