What's Happening in Tempe, AZ…

Tempe is welcoming metal band GWAR to perform at the Marquee Theatre this October.

The GWAR band is about more than music they make. It is just as much about the performance art as it is about the melodies for this band with a decades-long history and a cult following.

Taking a cue from the influential Parliament Funkadelic and glam rockers like David Bowie, there is a whole concept and narrative behind the GWAR band that involves outer space, with the band members wearing eccentric costumes on stage to complete the illusion, as if they are alien rockers themselves.

In reality, GWAR was formed as a band in 1984 with a small group of Virginia Commonwealth University students. The ragtag group of musicians and art students founded the band as a joke, forming the fictional identities of its members.

The GWAR band narrative revolves around a group of alien outcasts from a deep, dark place in space, past Uranus. On their home planet, GWAR was a team of warriors from an elite fighting force known as the Scumdogs of the Universe. Before long, GWAR’s antics became too reckless and they were banished to Earth with orders to conquer the planet.

Organizers of concerts like this may choose to use poster printing to advertise upcoming shows in different areas.

GWAR performs on October 20 at 6:30 p.m. at the Marquee Theatre at 730 N. Mill Ave. in Tempe.