I’ve held off on writing this review for more than a week since BOREDOMS’ headlining gig here last week at Starlight Ballroom mainly since what they do is so difficult to describe. It’s not that there aren’t other Japanese noise-rock bands or that I can’t tell you that in their current incarnation, they seem almost obsessively focused on all things percussive, all of their members at one point or another playing drums or in the case of leader EYE YAMATSUKA, a four-necked guitar hoisted up and played as a percussion instrument with a stick. Furthermore, Eye’s blood-curdling screams and the heavy, percussive feel of the music are intended (and often succeed) in creating a trance-like environment, as was evidenced by many of the listeners in the front who danced, swayed or who were otherwise enraptured by the Boredoms’ wall of sound. It’s that all of these descriptions don’t even come close to actually seeing them live. Once you see Eye conducting what looked like two large light bulbs and producing a theremin-like sound for several minutes to open the show, you know you’ve just entered another dimension. When I entered the venue, one of the R5 staffers said “welcome to Boredoms” as if they were a place, not a band. In many ways, this is true. If they ever come near you, don’t hesitate to see them, even if you’re unfamiliar with their records (as I was, at least for the most part, before this show, admittedly). There’s no one else on earth even remotely like them.
BLACK PUS (i.e. BRIAN CHIPPENDALE from Providence noise duo LIGHTNING BOLT playing solo) played before Boredoms and like Lightning Bolt’s set at Terrastock a few years ago it was full of noise inspired by ‘80s thrash metal as well as Japanese band RUINS, crazy drumming and on occasion, vocals obscured by a vocoder-like device he had installed inside of his mask.
WHITE CIRCLES (HISHAM AKIRA BHAROOCHA, formerly of Lightning Bolt) opened the show with hypnotic, dance-flavored noise and like the other acts, he was really, really loud. It’s a good thing that I brought my earplugs to this show!
I got the poster above from KATRINA OHSTROM’s flickr account.
