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Kid Congo Powers performs "Black Bag"

Described by Time Out Magazine as the “coolest looking guy in New York,” Kid Congo Powers started out in the late 70s as co-founder of the seminal Gun Club, whose twisted fire and brimstone take on the blues has influenced bands such as The White Stripes and The Black Keys. Kid Congo also played briefly with The Cramps, and did time with Nick Cave in The Bad Seeds. Since then he's worked on his own material, in the dark cabaret-themed Congo Norvell, and also in the Knoxville Girls. A few years back he formed Kid Congo and The Pink Monkeybirds —arguably the hippest band in NYC right now. Their debut, Philosophy And Underwear (Trans Solar), is an abrasive mix of punk, glam, and dark theater. Lyrically, the album is a snapshot of a New York where prostitutes, transvestites, and junkies make their way, all looking for a way out, or at least the next fix. Kid plays at Mohawk Place on Friday (Sept. 22), with the Irving Klaws, 11pm.