Gimmicks

Gimmicks in music are commonplace, but they certainly vary on degrees and styles. Gimmicks in hard rock and metal have always seemed to go hand in hand to some extent. Kiss created a legacy by wearing make-up and having each member have an identity that went with the make-up. Although they were not equal as Gene was a demon (GROWWLLLL!) and Peter was a kitty cat (meow). Kiss were and always have a band who have prospered from the gimmick. When the gimmick and the band's success started to fade in the early 80's then they simply took off the make-up and had the gimmick of no gimmick. Sometimes a gimmick can become a double edged sword as it can help the band get noticed, but then it may become difficult for the band to leave the gimmick behind if the band wants to go in a different direction at a later date. I think WASP suffered from this some as they were a shock band for a few years and then by the late 80's they changed their image and their lyrics became more serious, but they had trouble shedding the image they had established a few years earlier. Tomorrow I give a few examples of gimmicks used by some lesser known bands and see if they worked or not.