Canned Hamm - by Lezah

There have been lots of bands/singers over time who have gained notoriety at least in part because of lewd behaviour (or what people perceive to be lewd behaviour).  

Cases in point:  Elvis (the Pelvis) and his swiveling hips which were banned from TV monitors for being obscene; Jim Morrison and his incident in Florida where he was accused of exposing himself; Ken Hamm from the legendary Vancouver band Slow, who got kicked out of Expo 86 when Hamm dropped his drawers; Shannon Hoon from Blind Mellow who urinated on the crowd at Vancouver's Pacific Colosseum; the Red Hot Chili Peppers and their tube sock outfits; the list goes on.

So where am I going with this?  No idea.  I just have an interest in male nudity, I guess.

Actually, where I'm going is to Celebrities - or rather, that's where I went after the Sloan show.  There were three bands playing and unfortunately I can't tell you a thing about the first two -not even their names!  Sorry!!  But the last group I did manage to see, and that was Vancouver camp/dance band Canned Hamm.  Singers Rob Dayton and Ken Hamm (yes, he of the notorious and legendary Slow) perform the campiest song and dance act (to a pre-recorded soundtrack) that I've ever seen.  Their get-ups are hilarious:  sky-blue, skin-tight jump suits with huge white fringe on the sleeves, they are right out of the late '70s.  They spent most of the time dancing with the crowd on the floor, or (in the case of Rob), dancing up on the railings of the bar.  Took me back to the old Luv-A-Fair days, to be sure.  

Talking to Rob after the show, he was lamenting that the crowd wasn't bigger, but then there were about four big acts in town that night, so... that's the way it goes, I guess.

Anyway, this band is a bit Scissor Sisters, a bit Village People, and a bit over the top, high-camp.  Lots of energy, lots of fun, and I'd definitely go see them again.