1975 KISS and makeup
A delicate routine, before rocking all night
In the early 1970s, two members of New York rock band Wicked Lester, Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons, struck out to start a new group. They recruited drummer Peter Criss and guitarist Ace Frehley, and by early 1973 had settled on a name � KISS.
Their first gig as KISS was at the Popcorn Club in Queens, New York, on Jan. 30, 1973. The band members outnumbered the audience of three.
It wasn�t until a couple months later that the group began to develop their signature look. During performances at The Daisy in Amityville, New York, on March 9 and 10, the band took to the stage with striking black and white makeup.
Each man�s makeup reflected a character and personality: Stanley�s heady romantic �Starchild,� Simmons� twisted and cynical �Demon,� Criss� nine-lived �Catman,� and Frehley�s extraterrestrial �Space Ace.�
Here, the glam-metal quartet go through their well-practiced makeup routines backstage before shows in 1975.
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