A Japanese indie music festival touring Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal
For the amount of references to Japan, and Japanese culture there are in western music, it’s surprising how little we know about the Japanese music scene. I’m not talking the cutesy sweet J-Pop, or the traditional folk music we’ve all heard, those are just stereotypes, I’m talking the rock and roll, the punk rock, and the independent groups that thrive across the pacific.
On Saturday night at the Biltmore Cabaret it was a prime opportunity to hear some new and up-and-coming bands from Tokyo. I’ve listened to a little Japanese rock, and pop over the years, but still knew very little after those experiences, what I did know was the bands would probably be tight, and talented. In Japan they prepare to play music much the same way they prepare for their work days. 45 minutes of calisthenics before every practice and show, a very intricate tea ceremony, and a large plate of raw fish. Sound of mind, sound of body. I prepared the best way I knew how, by walking to the Biltmore listening to The Vapors.
The first band to go up, Kulu Kulu Garden set the pace and the tone for the evening. They were loud. Much louder than I expected. A bullet train of loud, and heavy, and once on board there was no getting off, and no stopping this Japanese machine. Kulu Kulu Garden is a three piece that features the first of the girls whose presence (and instrument) are far bigger than their physical appearance should allow, very similar to the oversized swords in Japanese video games, and just as deadly. The crowd at this point was still thin, and I feel a little for the people that missed this opening act, because Kulu Kulu Garden set the bar high, and it was a strong start to what was undoubtedly the best live music event in Vancouver saturday night. My Gay Husband who?
Goomi the second trio of the night, featured a female drummer who I swear was 8 feet tall sitting behind her drum kit, but when I took her photo after the set was only about four and a half feet tall, proving that size doesn’t matter because she was like Godzilla on the drums. Goomi pounded out song after song of original sounding pop rock, sometimes a little hard, sometimes gentle, but every song showcasing the brilliant talent of this band. Half way through their set I decided to put my camera down and just enjoy it, thinking I had got all that I needed, and I could preserve the precious remaining space on my memory card, but then the violin came out, and a seething excitement followed. We’re used to the violin, with the resurgence of cowboy and country western music the violin is certainly not unfamiliar, but it still remains unusual in pop rock. Goomi pull off the integration of the sweet, yet devilish sounds masterfully, adding a dark playfulness to their music, proof that the Japanese indie scene is as eclectic as anything here.
Owarikara hit the stage like something out of the book of revelations, a thundering offer to Benzaiten. I don’t know what they feed the kids in Tokyo, maybe it’s something in the water, LSD perhaps, I don’t want to speculate, but perhaps our kids could use some of the same. Playing together since 2008 Owarikara epitomize everything a rock band should be, they have a bass player that looks the part of a rock star, a singer/guitarist who for all intensive purposes is a rock star, a keyboardist who in most circumstances would be put away for the madness exhibited at the show, and a drummer who’s stamina and precise timing made me wonder if it wasn’t some prototype robot. I don’t know if people were dancing or trying to fight off some sort of delusional fit, it was like a boot to the face. I could talk about their music but there would be no point. It’s good. Go find it have a listen, but it won’t do justice to the live show that they jam down your throat. Of course you will be willing.
Mothercoat sports all wheel drive, direct injection 380bhp twin turbo engine with boost control, complete with alloy wheels, and fuzzy dice. The perfect ride for any hashirya. All parts working smoothly together. They proved themselves good at shifting between produced sounding pop, and low-fi style punk rock music. One minute in tune, and sounding like everything is right in the world, the next dissonant and dark. Watching the crowd was amazing, one minute they would be standing there swaying back and forth mezmerized, the next caught in a tumultuous mosh. By this point the crowd had developed to its fullest and was moving and dancing along with the often funky, often poppy sound emanating from the stage. It’s hard listening to them and not moving, I certainly wanted more.
After Mothercoat I was starting to feel tired. It was barely ten o’clock and one band remained. As I waited for andymori to take the stage I spoke with the photographer next to me. He had come from Tokyo specifically to take photos of this band. “Very big in Japan” is what he said, and as I later found out he wasn’t lying. I was told that andymori is on the cusp of becoming huge in their home country, yet remain virtually unknown here. There would be no peace signs here. From a photographers perspective I love andymori. Most shows I shoot the drummer is off in the back, relegated to some dark corner like the bastard child who is never to see the light of day, growing slowly, without hair, sightless, and becoming gray. andimori’s drummer was at the front of the stage right alongside his companions, and this allowed me to get some of the best drummer shots I’ve ever been able to get. Listening its easy to see why they are big in Japan, and how many times do you get to say that and mean it. They represent the melodic pop punk coming from the land of the rising sun.
All five bands that played on Saturday night had one thing in common, they were all very good performers, and I don’t mean their ability to play their instruments, but their ability to connect with the audience. They got up on stage with the intent to put on a show, and every one of them did. Too often you see bands that seem bored on stage, or seem like they want to get out of there as quickly as possible, like they have more important things to do. How they get fans is beyond me. The bands from Tokyo seem to have an understanding that to make music is for yourselves, but to play music is for the audience, and that it’s important to get the crowd involved, because they are part of the show too. I’m glad I got to see these immense talents made in Japan. It’s part of the cultural exchange, and it’s too infrequent that we see it here, I hope to seem more of these bands in the future, and hopefully some new ones too. Domo Arigato.
Originally appeared on Vanmusic.ca, May 25, 2010