Kiss Forever Band

Renowned Hungarian rock musicians formed KISS Forever Band in Budapest back in 1995. Zoltán Váry became Starchild (Paul Stanley), Zoltán Fűzfa “Pocky” became the Demon (Gene Simmons), Zoltán Maróthy became Space Ace (Ace Frehley) and Csaba Tobola became Catman (Peter Criss). All of them had played in top bands and formed the band for fun, just to play their favourite KISS songs on stage.

Born out of their shared fanaticism, the band’s musical performances have always been at the level of the original KISS, with well-known hits and undeservedly forgotten deep cuts, but as time has gone by, the concerts have also become more spectacular. In addition to the same instruments, make-up and costumes as the original band, Demon breathes fire and spits blood, flames and firecrackers light up the stage.

KISS Forever Band’s career was given a major boost by the 1998 KISS Expo Tour stop in Vienna, where KISS drummer Eric Singer was the special guest of honour and, of course, also played with the Hungarian band that put on their show in full costume for the very first time. They originally rehearsed three songs, Nothing To Lose, Strange Ways and Cold Gin, but Eric enjoyed playing together so much that he suggested they play one more. “Do you know Detroit Rock City?” – Y’bet!

The first performance abroad has since been followed by a whole lot more. Over the past decades, KISS Forever Band has played more than 1,500 concerts in 30 countries, touring the best clubs and festivals on the old continent and also travelling as far as the United States, where in 2012, as the only European finalist in a competition held for the best KISS tribute bands from all around the world, they were officially voted Europe’s number one KISS tribute band by the jury led by KISS lead guitarist Tommy Thayer.

Like their role models, KISS Forever Band has also seen its members change over the decades: in 2005, the talented Czech drummer Radek Šikl joined the band, and in 2018, the excellent lead guitarist and long-time friend of the group (by the way, student of Zoltán Maróthy), Pál Sturmann, joined the band, which has turned from a hobby project into a serious band.

Wearing iconic make-up and costumes on stage, the musicians know that evoking the legendary legacy of KISS is a huge responsibility, but they do their utmost to ensure that audiences have a special experience at every concert – just as they have been hugely influenced by their many encounters with musicians of the original KISS: They shared the stage with Eric Singer in 1998 and 2003, Bruce Kulick in 2015, and backstage at the Dresden stop of their big 2023 farewell tour, they were photographed in full battle dress with their heroes, the whole KISS lineup.