The Japanese musical explosion that is Bo Ningen have fast become fans of Pie & Vinyl having headlined the stage curated by everyone’s favourite Pie (& Vinyl) café at last year’s Southsea Fest so it was good to see the band returning for another much loved P&V event.
It was however down to Deaf Club to open the evening, and although a decent-sized crowd had gathered it was nothing compared to what was to come… that said, I enjoyed being nearer the stage to listen and watch tonight’s support.
There were elements reminiscent of Kim Deal’s Breeders in Deaf Club as they played tracks from their Lull EP, which you can also check out in full at http://deafclub.bandcamp.com/album/lull-ep and having been on tour with Bo Ningen hopefully they’ve gained some new fans across the country at other venues and not just this evening.
It’s hard to believe it’s been almost three years (to the day in fact) that a friend and I stumbled across Japans finest gracing the stage at Southsea’s Fat Fox, and for anyone that experienced Bo Ningens performance then or any of their appearances since will have known what to expect from tonight – and for those who attended to see what the hype has been about will be sure not to have been disappointed.
This was by far the busiest Pie and Vinyl event to date at the Registry, with everyone trying to get the best view as the long-haired stick men took to the stage in their frocks. Bo Ningen blast through a 70’s influenced set with their loud and experimental take on the psychedelic world and it certainly made up for missing Elves of Silbury Hill (members of Hawkwind) at the Wedge a couple of weeks earlier.
Frontman Taigen may be fairly quiet when it comes to talking to the crowd but his on stage presence is, like the rest of the band, quite mesmerizing with hair and arms being thrown around during noisy tracks from last years “Line the Wall” and tracks from their 2010 self-titled debut album.
The four piece are completed by Monchan on drums and the guitar playing of Yuki and Kohhei combining to make every Bo Ningen tune complex and hectic, yet beautifully crafted at the same time. The wonderful wall of sound coming from the stage often made the quality of the songs almost pass you by as you watched in awe, but as with previous Bo Ningen gigs it’s when the band slow it down slightly for “Koroshitai Kimochi” that highlights the depth of one of recent years most exciting live acts.
Mr Teeth
