Fancying a different flavor for the night Igor hunts down some good Indy sounds in Akihabara’s Club Goodman.
Preparation
It was a tough decision, but one must accept that man does not live by Goth alone. Also, Igor is a bit of a lone-wolf type (does that mean I’m anti-social?), eager to find funky new things in the nooks and crannies of society.
Scoping the night’s events in the local sites, I discovered that some rock and punk sounds would be emanating from Club Goodman in the early evening.
Having made the choice, and with a map in one hand and 500 milles of chu-hi in the other, I trawled past the electronics shops to get to the club area.
Club Goodman
Goodman has some interesting acts and I first heard about the club when Goth-kei psychedelics, Adenosine Tri Phosphate appeared a few times in recent months (ATP scored kudos after a quick US tour earlier this year).
The club is located adjacent the Kanda River in a quieter part of the Akihabara area. Goodman’s layout was very smart with the drinks bar placed within easy reach of the entrance and lots of space for the punters to enjoy the sounds and bounce with abandon. There was nothing cramped about this place and could has a comfortable capacity of 60-70 people.
Punters
Friday’s gig had around 50+ people, which was well matched to the club’s capacity. Everyone was there for a good evening so all were dressed in street clothes and the age range from 20s to 30s. It was an easy-going atmosphere and everyone was really down to earth.
Bands
Once again I missed the opening acts (zannen), but since I only get out of work after most events start there’s not much I can do about it.
The first thing that I noticed upon entering the event space was the absence of DAT tapes. Yes, this was 100% live. There was no hiding behind electronics. Hell, all the bands had real axes, bass and even real drummers. They also had a lot of energy invested in their sets. The sounds ranged from garage punk, summer rock, some pumping pop-rock (NOT J-POP), some beat-influenced rap and more.
Nhhmbase and Core of Bells
Apologies to Nhhmbase and Core of Bells whom were finished before I arrived…. m_(_ _)_m
Inkakugoten :: Unkown
As I slooked into the main space, Inkakugoten was getting it on with energetic garage rock and punk. Led by femme vocals Madca, with screaming and funky commentary by bassist Makoto “little” Maekawa, ax sounds from Futaketa and Mikinyan (she might have a Gothic lining), plus Jun Misugi on drums, this band had a real good summer rock sound coming out. Mixing in grunge, youth punk, garage rock, plus a few classic rock riffs made for an enjoyable set. After the set, the band was very convivial and Igor was made very much at home by the band members and their friend, Shiho (who interestingly knows Goth make-up artist, Rodem) – thank you for the great hospitality guys! I would be happy to hear them again… and soon.
Passion
I have always been impressed with the bands from Osaka and Passion are no exception. Goodman described them as unpredictable (the shows keeps changing), and Passion certainly had a something sublimely cool tonight mixing up melodies with rock undertones and spitting out a some beat-styled rap poetry in the second half of the set. Definitely worth a look for some avant-guarde sounds.
Idea of a Joke
These guys were ass-kickingly good fun and worthy of the penultimate set of the night. Mixing up rock rhythms, tunes and melodies, Idea of a Joke knew how to put on a show to get the crowd bouncing. The lead singer, Atsushi Morikawa, backed his singing with some great gesticulating a la Midnight Oil’s Peter Garret (except with more control). All members knew how to turn a good set into a fun time for all – worth catching again.
All-in-all it was a great night and Igor must declare the experiment a success. The bands were good, the sounds fresh and the people very friendly. If you have a bit of an appetite for hearing some Indy bands you might want to check out BadBee, a resource for general underground/independent acts.