ACID MOTHERS TEMPLE/SONIC SUICIDE SQUAD @ EL MOCAMBO, APRIL 14TH
Japanese psych rock pioneers Acid Mothers Temple hardly need any introduction. They also don't need much promotion to draw a decent crowd. There wasn't a whole lotta hype leading up to this show; in fact, I didn't even see it listed on the ElMo's website, but those in the know knew about the band's annual pilgrimage to our town, and arrived with plenty of merch money--myself included.
SONIC SUICIDE SQUAD: I'm not sure how these guys landed the opening spot on this tour, as they don't seem to have much of a fanbase, hailing from the South. SSS is also one of the strangest trios I've ever seen. No guitar, no bass, but drums, saxophone and keys/fx created their sound. I'm not sure that they followed any musical structures or patterns, as it all seemed like random noise. In other words: this shit ain't cool!
ACID MOTHERS TEMPLE: On the other hand, AMT graced us with a solid 75-minute set, although their encore seemed rather short compared to the lengthy tunes they played previously. Led by the psychedelic guitar freakouts of Kawabata Makoto, they busted out the instrumental jams, with occasional Japanese scatting and broken English from bass player Tsuyama Atsushi, who sold me a couple of their new CDs. (They had at least three!) Later in the set, Makoto pulled out his magic wand, a metal rod with a red tassle, which he used to play his instrument, before leaving it suspended from the ceiling, drowning us in feedback as he left the stage. The question, asked throughout the set by Atsushi, was "Are We Experimental?" The answer, without a doubt, was a resounding hella-fuckin'-yes!
What did you think of the show? Discuss it on the THTGIR forum
Japanese psych rock pioneers Acid Mothers Temple hardly need any introduction. They also don't need much promotion to draw a decent crowd. There wasn't a whole lotta hype leading up to this show; in fact, I didn't even see it listed on the ElMo's website, but those in the know knew about the band's annual pilgrimage to our town, and arrived with plenty of merch money--myself included.
SONIC SUICIDE SQUAD: I'm not sure how these guys landed the opening spot on this tour, as they don't seem to have much of a fanbase, hailing from the South. SSS is also one of the strangest trios I've ever seen. No guitar, no bass, but drums, saxophone and keys/fx created their sound. I'm not sure that they followed any musical structures or patterns, as it all seemed like random noise. In other words: this shit ain't cool!
ACID MOTHERS TEMPLE: On the other hand, AMT graced us with a solid 75-minute set, although their encore seemed rather short compared to the lengthy tunes they played previously. Led by the psychedelic guitar freakouts of Kawabata Makoto, they busted out the instrumental jams, with occasional Japanese scatting and broken English from bass player Tsuyama Atsushi, who sold me a couple of their new CDs. (They had at least three!) Later in the set, Makoto pulled out his magic wand, a metal rod with a red tassle, which he used to play his instrument, before leaving it suspended from the ceiling, drowning us in feedback as he left the stage. The question, asked throughout the set by Atsushi, was "Are We Experimental?" The answer, without a doubt, was a resounding hella-fuckin'-yes!
What did you think of the show? Discuss it on the THTGIR forum