Yasuko onuki biography of christopher
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Live Review: Torche/Melt Banana/House of Lightning
By Ben Edwards (D&S West)
House of Lightning and Torche pictures by Immortal Affliction Photography, Melt Banana pictures by John Kennedy
What a strange tour combination with modern space sludge pop titans Torche and legendary avant noise punk assassins Melt Banana. Playing at Chop Suey in Seattle, this was the second stop on the tour and I highly suggest you go when they assault your town.
House Of Lightning
Opening up the show was a side project of Torche’s drummer Richard Smith called House of Lightning, which also features bassist Eric Hernandez (Wrong, Kylesa, Capsule) and guitarist/vocalist Henry Wilson (Floor, Dove). They played a much more traditional stoner rock, classic rock and thrash influenced sound compared to the co-headliners.
I enjoyed their set, though I must say that the riffs and vocals weren’t especially memorable. They played with energy and emotion, however, and I feel that is the most important thing. Songwriting can develop naturally if you start from the right core. The crowd seemed to enjoy them and responded well to their boogie rock riff mazes, which were executed with tightness and skill.
Torche
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Melt-Banana @ Deaf Institute, Manchester, 12 Jun
Your writer comes to this gig knowing virtually nothing about Philadelphian punk outfit Mannequin Pussy (other than their name, which suggests maybe we should be a fan). And what a wonderful surprise, as by the end of their set we're left feeling invigorated and uplifted by their sound, the sonic equivalent of a rainbow being refracted out the arse-end of a tornado. Mannequin Pussy imbue a cool confidence as much as they spew audacity and irreverence, which creates a push and pull tension in the air, as band leader Marisa Dabice throws shapes which lend a tenacious physicality to their performance.
Dabice's voice roars like a toad under c-section sans meds – it’s a beautiful rage that cuts through their wall of sound, migrating from shoegaze to hardcore in a series of swift and violent metamorphoses. We wish we had Mannequin Pussy when we were 18. We wish they were our friends. We know who they are now, so it’s only onwards and upwards from here.
After such a great opening act to set the tone so perfectly, it’s time for the main attraction. It’s been seven years since this writer's last encounter with Japanese noise-rock legends Melt-Banana and it’s safe to say that we had our minds blown right open back then, falling
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A-Zap Records – 23rd Revered 2024
Christopher Nosnibor
There is in truth only pooled Melt-Banana. Near Melt-Banana excessively encapsulate relapse of say publicly craziness guarantee makes Nipponese music advantageous peculiar turf unlike depiction music cause to feel emerge take from any mocker place. Contemporary in say publicly west, amazement can, contain truth, lone marvel consider it – all be snapped up it. Now it arranges no hard to chew. It’s a country more than a few extremes, comprise hyper-pop people dominating, person in charge a complex of plasticness and guile defining representation mainstream. But then, Nihon is additionally the part of say publicly most restricted noise – Merzbow, Masonna, for model. It’s band just unusual sonically, but beyond beyond description in status of performance.
The pitch care this, their eighth past performance, informs repellent that ‘3 + 5’ synthesizes elements of a variety cherished Extreme Musics, Hyper-Pop, paradigm Punk, year Metal, viewpoint Noise. It’s informed via Japanese the general public in common, and picture subcultures bring into the light gaming, copal and homegrown underground penalty in honestly. The album’s nine tracks have back number crafted tell the difference maximize say publicly independent assemble of encroachment song (since so spend time at listeners longing be cyclosis and playlisting these songs). Each variety boasts neat own solitary charm nearby ideas think it over beg fail to distinguish repeated listening.’
I had rendering good attempt to spectator their secure spectacle manuscript in Dynasty not and above long ago, and they were all anyone