Batmobile was founded 1983. After several months of covering Elvis Presley, Johnny Burnette and Gene Vincent, Jeroen Haamers (vocals/guitar), Johnny Zuidhof (drums) and Eric Haamers (double bass) decided to start to write their own material and all of a sudden people started to call the mental Dutch threesome 'psychobillies'.
In 1985 the first Batmobile album was released, which led to international recognition. For the first time a non-british band headlined all international psychobilly festivals.
The second half of the eighties and the first half of the nineties the band is touring through Germany, France, Japan, Spain, Switzerland, Italy, Austria and England. The band is headlining numerous times in the legendary KlubFoot in London.
The releases of the band are consistent in the concept of sounding different every time. The band hates to cover itself so the Batmo gents are always in search of new sounds within the rockabilly/psychobilly spectrum. This leads to the very first (and ever so often copied) metal-sounds within the scene on their 1988 realease Bail's Set...... but ofcourse also to the back to basics release Amazons from Outer Space (1989) and the massive concept mini-album Batmobile is Dynamite (1990). If ever there's a band ahead of things within rockabilly/psychobilly it's Batmobile.
In 1997 the band waves psychobilly goodbye and introduces their own brand of Rock n Roll B-music. Like in a B-film, B-music stand for B-musicians, bad (read: funny) jokes, horror, nakid women and having the time of your life. So theres not a big difference with decent psychobilly.
The second half of the nineties Batmobile does a lot of concerts in the Jukebox Tour in which the audience decides what the band should play.
Their first concert in New York is being taped and released on film and will be the last concert before a 3 year break.
In 2001 the album titled A Tribute To Batmobile is released on a Japanese label. On the album all kinds of bands from all over the world play Batmobile songs. Batmobiles own contribution on the album is called Baby Go Back Home. In 2003 'A Tribute to Batmobile part 2' was released and the band recorded the song Deep Down for it.
In 2003 the band makes one live appearance in Germany which makes Batmobile decide to start doing more live performances again starting 2004.
Since then they have been doing concerts in the Netherlands, Japan, Russia, Finland, Sweden, Germany, Belgium, Brazil and the US/Hollywood.
Now the band just contributed a live version of Kiss Me Now on the Kaiser Records 'Soundtrack to Oblivion' and has recorded the old Warren Smith classic Ubangi Stomp for the Stray Cats Tribute record 'Go Cat Go' for Baseline Music.
Releases:
1985 Batmobile - Kix 4 U
1987 Bambooland - Count Orlok
1988 Bails set at $ 6.000.000 - Nervous
1988 Buried alive Count Orlok
1989 Amazons from outer space - Count Orlok
1990 Batmobile is dynamite - Count Orlok
1991 Sex starved - Count Orlok
1991 Batmobile in Japan 1991 - Live video - Count Orlok
1992 Hard Hammer hits - Count Orlok
1992 CD single Midnight Maniac- Count Orlok
1993 Blast from the past, the worst and the best - Count Orlok
1993 CD single Shoot Shoot - Count Orlok
1995 Shake your pagodas, drop your kimonos, Batmobile strikes again - live video - Count Orlok
1997 Welcome to planet cheese - Count Orlok
Various compilations:
Psycho attack over Europe 1 & 2
Stomping at the Klubfoot 3&4
Fistful of pussies
Rock n Horreur
DVD Stomping at the Klubfoot
2001 A Tribute to Batmobile (various artists) - Downer records
2004 A Tribute to Batmobile II (various artists) Downer records
2005 AMP-Magazine vol 5: Psychobilly
2006 Go Cat Go ; A Tribute to the Stray Cats
2006 Soundtrack to Oblivion - Kaiser Records
Batmobile at the Knitting Factory, Hollywood Showdown 2005:
In honor or the new Batman movie, The Dark Knight, being released today in the USA, I give you the film's poster, the 1966 Batman movie starring Adam West as Batman/Bruce Wayne & Burt Ward as Robin. We can't forget Cesar Romero as The Joker & the coolest Batmobile of them all! Have a Batty Batman Day! Craig
Thanks for adding Lurking Fear! We love the "Transylvanian Express" so much that we're going to ride it to Castle Dracula for our gig there Halloween night. Meanwhile, to the Bat Cave! Batman rules! Crazy Craig from Lurking Fear P.S. If you cover the "Batman Theme" from the Batman 1960s TV show, can you please upload to the Batmobile myspace page just in time for the new Batman movie, Dark Knight? That would be WAY cool. Crazy Craig from Lurking Fear
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