When Supper Club owner John Brandt first heard The Velcro Pygmies perform 20 years ago, he knew the band was something special. Members of other bands had commented on The Pygmies’ show to Brandt, and he knew he had to see the band for himself.

“Rick Carter from Rollin’ in the Hay told me they had played Louie Louie’s in Birmingham, which is a big bar up there,” Brandt said. “They had a very small crowd the first night, but he goes ‘these guys are going to be big. I can tell by the way they were with the crowd.’”

The band’s manager, Bill Puryear, contacted Brandt around the same time and offered him a date on The Pygmies.

“He called me and offered me a date on them right about the time I’d been hearing all of these great things from other band guys about them,” Brandt said. “Normally band guys don’t really brag on other bands, so I knew they were kind of an exceptional band when I heard about them.”

The Velcro Pygmies played its first show at the Supper Club in the fall of 1991 for a crowd of about eight people. Brandt said one quality of the band he noticed was its energy, especially from lead singer Cameron Flener.

“I thought they were crazy and I could see where they were going to be a huge draw,” Brandt said. “Cam himself … it’s just nuts to watch him. He’s got so much energy and so much charisma. With eight people in the crowd, he put on a show that you would have thought there were 8,000.”

Now The Velcro Pygmies is one of the most popular bands that perform at Supper Club.

“I think the first time there was nobody here, the second time I think we probably had 150 to 200, and by the third time in they were already becoming a huge band for me,” Brandt said. “Within a year they were one of my top two bands.”

Brandt said he books The Pygmies at least a few times each semester, which includes graduation, the Supper Club’s annual anniversary party and for the biggest football games.

“They’re always going to get the biggest football games,” Brandt said. “If we’re hosting Alabama they’re going to play that week and the next year they’ll play the Georgia game.”

Along with The 17th Floor, The band brings in the biggest crowds to Supper Club. Brandt said several years ago around 2,000 people came through the doors of the club in one night to see the band.

“If I could book them every month, I would,” Brandt said.

Twenty years ago, Cameron Flener had been working on putting a band together for three years and finally found a group of guys that would hit the road with him. After finding the original band members, the guys had to decide on a band name. Flener said that the band was at a New Year’s Eve party discussing the idea of gravity and wondered what would happen if it didn’t exist.

“Our drummer at the time said ‘We'd all have to wear velcro shoes,’” Flener said. “I thought, ‘That's a great name for the band,’ but was immediately shot down. Later that night someone suggested The Pygmies as a band name. I liked it, but only if we could add the word ‘velcro’ to it. At that point we became The Velcro Pygmies.”

Later, the band would be sued by the company that owns the rights to the word “velcro,” but would ultimately be the only other entity allowed to legally use the word in a brand name.

Formed in Louisville, Ky., the band has gone through more than 10 member changes in the last 20 years, Flener being the only original member. The current lineup includes Chris Eddins on drums; Jason Reed, also known as Johnny Dep on bass; and Angel on guitar.

Throughout the years, the band has established a few traditions, such having women take Blow Pops from the band at shows. Flener said that tradition began in Chattanooga, Tenn., about 17 years ago.

“At that time we were merely passing them out to the crowd," Flener said. “But then one night at Troy State University we had a visiting Auburn Tiger female roll up to the front of the stage and say, ‘I want you to stick that thing in my mouth.’” At that point the tradition changed to what it's become now.”

Needless to say, The Velcro Pygmies shows are usually pretty wild. Eddins, who has been with the band since 1995, said he can see everything from his drum set and has seen plenty over the years that includes fights, flirting and nudity.

“I’ve seen a million boobs, and I’ve seen a lot of girls doing things in the front of the stage or off to the side,” Eddins said. “I know a fight’s about to break out 10 minutes before they know it’s about to break out. I can see the girls pointing at the guys, see the guys pointing at the girls, see the guys totally blow it with chicks … I see it all.”

Auburn University senior Annie Hubbell has been to many of these crazy shows in Auburn. She said she has seen the band perform 11 or 12 times.

"I enjoy how interactive they are with the audience," Hubbell said. "They really make you feel as if you are part of the show."

Senior Elle Welch is also a fan.

"I enjoy how bold they are," she said. "They wear crazy outfits and there isn't a boundary they won't cross during a show."

Welch said she enjoys watching Eddins perform.

"He is energetic and a talented drummer," she said.

But as crazy as the band’s shows can be, the band members themselves or anything but. Every member of the band is married or engaged, and Flener has never even had a sip of alcohol.

Flener said most people are surprised by the differences between his stage persona and his real life. He said his personal interests include politics, finance, construction and talk radio. His musical tastes might also surprise fans, and include Elvis, Frank Sinatra, Neil Diamond and Barry Manilow.

Fans are also surprised by how Flener looks when he’s not on stage.

“Anytime someone sees me outside the band they always ask ‘Where are your furry boots and tight pants?’, as if I wear that get up all the time,” Flener said. “One of the things that might disappoint many people is that my hair is in fact real. There are so many rumors about me wearing a wig. Never have and never will.”

Brandt said that Flener is the most professional person he’s ever dealt with.

“People think I’m crazy when I say he’s never done drugs, he’s never drank a beer in his life I don’t think,” Brandt said. “He’s the hardest working guy … he’s always working on improving the band.”

The Velcro Pygmies play more than 200 shows each year and travel throughout 10 states that include Florida, Texas, Indiana, Georgia and Alabama. The guys all claim that Auburn is their favorite place to perform.

“Auburn has been the most loyal audience of any we've ever played, and having Auburn Tigers in the crowd makes every show better,” Flener said. “For instance, when we play at LSU for the Auburn vs. LSU game, it's the Auburn fans that always make the party happen. So, the reality for The Pygmies is that Auburn is pretty much everywhere that we are, and thank God for it.”

After 20 years together, The Velcro Pygmies are still going strong and plan to for as long as possible.

“The band will continue for as long as there is a market for us and we are able to service that market in a believable fashion,” Flener said. “My original intent was to do something while I decided what I wanted to do with my life. Apparently I'm still deciding.”

The Velcro Pygmies will perform at the Supper Club on Saturday, Sept. 24, for its 20th anniversary. For more on the band, visit velcropygmies.com.