Guest Singers Salute Venom

Friends of late Teenage Head frontman Frankie Venom will take the stage with his former bandmates as a tribute at the Studio Theatre in Hamilton on Friday night as part of the Hamilton Music Awards weekend.

Guitarist Gord Lewis, bassist Steve Marshall and drummer Jack Pedler will be joined in a set of Teenage Head songs by Tom Wilson, Tim Gibbons, Adam Castelli, Edgar Breau, Mickey DeSadist, Chris Houston, Jimmy Vapid and Dave Rave (who replaced Venom in the band for a period in the mid-'80s). Sonny Del-Rio will also play saxophone on a few songs.

DeSadist's band, The Forgotten Rebels, who were originally scheduled to headline the evening, will perform a full set before the Venom tribute. All-female punk band Rackula will open the show, for which the doors will open at 9 p.m.

"We were absolutely devastated with the news of Frankie's passing," says Hamilton Music Awards festival director Jean-Paul Gauthier. "We will do our best to make sure that the legacy of Teenage Head and Frankie Venom lives on. We are going to host a huge rock 'n' roll style celebration in their honour."

Lewis will soon announce details of future tribute shows and initiatives in support of a foundation being created to support musicians in need.

Teenage Head will also receive a lifetime achievement award Sunday night at the Hamilton Music Awards.

Venom (real name Frank Kerr) passed away from throat cancer on Oct. 15. He was 51.