Indie Music Japan@Toronto (Review)

- Info -

Concert Title: Next Music from Tokyo Vol. 3
Date: October 15th, 2011
Location: The Rivoli (Toronto, ON, Canada)
Website: Next Music from Tokyo Official Website
Bands:

-Akai Kouen (赤い公園)
-Chiina (チーナ)
-Merpeoples
-Hyacca (百蚊)
-NATSUMEN

- Review -
(In the order of performance)

Akai Kouen Live @Rivoli, 10.15.2011

Akai Kouen opened the show, all of the members wearing white dresses. But if you thought they would sound all lovely and idol-like, then you will be mistaken. They deliver a fresh punk sound mixed with some well-calculated beats. Each song was different, showing the variety of their repertoire. The band is from Tokyo, with four females. The drummer and bassist were very precise and gave them a very unified sound, despite having little sound-testing. Before each slower song, the vocalist, Chiaki Sato would shout into the audience, "I am very lonely!" The first time, I replied with, "I am lonely, too!" It was especially courageous for them to say anything in English, since the band members do not speak much English at all; it was more courageous for them to open the show, and I wanted to contribute to the connection between performer and audience. The audience at Rivoli did not disappoint, and came out in huge numbers even at the beginning of the show. There was less and less standing room.

Chiina is a band with two males (drummer guy is temporary) and three females, also hailing from Tokyo. The girls brought a contrabass, keyboard and violin into the equation, and immediately started making some loud sounds after the get-go. Violinist Yukako Shiba and keyboardist Kyoko Shiina are both always smiling, fully enjoying the music. Their more progressive take on punk and pop rock was successful, but at times, the guitar and violin combo did not sound very unified. Nevertheless, Shiba's headbanging with her violin was a splendid sight to behold, and everyone could tell their excitement at being able to perform in front of a large, non-Japanese audience.

Merpeoples live @Rivoli, 10.15.2011

Some great-looking (and tall) ladies from Merpeoples stepped on stage, wearing fashionable skirts and tights, prompting my friend to flash his camera countless times. The four girls of Merpeoples play guitar, bass, keyboard and drums. They opened each song with the drummer, who is actually a temporary tour member of the group. This was a bit of a miscalculation, as the generic beats made all the songs sound a bit bland. Merpeople's sound is more pop-oriented, with influences from Shiina Ringo and (in my opinion) the Shibuya scene. One thing that stood out for me is the high pitched keyboard notes that they throw in the choruses. It was a fair performance, but lacking in explosiveness or variety.

I had bought the tickets in person from the organizer of Next Music From Tokyo, Steven Tanaka, a second-generation Japanese-Canadian who has an insatiable love for Japanese rock music. Since last year he has organized Japanese indie rock concerts in Canada, paying for the members' flights and accommodations out of his own pocket. During the concert, he would introduce each band and then proceed to do his famous stage-dive. Although he failed in the beginning, the audience got into the spirit. In any case, his devotion to the show was clearly on display to all around him.

Hyacca live @Rivoli, 10.15.2011

Mr. Tanaka then presented the next band from his parents' hometown of Fukuoka, Japan -- Hyacca (百蚊), meaning "a hundred mosquitos". He claims that if there was a band that can generate a mosh pit with their music, it would be this one. How true were those words! Hyacca's double guitars tore out some ear-shattering, distorted sounds, and the drummer gave strange beat patterns of 5/4 and 6/8, confusing some of the audience, but quickly befriending the rest. They were the definition of "hitting hard and heavy", and people indeed started to mosh. The vocalist, Hiromi Kajiwara, is a tiny woman whose stance told everyone that "she was not one to mess around", as she sings in a call-response style with the male members of the band. Their music reminded me of some progressive ambient metal I heard a couple of years ago. I let the music take hold of my body, and my casual sways became violent headbangs. The audience was alive. Near the end of the set, Kajiwara jumped with her guitar into the crowd, and the mosh pit carried the guitar in a circle --- everyone wanted to touch it. It was beyond crazy, and everyone had a good work-out.

The last band of the night was Natsumen, with seven males and one female, and little explanation prior to their performance. They filled the stage: three members were on trumpet, alto sax and tenor sax, two members were on guitar, and rounding it up we have a bassist, keyboardist and drummer. You can tell that they were gonna shatter some glasses with so many different sounds. The guitars were a bit messy, but in the choruses somehow the sounds were able to cooperate and give a punky big-band feel (mainly due to the brass instruments). They also went out of the normal tempo, going in 3/4 and 6/8 constantly, making it hard for the tired audience to rock-out with their bodies. The vocalist, AxSxEx was the one rocking the hardest. He let his long hair dangle freely, covering his face, and spun on the floor with his guitar. By the end of Natsumen's set, AxSxEx's guitar has no strings intact, and had the audience clapped harder, I fully expected him to smash it entirely. It was a great last set.

After the concert, I purchased a CD from Hyacca as well as some buttons from Merpeoples. Unfortunately, I was not able to buy the DVDs or T-shirts due to my low budget, but in the Japanese musician-fan tradition, I shook the hands of all the girls. They were very friendly, and although I spoke Japanese to them, it didn't seem to matter whether I knew Japanese at all.

Had I been in Toronto last October, when the first volume of Next Music From Tokyo came, I would definitely have gone. The night was memorable because the bands (especially Akai-koen and Hyacca) changed my opinion on female Japanese rockers and indie bands in general. There was good stuff in Japan, and I regret not having delved into the underground music scene while I was still there. Akai Kouen, in fact, is going major and has an album due out early 2012. I look forward to hearing news of their new releases in the future.

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A review by micr0q, copyright 2011. Concert images courtesy of Michael Zhang. All visuals are not being used for any commercial gains, and will be removed upon notice. No copyright infringement intended.