http://www.nervouscabaret.com/They're more loud than nervous, and don't expect the Weimar sound. Think Tom Waits as qawwali Gypsy King, backed by Joy Division with Captain Caveman clubbing a tympanum as a drum set. They're international rock stars in their native DUMBO, but the rest of us are just beginning to catch on.
- - The Village Voice (Keith)
Imagine Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan singing with members of the Stray Cats and the Clash, only more intense, and you've got Nervous Cabaret. Elyas "KiD
" Khan's Pakistan-trained voice belts out songs about getting drunk, falling out of love and selling out over endlessly evocative coronet by Fred Wight, fierce contrabass (Matt Morandi), drums (Brian Geltner) and now they've added a second drummer. You're guaranteed to both dance and cry within half an hour.
- - NY Press
NERVOUS CABARET's dark and sensuous music is a big sweaty mass of punk, Gypsy, jazz and dub. Frontman Elyas Khan emits throaty howls and practically spits out the dense and dramatic lyrics on the band's latest CD, Ecstatic Music for Savage Souls.
- - Time Out
Nervous Cabaret's music can go from bawdy to euphoric and even ecstatic... very, very danceable music that's very emotionally rooted. There's a lot going on but it never fails to make you move. It has a real hardcore swing to it.
- - 24/7 (Brooklyn Courier)
I was blasting your CD all day preparing for our interview. When my neighbor banged on the door she didn't ask me to turn it down. She wanted to know who it was!
- - Live From Downtown Performance TV
Warning, this is an unabashedly rave review. We don't think there is another band out there like Nervous Cabaret. That's how good they are, and what's scary is that we think they're getting better. People really lost their cookies for these guys last time these guys played... Think muted trumpets and tight, dirty guitar riffs... Must be seen to be described
- - Stephen Koslof (Deep Dish Cabaret)