Whiteland’s own hair metal original is coming back to his central Indiana roots.
Kenny Wilkerson and his band, Nova Rex, were in the thick of ‘80s and early ‘90s hair rock scene. They built a following in Florida and California before returning to Indianapolis, where their popularity skyrocketed. Renewed interest in that hard-charging era of music has resulted in Nova Rex being featured in documentaries, TV specials and a new round of concerts.
And now they’re coming home.
Nova Rex will perform at 9 p.m. Saturday at the Thompson House, a southside venue that formerly was Bentley’s Live — one of the band’s favorite haunts. Opening for the band is Problem With Polly, an original rock band based in Indianapolis.
Getting back on stage and playing in front of fans, particular those here in Indy, is going to be electric, Wilkerson said.
“We haven’t played up here in a while, so we’re really happy to get back to Indiana,” he said. “I’m a Hoosier through and through, and we had to do something on the southside.”
Wilkerson graduated from Whiteland Community High School in 1985. Music at that time was leaving behind the new wave and post-punk sounds that dominated the early part of the decade, ceding to something more fun and carefree — Wilkerson was hooked.
Nova Rex spent much of the mid-1980s and 1990s in the thick of the hair metal scene that birthed Mötley Crüe, L.A. Guns and Guns N’ Roses.
They had a following in Florida and Los Angeles — both epicenters of the movement — but became local celebrities after returning to Indianapolis.
Their second concert upon returning to Indiana was with Cheap Trick downtown, playing in front of 20,000 people. They played sold-out shows at their home base, the Vogue Theater in Broad Ripple, and drew tens of thousands of people to concerts throughout the city. They played at the old Indiana Fun Park and Busch Stadium downtown, but one of their favorite venues was Bentley’s Live.
With the resurgence of ‘80s and ‘90s pop culture, including the party-hardy sounds of hair metal, Nova Rex has experienced a revival. They were featured in a documentary, “It Ain’t Easy Being Cheesy,” that was featured on Netflix. The band was included in the “Top 50 Greatest Hair Bands of the 80s” program on VH-1.
Their memorabilia is included in collections at the Smithsonian, Hard Rock Cafes, and the Johnson County Museum of History.
Nova Rex still tours extensively, and with a show scheduled in Louisville on Friday, Wilkerson had to try to book something in central Indiana for his hometown fans.
Even though the club they knew as Bentley’s Live is no longer around, the new venue in the location, the Thompson House, felt like a fitting stand-in.
“A lot of clubs have changed since we’ve been there,” Wilkerson said. “(The Thompson House) doesn’t resemble Bentley’s Live in any way, but the location is the same. So it’s kind of a throwback.”
The show is free to attend, and is presented by SoulRockerTV.
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Nova Rex with special guests Problem With Polly
When: 9 p.m. Saturday
Where: The Thompson House, 711 E. Thompson St., Indianapolis
Cost: Free
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