Brian Setzer rocketed to stardom in the early ‘80s with his band the Stray Cats, thanks to a handful of very popular MTV music videos that were in inescapably heavy rotation between 1982 and 1983. The Stray Cats were part of that decade’s rockabilly revival which also included bands like the Blasters, the Rockats, and Robert Gordon, among others.

Many are unaware of Setzer’s prior group, Bloodless Pharoahs, which bore little resemblance to the rockabilly stylings of the Stray Cats. Bloodless Pharoahs were a new wave outfit active in the late ‘70s New York and Philadelphia scenes. Though not as full-on scronk as their NY “no wave” brethren, they traveled in the same circles and certainly skirted more of the “art” side of the burgeoning new wave spectrum. Their “sound” has been described as “a cross between early Roxy Music, Modern Lovers, and Talking Heads.”

Anyone interested in obtaining some of their recorded output might first check out their two tracks on the Marty Thau Presents 2x5 compilation. There also exists a CD of mediocre-sounding live recordings titled Brian Setzer and the Bloodless Pharaohs.

But the entire reason for this post is to show off some incredibly rare live footage of the band playing live in NYC at Max’s Kansas City taken from Paul Tschinkel’s Inner Tube public access television program. Tschinkel’s documentation of the early NYC punk and alternative music scene is absolutely crucial and his YouTube channel sporadically updates with new archival footage every few months (not often enough, if you ask me!)

The first of the two tracks is the more interesting. The second is a quirky cover of the Perry Mason theme. Setzer’s guitar playing, particularly on the first track, is reminiscent of the punky-surf sound that East Bay Ray of the Dead Kennedys would become known for, though Setzer’s backing vocals may leave something to be desired.

See it after the jump…