Lots of Muzak

Pretty tired. The whole SXSW Asia going on this month, and yesterday we went down to the Knitting Factory to catch their performances in Hollywood, and it was definitely a wonderful treat. For one, the doors actually opened on time (and by on time I mean only 10 minutes late instead of what seems to be the obligatory 45 minutes). At first I was also bummed out that it was just the front stage being used mainly because it gave me flashbacks to The Pillows concert at the sadly waaaay overcrowded Whisky. However it turned out to be just fine as there was a decent sized crowd, but it was still easy to move about. Plus you could get fairly close to the acts if you felt like braving the mosh pit…

Asakusa Jinta was the first band we saw get on stage. Quite a hoot too. While I’m not particularly into what they’d call “hard marching band” music, they’re definitely a blast to watch like, especially with Mika as lively as she is. Next up came the 50 Kaitenz; much more my style. Plus Danny is completely off the wall hilarious on stage with his facial expressions (seriously, has to be seen). After came one of the two bands I was actually there to see; Oreskaband. No need to comment on their performance, as they were totally awesome (and I’m not a big ska person either). Plus i was rather impressed how they interacted with the crowd (e.g. not shy, or quiet on stage), then again, they are from Osaka.

Then finally came GO!GO!7188; THE band I was there to see. Pretty much worth it too, as I was blown away getting to hear “Ukifune“ live. The amusing part for me though was that Akko and Yuu were so plainly dressed (jeans and t-shirt). All the other bands had very distinct appearances, but Akko and Yuu just looked so casual, as if they had just been loafing around at home (and it’s not like they’ve never dressed up at their concerts either). Granted it really didn’t bother me, as they were quite cool even in such casual persona.

Then along came Pistol Valve. Very different. Very cool looking. Very annoying delays in getting set up. Granted you’ve got 10 girls to hooked up and dialed in properly. Unfortunately the neat little parking garage where the car was was closing around 11:30pm so we pretty much had to bail. So we only got a brief chance to see a bit of Pistol Valve. Personally I think they need some stronger vocals, but they do look and sound pretty cool otherwise (C’mon 10 cute girls and a ton of brass? What’s not to like!?!)… Also HY was there as well, but as we left during Pistol Valve’s performance we missed out on that. Bummer too..