GWAR returns to the Knitting Factory celebrating 40 years of shock rock

David Lowery, of Camper Van Beethoven and Cracker fame, once joked that GWAR could live forever.

“That band might outlive everyone, since the members of the group wear costumes,” Lowery said. “You can replace people and just go on and on.”

GWAR shows no sign of slowing down during its 40th anniversary tour. The band survived the loss of vocalist Oderus Urungus, who died in 2014. Saying goodbye to Urungus was quite the event. The band held a Viking funeral on a lake in Virginia. Urungus’ costume was burned.

“It was just something we had to do,” vocalist Blothar the Berserker said by phone from his Richmond, Virginia, home. “It was a beautiful event.”

As opposed to hiring a new Urungus, Blothar took over as vocalist.

Well, everything is a little different in a band like GWAR. The group is larger than life, theatrical and excessive. Members of the outrageous band sport grotesque costumes, which are often soaked with faux-blood.

“When GWAR started there were so many bands that were so serious,” Blothar said. “Back when GWAR began there were so many self-important hardcore bands. We went the other way. There are still so many serious bands and we’re still the way we were when this band began.”

GWAR, which stands for God What an Awful Racket, still doesn’t take anything seriously except songcraft and its shows. The band’s tunes, such as “Lust in Space” and “Dawn of the Day of the Night of the Penguin” remain off the wall. Blothar loves to joke around but was surprisingly serious when speaking about Urungus.

“It’s hard to believe it’s been this long since he left,” Blothar said. “He was engaging and really talented. He was a clown but a great rock ‘n’ roll frontman and there aren’t enough of those and he was out of his mind.”

GWAR, which will perform Thursday at the Knitting Factory, has released 16 albums, including 2022’s “The New Dark Ages,” but it’s primarily about the show.

“We’re aware of that, but we still have fun recording songs,” Blothar said. “We know it’s about the spectacle; we go for it every night.”

Expect more GWAR material soon.

“We’re an active medium,” Blothar said. “We’re more inspired than ever so we will continue to create new music. GWAR has never had the level of success many bands have had but we’re still trying to reach as many people as possible.”