The Stray Cats are a very rare breed.
Hailing from Long Island, schoolmates Brian Setzer (vocals, guitar), Lee Rocker (double bass), and Slim Jim Phantom (drums) smashed their way into the British mainstream in the early ‘80s, a glorious time of musical freedom when post punk, new wave, and electro-pop acts could slot into rotations alongside some of the country’s sharpest protest artists.
The Stray Cats did it in style, with their rockabilly ways, great hair and hits — five of them crashed the U.K. top 40, and two entered the top 10. None went higher than “Rock This House,” which peaked at No. 9 on the Official U.K. Singles Chart in 1981.
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Setzer and Co. stopped by The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon for a performance of that classic hit. The trio remain tight as a balloon stretched over a bowling ball, Setzer’s hair piled proper, his hands in fine fettle.
What a difference 18 months can make. In the early stages of 2025, Setzer revealed an auto-immune diagnosis, a disease that left him unable to play guitar. He sought treatment at the Mayo Clinic, and stayed optimistic. “I know I will beat this,” he wrote at the time, “it will just take some time.” Time helped and healed.
There’s a lot of love for the Stray Cats in their homeland, too. The rockers wrapped up a summer tour on Sunday, Aug. 16, in Morristown, NJ, and will start a month-long round of fall dates on Nov. 9 in Grand Prairie, TX with stops in Nashville, Charlotte, Orlando, Atlanta and more, before coming to a halt Dec. 6 at Foxwoods, CT.
“It’s good to be healthy and strong again,” Setzer says in a statement. “There’s something about the unique sound of The Stray Cats that keeps drawing me in. The Gretsch guitar, the acoustic bass, and the stand-up drums still sound pure and fresh today.”
In 2025, the band released their first new music in six years, “Stampede” and a cover of Eddie Cochran’s “Teenage Heaven,” both via Surfdog Records. A first pressing of “Stampede / Teenage Heaven” on 7″ blue vinyl sold out, and new variant was pressed to keep up with demand.
Watch the late-night performance below.
