The 1970s featured some very weird bands back then. On such group was Kongress. (The website is worth a look. Trust me.)
They were a four-piece from the New York underground that was stranger than strange. Kongress was led by Geoffrey Crozier, an Australian magician who billed himself as the band’s “lead shaman.” The synth player wore a pith helmet, the guitarist routinely destroyed his instruments (and would later write a biography of weirdo filmmaker Ed Wood), and a drummer who played not with sticks but with lengths of chain.
When Kongress played live, there were often live rats and chickens. They used incense, foul-smelling potions, and dead birds as Crozier led pagan incantations from the stage, including the occasional séance. Then he mock-executed himself with an electric chair.
Why haven’t we heard more about Kongress? Crozier died in 1980 and left behind almost nothing when it came to recordings and film. Worth a Google, though.
© 2026 Corus Radio, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
Ad Choices
