Psychobilly is a genre of music that is a mixture of many different music styles, such as punk rock, rockabilly, thrashabilly, and gothabilly. Though similar to other rock and punk driven music genres born in the 1980s, psychobilly has a few defining, unique features. These include the use of a double stand bass instead of an electric bass, its apolitical stance, and the use of science fiction/horror movie and scary monster references in their lyrics. It is its horror movie themed lyrics, as well as references to other taboo subjects such as violence and sexuality, written in a comedic and ironic fashion that truly sets psychobilly music apart. Major psychobilly bands include Batmobile, The Sharks, and Frenzy.
Psychobilly originated in Britain and was a product of the punk rock and revival of 1950s rockabilly music scenes in the 1970s. Wayne Kemp first used the word "psychobilly" in a song written for Johnny Cash, and later The Cramps used the term on their concert advertisements. Though The Cramps did not perform psychobilly music, they are considered as the primary forerunner of the genre.
In the 1980s, psychobilly experienced its first cycles of popularity in Europe. The Meteors, a South London band, were the first psychobilly band and were the first to include science fiction and horror references in their songs. They also established psychobilly music as apolitical. Other influential bands formed in the early 1980s were Sharks and Guana Batz. In 1982, the Klub Foot nightclub became the major psychobilly scene. In 1986, the band Demented Are Go's gained success with their album In Sickness and In Health, and helped to spread psychobilly popularity throughout Europe and introduced new styles to the genre.
Psychobilly was introduced to America in the mid 1990s. It initially thrived in southern California and spread nationwide with the success of bands such as Tiger Army. During this time, psychobilly began to incorporate a wide variety of music styles, including indie rock, surf rock, country, and heavy metal. In in the mid 1990s, the band Battle of Ninjamanz introduced psychobilly to Japan and The Living End in Australia.
Today, psychobilly remains popular worldwide and has experienced the addition of new subgenres, such as neo-psychobilly and neo-rockabilly. There has also been a surge in the range of Psychobilly clothing and accessories available in online shops too, as many artists and designers have become inspired by the scene.
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