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About a week ago, I was blessed by my Youtube feed with a video of this animatronic robot band performing at what seemed to be a robot convention. The band was called "Compressorhead", and it was unlike anything else I've ever seen. The lead singer was this badass looking robot on treads, rolling around dancing and singing with tons of energy. The drummer seemed to have multiple arms, and there was a little guy supporting one of their cymbals while headbanging! It was incredible!
According to Wikipedia, Compressorhead's an animatronic robot band created by Berlin artist Frank Barnes, along with other collaborators, such as Markus Kolb, Stock Plum, and John. The band members are made of various recycled parts, and can play real electric and acoustic instruments while being controlled with a MIDI sequencer. They do covers of popular rock songs, but also do their own songs too! They released an album in 2017 called "Party Machine". The song they performed in the first vid seems to be one of their originals, and it's pretty good!
Aside from performing, occasional skits are done with these characters, and they're equally as cool!
For example, check out this short of the lead singer, Mega-Wattson, playing some pool! I'm impressed by how they were able to make him land that perfect shot. Seeing him upclose like this helps in appreciating the fine details of his design in motion. Look at how the teeth flap as he speaks, giving the appearance of flapping gums. And look at those sick shades! Super cool!
There's also this next one of him trying to weld. Again you can appreciate the fine details of his design upclose. Plus the skit itself is funny and adds a lot of charm and life to the character. It also provides a peak at what work is like in the metalshop these same characters were made in. (Unfortunately YT won't let me embed this one, but the link is here regardless)
And aside from videos with the band, there are other vids showcasing some other cool robots made by the same artist(s), such as this hilarious robot rubbish bin you can have a boxing match with, and this sleak robot bar with a monkey vibing next to it! These designs are all so creative and charming. Like they came from some grungy 80's dystopian cyberpunk movie or anime that would be a beloved cult classic today. I love how they don't have an uncanny vibe to them either, like some animatronics seem to have from what I've seen (eg: old Chuck e Cheese robots). Maybe this is due to them embracing the robotic nature of the characters instead of forcing them to be hyper realistic and life-like?
Anyways, this post is a short one, but I just had to share this band with you guys ASAP! They were just too cool to not talk about!
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