“Eccentric. Wild. Boisterous.”

That’s how Bubonik Funk bassist and synth man, Nick McOwen, described the Charlotte band’s Wilmington fan-base.

“It was in 2009 or 2010 that we had our first sold-out show ever, and it was in Wilmington,” said lead vocalist and keyboardist Dylan Ellett. “That’s partially why it’s so special to us, and why we try to come back so often.”

The now absent venue, The Soap Box, housed the band’s Wilmington debut, but on Saturday, Sept. 26, the funk rockers are taking on The Whiskey, located at 1 S. Front St.

“About half of our set list will be new stuff,” said Ellet, “but I think people should be there for the entire show because Viva La Hop, the other band we’re playing with, is this live hip-hop group of about eight or nine [people] from Boston. They’re a band with rappers and horns, and are really blowing up in Boston right now.”

“We know the Wilmington crowd very well,” said Ellett, “We know what the kids like, and what they enjoy, and this band, in addition to our sound, will make for an incredible night.”

The two groups share close friendship and are collaborating on a string of shows on the East Coast this fall.

Besides frequenting college towns, Bubonik Funk makes time for shows several shows in New York City, as a part of their long-term plan to achieve lasting fame.

“We try to make it to New York about three to four times a year, to play in Manhattan and Brooklyn to break into a higher level of exposure,” said Ellett. “As long as we’ve been a band, it’s been our aspiration to be famous rock stars going around the world.”

The dream began in high school, when Bubonik Funk established themselves as musicians.

Ever since, they have maintained their vision, and the original lineup, with Ellett, McOwen, drummer/vocalist Daniel Allison and guitarist Stefan Kallander.

“It’s been the same four best friends since we were 16 years old,” said Ellett.

High school also turned out to be the setting where the ear-catching name was devised.

“The name was thought up when Stefan was in history class studying the plague, said McOwen, “and he came out and said, ‘What about Bubonik Funk?’”

The band agreed, and now approaches their ten year anniversary.

However, they haven’t always pumped out funky jams.

“We’ve evolved quite a bit,” said Ellett. “Back in those days, one of our major influences was The Red Hot Chili Peppers, since then we’ve kind of moved on, and learned about different groups like Funkadelic.”

This summer, Bubonik Funk shared opened a show for George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic in Charlotte.

Similar to the legendary artists of Parliament Funkadelic, often referred to as P-Funk, the Charlotteans are nicknamed B-Funk, thanks to fans.

To Ellet and the boys of Bubonik, “funk is more of a feeling than a genre.”

B-Funk draws inspiration from many genres and musical styles.

 “We’ve learned from Radiohead, Stevie Wonder and Led Zeppelin, for example,” said Ellett. “Our drummer, Daniel, takes a lot from Travis Barker of Blink-182.”

Their diverse soulful rock-infused funk sound opens their appeal to reach a wider listener demographic.

“Wilmington is one of our biggest markets,” said Ellett. “People there are just open-minded musically,”

“There are people there that know the words to our songs,” said Ellett. “They’re just very adamant, dedicated fans, so it’s just a special place.”

B-Funk not only appreciates the port city for its constituents, but also for its good eats.

“There’s a burrito cart across from The Whiskey,” said McOwen, “so when we finish we’ll go get burritos.”

The guys also like to dine at pizzeria Slice of Life’s downtown location before shows.

Song content strays from the hip-shaking-call-to-action lust songs typical of most bands who play funky tunes.

“For us,” said Ellett, “we’ve always tried to include deeper messages. They’re not always super clear, a lot of it’s metaphorical.”

“If you listen to our music, you’re not going to hear a lot of the stereotypical things you hear in most funk or pop music,” said Ellett. “We make a point to say things that may have been said before, but not in the way that we say them.”

While most lyrics are written by Ellett, “Stefan, Daniel and myself,” said McOwen, “all have a song that we’ve written about a girl at one point or another. Somehow, those just sweep their way in, but more often than not, Dylan’s writing songs that are more in-depth that a girl that one of us liked or likes.”

“We want to make sure we’re bringing something new to the musical spectrum.”

In addition to defying expectations with lyrical content, the band strives to awe crowds with the visual elements of performances.

McOwen warned that concert attendees can never know what to expect, but suggest that the folks of Wilmington bring ponchos, just in case they’re needed.

“Bring an emergency poncho,” said McOwen, “but don’t bring your $200 Coach bag, because you’re going to get beer spilled on it.”

“You can always take [a poncho] off, but you can never put it on if you don’t have one,” said Ellett. “In addition to that, there are TVs being tossed around, and people blowing bubbles – it’s kind of odd, but people enjoy themselves. “From what I can tell,” said Ellett, “people seem to have a lot of romantic success at our shows as well.”

The TVs may best be explained by taking a look at the recorded performance of “TV on my Head”. About four-and-a-half minutes into Ellet grabs a miniature plugged-in television and continues to sing and dance around, holding the TV above his head. The prop then makes its way off stage for a bit of crowd surfing.

On Sept. 26, the show begins at 8pm, with admission available at the door.