The character of Rockabilly Carter was created in 2022 to accompany the Milanese boy band’s eponymous debut album. ‘Billy’ is an angry, grumpy and messy anthropomorphic hat with cowboy boots, who is meant to represent the spirit of the five band members.
Legend has it that he self-generated in the distant Brescian valleys and headed for the big city to find his future. After getting lost in the problems of open urban life, an encounter with Colla Zio allows him to discover the gift of friendship.
In January 2023, Colla Zio took the first single from the journey of ‘Rockabilly Carter’ to the Sanremo festival, together with a puppet of Billy that they always carry with them to interviews and live performances. In live performances throughout 2023 they will take a 3-metre high polystyrene statue all over Italy, playing with Rockabilly Carter on stage.
In November of the same year, the relationship between the Rockabilly monster and the band entered a crisis, leading to the EP ‘Amici Come Prima’ (Friends Like Before), celebrated with the band’s historic and biggest live show at the Fabrique in Milan, and on whose cover the statue of Billy and Colla Zio are slumped to the ground after a fight.
01 - Cover of “Rockabilly Carter”, 2023.
02 - Italian comedian Valerio Lundini with Billy’s puppet, 2023.
03 - Flyer for “Amici Come Prima” EP, 2023.
04 - Cover of “Amici Come Prima” EP, 2023.
05 - Cover of “Non Mi Va”, 2023.
