Hi-Diddily-Ho! There's A Ned Flanders Metal Band
Contain your girlish scream: There is now a Ned Flanders-themed metal band. The Phoenix-based group is made up of five men who dress up in the iconic pink shirt and green sweater getup. They even spot mustaches and glasses to look the part.
Called the first ever Nedal band, Okilly Dokilly plays some seriously hard music. “Not as fast as Bartcore, and a little cleaner than Krusty Punk,” the lead vocalist, Head Ned, explained in an interview with Rip It Up.
All the band members have equally Ned-y names: Red Ned, Thread Ned, Head Ned, Stead Ned, and Bled Ned.
The band name and theme came up when Head Ned and Bled Ned were in line at grocery store. They were passing time by coming up with cute names for brutal bands. “The name Okilly Dokilly came up and was very funny to us,” Head Ned said.”We ran with it. I contacted a few friends, and here we are. Most of us have played in other bands around our hometown.”
On top of the Ned-inspired clothing and names, the band also packs their songs full of references to the beloved character. "Nothing At All" is in reference to one of Flanders' particularly tight ski suits, and "All That's Left" refers to Flanders' left-handed store. “It’s our homage to the Leftorium, and the bridge is entirely left-handed puns,” said Head Ned, the only actual lefty in the group.
Unsurprisingly, this awesome band already has a real show lined up. You can see them play in their hometown on September 5th.
Novelty metal bands are not uncommon: there are multiple animal-fronted collections and an entire genre of metal dedicated to the work of J.R.R. Tolkien. You can even find metal covers of children's songs from shows like My Little Pony.
Okilly Dokilly's main goal is really just to pay homage to a television show they love. “In reality, this is all just an over-the-top attempt at getting Matt Groening’s autograph, even if it comes on a cease and desist letter,” Head Ned said.
[h/t: BBC]