Arab on Radar's first show was in the cafeteria on the Rhode Island College campus. While the band was opening for Marilyn Manson at a Providence club called Babyhead, they were chased out of the club by angry audience members. Arab on Radar's early sound was typified by thickly distorted, repeated bass grooves, 4/4 drum beats, and two deafening guitars that employed contrasting melodies and near-unison chords that drew comparisons to the Contortions. Their live shows often featured spitting, trisomic parody, and full nudity.