Nisennenmondai Are Coming x #3

Japanese motorik maestros Nisennenmondai are back! i will never forget the way they melted my face off at Tufnell Park Dome back in 2010 - I think they supported The Ex? Either way, that first intense euphoric take has had me hooked ever since, and I loved their last album N. A new album is also incredibly exciting, although I am sure that '#3' might take some by surprise, what with its insistent, incessant rhythms more indebted to the dancefloor than ever before. They have collaborated with Shackleton in the past (at Unsound, where all manner of weird noises merge), and '#3' sees them teaming up with Adrian Sherwood, a dub producer du jour. This isn't really dub though - instead, imagine a skeletal techno meltdown matched to the looped sound of a card flicking through the spokes of a spinning wheel for three minutes. Who knows what will come next - but expect it to be intensely hypnotic, regardless of what realm it muscles in on.

Sonic Masala's Fave support bands of 2010

Sonic Masala has one rule when it comes gig going... NEVER MISS THE SUPPORT BANDS! You never know what fledgling genius you might stumble upon.

This year we've been privileged to witness some great gigs, something Brendan has rounded up, but a blog like this wouldn't exist without the bands that prop up the big name at the top of the bill. We've discovered many gems doing the hard graft in a supporting role this year, sometimes by accident, sometimes by design and sometimes we've gone just to see the support band in the first place (of course we hung around after). In many cases the support band in question has shone just as brightly, and sometimes outshone their soundcheck-indulged, rider-demanding, bill-topping peers. In truth though many gigs are so well thought out (thanks Upset The Rhythm) that they don't really have a pecking order. In these cases you go to see one band and leave with two or three new faves, everyone is a winner.

So below in no particular order is a list of bands that have rocked up in a supporting slot this year and blown us away. In places it shows just how far some of them have come, in others its a glimpse of the treats that 2011 many hold in store.

Sonic Masala's Fave support bands of 2010

Not Cool supporting Screaming Females (The Luminaire)

Nisennenmondai supporting The Ex (The Dome)

Eat Skull supporting Ganglians (XOYO)

Double Dagger supporting Real Estate (Cargo)

Gum Takes Tooth supporting Part Chimp (The Luminaire)

Grass Widow supporting Naked On The Vague (The Lexington)

Factory Floor supporting Fuck Buttons (Koko)

Islet supporting Frankie & The Heartstrings (Lock Tavern)

Kong supporting Future of the Left (Club 229)

Snowmen/Factory Floor supporting My Disco (The Lexington)

Trash Kit supporting Vivian Girls (Clowns Church Hall)

Wolf People supporting The Besnard Lakes (Cargo)

Gig - The Ex/Nisennenmondai/Trash Kit/Nonhorse @ The Dome, 19/10/2010

Tufnell Park's The Dome holds a special place in my heart. It seems I only ever make the trek to this part of town for obscure or experimental acts that continually exceeds my expectations. Case in point - Lightning Bolt, December last year. Was much better than I even thought would be possible. Furthermore, The Dome has a penchant for gigs where the support slots are just as good as the headliners in their own right (from same December gig, Drum Eyes blew me away). And, of course, there are the cheap pints of Guinness. Where do you find a £3 pint of the black stuff? Nowhere, especially not at a gig venue. So the excitement is palpable (always heightened due to the fact that its an Upset The Rhythm show) as I venture up the stairs into the town hall-like arena to finally see stalwart (and still very much relevant) Dutch post punk pioneers The Ex.

First up though, the supports. Nonhorse hits out first, and is an intriguing mix of tape manipulation and noise extrapolation that deserves more than the meagre crowd that is on offer. Nevertheless, Mr G. Lucas Crane knows what he's doing, and the violence he wrangles out of his instruments is justification for further investigation...

Nonhorse - Noxon

Next up are London mainstays of 2010 and UTR 'veterans' Trash Kit - if you haven't seen them playing a London venue yet this year, you haven't been outside. Having forgone the kitschy makeup that was a trope of previous shows and emblematic of the band, the Dalston three piece nevertheless stay on the path they have carved relentlessly since making a name for themselves supporting the likes of Vivian Girls and Tune-Yards. Their jangly, discordant tropical punk pop is effervescent and addictive, with nary a toe being able to resist being tapped. However, as the confidence of the girls grows, so do the songs, so much so that there seems to be something dangerous lurking underneath the veneer of these quickly cut slices of rock. You feel that Trash Kit are gearing up to cross over into a Dark Side that will explode their, and ouw, minds. Once again, Dalston has been done proud.

Trash Kit - Sun Spots

Now, Nisennenmondai. Three girls from Tokyo - one a tall, lithe model-like beauty (bass), one a small, no nonsense type (guitar), and one the unassuming type at the back. I wasn't sure what to expect - 5678s? Shonen Knife? Fuck no. The next forty minutes was nothing short of mindblowing, visceral noise. There's motorik, there's Krautrock, there's no wave, there's disco - but above all, Yuri, Sayaka and Masako deal a neat line in psychotic noise. Highlight? The maelstrom that is Sayaka's monstrous drumming, all flailing limbs, seat jumping and gnashing teeth. Brilliant.

Nisennenmondai - Sonic Youth

I was unsure how The Ex could top such face melting competition, but the veterans of over 1400 live concerts came onto the stage without much ado and broke into their trademark post punk with gusto. So much gusto that (I feel ashamed to say) they made Gang Of Four look even more like poseurs than they already do, and whilst I love Wire, their relevance withers in contrast to what is on offer here. What the next hour showed was a band that is continually evolving and experimenting whilst still rising against the perceived political injustices of the world. Even with the altered band dynamic of the introduction of singer Arnold de Boer, the vitriol still exists - with the electric manic guitar interplay between Andy Moor and Terrie Hessels, with Katherina Bornefeld's insistent drumming propelling the group through a rollercoaster set. The set list may have focused heavily on latest LP Catch My Shoe (which, by the way, is a incredibly strong record, and seeing as it is their 25th long player release, this is a remarkable feat), to truly showcase the new band, but it also proved that the Ex, 30 years on, still not only have relevant things to rail against, but still remain ultimately relevant. By the end of this show I was knocked by how fresh the agitated post-punk all seemed. It was a frenetic show all round. The Ex will not lie down; the Ex will not go away; the Ex will never die. And for that we should all be eternally grateful.

The Ex - Cold Weather Is Back

Photos by Louise Reip

Cold Pumas Sound Better With Huw?

Huw Stephens of BBC Radio One notoriety has been pushing his claim as new music head honcho. To this end he's been compiling compilations of 'new music' in conjunction with Wichita Recordings. Before I took off on my hols Mr Stephens put out his second such compilation, with artwork by Casey Raymond, which features a previously unreleased track Slow Padding from SM favourites Cold Pumas, as well as tracks from other SM faves such as Fair Ohs, Islet, Spectrals, Cloud Nothings and many more. Its worth a look here.

You can purchase the comp here, its only five quid, and have little taste below. Cold Pumas also have a gig tomorrow, courtesy of Upset The Rhythm (who else?) at The Nest in Dalston with the awesome Nisennenmondai and Waiters

Cold Pumas - Slow Padding

Ex Marks The Spot

Upset The Rhythm are presenting Dutch post-punk pioneers The Ex tonight at Tufnell Park's The Dome (an interesting venue - seeing Drum Eyes and Lightning Bolt there last year has been indelibly marked onto my consciousness). The four piece have been plying their trade for over 30 years, playing close to 1400 gigs across Europe, the US and Africa. They have released 20 albums, the latest being this year's Catch My Shoe, their 1st since 2004 and the 1st with new singer Arnold De Boer. Speaking to the Ex's guitarist Andy Moor, we can expect a large gamut of the aural assault to be from the new album, but they will be reaching deep into their pockets for some gems that reach right back to their inception years.

And if that wasnt enough to slake the thirst of an rabid music nut, The Ex are being supported by Tokyo's noise pocket rockets Nisennenmondai, Dalston racket merchants Trash Kit, and sonic shit-stirrer Nonhorse. This show is massive, so get tix now!

The Ex - Maybe I Was The Pilot

The Ex - Sister

Bo Ningen all over self titled

Sometimes you get the feeling that its really about time you posted about a band. It really is about time we posted about Bo Ningen. Brendan posted about Chicken Hawk earlier this week when they supported Bo Ningen and Pulled Apart By Horses a few months back at the 100 Club. The words "blown away" were used and they couldn't be more accurate. I think I've seen Bo Ningen live three or four times and they always make an impression, a mass of screaming riffs and flailing long black hair. Be it the confines of the 100 Club basement or climbing to the top (literally) of the main stage at this year's Offset.

But why have I failed to post about Bo Ningen's brand of glorious Japanese progressive, psychedelic punk before? Maybe its because I've only seen Bo Ningen play their twisted, raging noise rock as a support role to other bands? With the reputation Bo Ningen have worked hard to achieve the Japanese four piece have kept very good company, Pulled Apart By Horses and Nisennenmondai spring to mind. Maybe its because the band's last release was 10" Koroshital Kimochi that dropped this time last year. It seems Bo Ningen have been, for those in the know, their own insanely loud dark little secret. Whatever the reason, I suspect thats about to change. Bo Ningen's self titled L.P drops on Stolen Recordings early next month. I suspect things wont ever be the same again.

Bo Ningen - Koroshitai Kimochi


Bo Ningen- Koroshitai Kimochi from Stolen Recordings on Vimeo.