11/12/2022

So what was I heading off to in Nagoya?

Well, my favourite band of the last couple of years has been an incredible punk-ish band from Kyoto called Otoboke Beaver. Their album “Itekoma Hits” has easily been my most played album of the last few years and their new one this year “Super Champon” is just as good. They haven’t come to Australia and I always dreamt that when we came to Japan that I may be able to luck out and see them live for the first time, after watching ALL their livestreams during the pandemic years.

So of course, what looked like it would happen? They played a show in Osaka just days before we arrived. And then… yep… THREE shows in Tokyo from the NIGHT WE LEAVE (including one with Melt-Banana!!!). I thought I was doomed never to see them. It was crazy just how unlucky I was being.

Then it looked like their MIGHT be a chance. It turned out they were playing a show in Nagoya while we were in Kyoto. Yes!!!

I tried all the things I could to get a ticket but alas I couldn’t as I had to have a Japanese phone number in order to buy a ticket online. Ugh. I was resigned to it not happening.

But what I did was the day we arrived here, I tried my chance in a Lawsons, which has the Loppi machines for buying tickets. And… SUCCESS!!! I GOT A TICKET!!!

So I left Kyoto and headed back to Nagoya, about an hour away. I got to the venue (a great space on the 5th floor of a nondescript office building), and caught the end of the second band. It was in fact a 5 band bill, all quite different styles. A band called Cinema Staff were OK, a bit of 2000’s emo throwback.

Anyway, the time came. I respected the venue wishes for no mobile phones or photos, as did the whole crowd. That in itself was awesome.

The band soundchecked a couple of songs (including Yakatori!) before launching into the set.

It is one of the greatest hours of live music I have ever been part of. The band was everything I could have hoped for. Equal ferocious and hilarious. But seriously, the 4 of them have to be 4 of the most talented musicians on the planet…. it is insane how technically amazing they are. Yoyoyoshi on guitar, Hiro-Chan on bass, Kahokiss on drums, and Accorinrin on vocals.

It was a dream. Probably at least 20 songs in about 50 minutes. I could not stop grinning the whole gig.

Then to cap things off, the girls met about of a dozen of us after the show and were super happy to pose for photos. I had some really sweet and fun chats with them all, mostly in very broken japanese from me and broken english from them. But it was THE BEST.

Anyway, I’ll stop gushing. Along with King Gizzard, no other band has probably helped me get through the past few years, and to see them and meet them was just something else.