Chapter 7: Throbcore and the Rabid Clown Clan — NeoTribes

Of all the urban sub-culture’s that have arisen in the aftermath of the ReJig, perhaps one of the most boustrous and far-reaching is that of the Throbcore scene and the band that is widely credited for creating it, the Rabid Clown Clan. The RCC's gigs are a wild melee of throbcore madness. The insane prosthetic masks and outrageous costumes of the band and their fans blur the line between performer and audience. It's a twisted carnival where the music and the spectacle become one.

Stiff Pixie, one of the band’s founding members, claims their name was taken in homage to the ‘Insane Clown Posse’ whose music video ‘Tilt-A-Whirl‘ he discovered on a rePurped console in his early teens. He sites this as the moment he decided to become a musician and form a band.

Chapter 7: Throbcore & the Rabid Clown Clan

I was fortunate enough to travel with the RCC on their now infamous ThrobWar tour - it was without doubt one of the most intense and exhilarating experiences of my travels across the WasEarth. Curated below are portraits of the band members, their crew, their SoundRigs and of course their fanatical fans, the Jesters. Welcome to the circus…

MEET THE BAND

Rancid Dollie

The RCC's pugnacious lead singer, Rancid Dollie has a near-shamanic ability to whip the moshthrong into a psynth-fuelled frenzy.
Stiff Pixie

Dishing out sonic shockwaves on brutesynth, Stiff Pixie is one of the RCC’s founding members and the driving force behind their audio carnage.
Donny Ruin

On throb-riff duties is the RCC's aloof and unflinching bassist, Donny Ruin. He lives by the mantra that if your nose isn’t bleeding then the bass isn’t loud enough.
GltchBtch

The savage beauty of the band's live AV experience is the brainchild of GltchBtch, a sorceress on the splicepad and conjurer of synaesthetic euphoria.
DJ Greezee

The crate king, Greezee is a connoisseur of classic beats, breaks and licks. He has trawled the Carnival Markets in search of the rarest vinyls, casettes and audio files from the the pReJig times.
Dr. Rukus

With his lyrical partner in rhyme, NR-Qee, the Doctor always brings the heavy vocal meds to intoxicate his needy patients.
MC NR-Qee

A beatbox beast and master of improvisation, NR-Qee is renowned for his intricate layering and incredible range and needs nothing more than his vocal chords and some spit to get things bouncing.
Runt Blister

On drums and concussion is Runt Blister, maniac maestro of mayhem. Runt’s drum rigs are beat weapons which he uses to launch rythmic assaults on the slavering Jester horde.
Malko McKaren

The band’s manager and fixer, M.M. is always on the prowl looking for their next opportunity to dispense throbcore to the masses.

MORE THAN JUST MUSIC

Cell 44

A special mention should be made of the RCC’s long-time friend and collaborator Jebin Roon, aka Cell 44, whose artwork and overall attitude has had a huge influence on the band’s aesthetic and features prominently on their album covers, posters and backdrops.

Below is a selection of some of his most iconic pieces.

ALBUM COVERS

Debut Album - Untitled [Often referred to as RCC#1]

Third Album - The Things We Find in the Dark

Fourth Album - Welcome to the Underverse

EP COVERS

PROMO POSTERS

THE ROADIES/BOUNCERS

Throbcore gigs are rowdy affairs fuelled with mushmead and psynth and inevitably things can kick off. The band can handle themselves but sometimes it’s good to have a visible deterrent and that comes in the form of their roadies Rack, Tiny Rong and Pluqhead, three brothers from the Northern Scarlands, aka the Teflon Trio. Not only are they accomplished technicians, mechanics and riggers, they are also hard as nails and have got the band out of many tight situations. Piloting the RCC’s Tour Pig they get the gear loaded and the grunt work done without complaint as they traverse the Oddscapes.

Tiny Rong
Pluqhead
Rack

OOZEBOMB

Originally fanatical Jesters, Oozebomb would often perform for the queuing crowds as they waited to get in to the RCC gigs. On hearing them play Rancid Dollie was so impressed with their slick style and heavy Throbcore riffs she asked them to tour with the RCC as their support act. The rest is throbcore history.

Merc
Babel Q
Slippy
Fuzzbox

THE JESTERS

When discussing the Rabid Clown Clan you cannot forget the Jesters, their fanatical and devoted fans. The Jesters have travelled from all across the WasEarth to become a part of the RCC’s nomadic throbcore circus. They are a spirited and open community united in their love of throbcore and the mayhem of the RCC’s music and live shows. Numbering in their thousands, the Jester caravans travel wherever the RCC decide to go bringing excitement and spectacle to the Dead Cities and the dispersed communities of the WasEarth.

PSYNTH + MUSHMEAD

Throbcore gigs are celebratory affairs and once the mushmead gets flowing things can get pretty lively. The dancing revellers will often go all night but add into the mix a couple of phials of Psynth and the party can stretch into days.

Mushmead is a punchy wizard’s brew made from fermented spore trama and it is readily available across the WasEarth. Psynth is a slightly more complex substance that is carefully synthesised from spore-rich oils in p-labs. Psynth induces a euphoric state of synesthesia and boosts energy levels, perfect for the moshthrong madness of throbcore.

The aftermath of a throbcore gig is always littered with used phials and empty canisters. There is a strange beauty in this detritus.

PSYNTH PEDDLERS

Where there is throbcore there are Psynth peddlers, but these are not like the sketchy criminal dealers of the pReJig, they are friendly traders with a product people want and they travel far and wide to tout their wares. There are a number of peddlers who travel permanently with the RCC and their entourage so I thought it was important to include their portraits when telling the story of the RCC.