A little less than 5 months have passed since my ears were last assaulted by Japanese metal/drone makers Boris. The last run through was a sweat box, puddles in your shoes show, at the Middle East Downstairs (July) and the most recent was in Providence at a place called ”Jerky’s”, this past Saturday.
The club is located in the area of dance halls so the people watching would have been top notch on any night where it was not cold enough to freeze puddles. Boris was expected to take the stage at midnight, so arriving just a few minutes before they took the stage was a blessing and a curse. The band was originally supposed to play the now closed Living Room so this was a move to keep the bands tour plans in order. The stage was a small makeshift deal, with not really much more than a DJs’ speakers for PA, but sweet mother of all that is good an holy the band still makes a wave of sound that blows my hair backwards.
Taking the stage about 12:20am (ugggggh) the members set in front of their instruments. To my left (facing the stage) was guitarist Wata. She had a Les Paul guitar and a stack of Orange Amps that towered over her. To the center was Takeshi who played a double neck guitar/bass and sang the lead vocals. To the right was touring partner and collaborator Michio Kurihara on guitar and tucked in the back, shadowed by a massive gong was drummer Atsuo.
The band opened with the lead off track from the latest record “Smile” called “Flower Sun Rain”. The track is actually a cover song from another Japanese band called Pyg. Atsuo rolls down the massive gong has holds a tambourine over his head. His shirt is unbuttoned to his navel and he wears a headset microphone. Adding to the campiness of it all he wears white gloves as he plays the drums. The song takes a while to build but it slowly gets the attention of the chatty audience.
The audience patience was tested and then it was time to unload “Buzz-In” begins with a crunchy guitar before Atsuo beats his drums. Takeshi runs down the bass line and the floor starts to shake. Wata, whose Orange Amps have about four feet on her rock back and forth and the audience eats it up. The band continues, as they did back in July by playing “Smile” in order. “Hanate!” kept the fans with smiles on their faces and fingers in their ears.
Atsuo throughout the night would fire off drum beats, shout into his headset microphone, stand and point his drum stick towards the audience and wave his hand and put it to his ear like a pro wrester. Michio is the unsung hero of the band. Tucked in the dark way off to the side of the small stage he’d run through some of the most lavish solos you’d ever hear in a “stoner” band. The solos would never waiver in speed, but they were not flashy. Just deep sonic grooves that let the band swallow up and spit out at us.
Not to be outdone Wata would fire her own solos. He didn’t move a lot, but she’d melt your face in the course of a three minute run on the guitar.
Due the the language barrier there was little stage banter at all outside a cat call and the introduction of Michio, and perhaps a thank you.
As the set drew towards a close the band began the 16+ minute untitled album closer. Stretched well beyond 16 minutes it was a wall of feed back drenched with e-bow and delay. Atsuo beat the tar out of his gong then rushed to the edge of the stage before diving out and crowd surfing about half way back on the floor before being returned and bashing the gong further. The wall of sound was almost un-nerving at times. I have been to a lot of shows and a lot of loud shows but how people stood there with out ear plugs is a mystery.
Atsuo picked up his bass drum and waived it over his head before dropping it to the floor. The looping riffs of the album closer echoed well into the early Sunday morning and many faces had the sighs of relief that their ears could now have a break.
*with regard to the pictures I was “spoken to” after taking one, the others are “after the show”.
he is amazing bro his style can not be touched....some people dont know what he is talking about caz u dont do what he does he is sickkk bra
by dylyn on Thu Mar 18, 2010 at 11.59 am from the entry: Wiz Khalifa: Burn After Rolling (Mixtape)
Wow,Great post.Thanks for sharing with us. land wi
by wisconsin land on Thu Mar 18, 2010 at 09.53 am from the entry: of Montreal + Gang Gang Dance - Orpheum Theatre (Boston, MA; Oct. 30, 2008)
Ugh. Paste’s profile of Free Energy made me kind of hate them. So does your review. It’s this unctuous defense of good-time rock-and-roll ("we’re just here to party, and we’re awesome!") that seems more self-serving than fun-loving.
by beth on Wed Mar 17, 2010 at 09.41 pm from the entry: Foreign Born + Free Energy - The Knitting Factory (Brooklyn, NY; Mar. 12, 2010)
that inescapable feeling you are referring to, is that like when you hear something and you could have sworn you heard it before because of the nostalgic catchy quality? or is is like when you’ve heard a band exactly like said band?
great post by the way!
by paul on Wed Mar 17, 2010 at 03.15 pm from the entry: The Novel Ideas - "The Sky Is A Field" - Borrow It
Whoa! I had no idea she was enegaged. You would never know with the way she behaves! Wow!
by art on Wed Mar 17, 2010 at 09.48 am from the entry: Nikki Darlin and John McCauley: 1+1=1
This comment stream is so meta. Great review Kelly.
by chris on Tue Mar 16, 2010 at 07.50 pm from the entry: Flying Lotus - "Cosmogramma" - Buy It
no prob. The whole album is excellent, combining some of the harder sonics of Los Angeles with the meat of his debut and obviously difficult to summarize in only 50 words… 
I’d say it’s on par with the debut, but better than Los Angeles.
by kelly on Tue Mar 16, 2010 at 06.23 pm from the entry: Flying Lotus - "Cosmogramma" - Buy It
