Led by unruly frontwoman Kobara Sae, Otori stunned audiences in Toronto in 2015. She’s in Vancouver with the band Oct. 10.
We’ve written at Inside Vancouver before about one of the most cosmic music events to wash up on these shores. Well, we’re excited again to spotlight a new Next Music from Tokyo!
This twice-annual touring bill offers audiences in only three cities in North America (Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver) the chance to see bands from the Far East who might otherwise never perform here. And, if the chance to see bands with names like Mass of the Fermenting Dregs and Paranoid Void wasn’t enough, this latest edition marks the first time a non-Japanese band is touring as part of the lineup.
See below to find out more about Next Music from Tokyo Vol. 13, which comes to the Biltmore Cabaret (2755 Prince Edward St.) on Oct. 10. (Click on band names for videos.)
Elephant Gym—This trio from Taiwan begins their first world tour with NMFT13. They’re known for their technical precision and complex arrangements (i.e. “math-rock”). NMFT organizer Steven Tanaka describes their music thus: “… optimistic in tone and impressive in its intricate yet clean instrumentation. With the help of YouTube, Elephant Gym’s deceptively mellow, uber-melodic sound and intense performances have already garnered them a significant fan base worldwide within the math and post-rock communities.”
Taiwan’s Elephant Gym kicks off their first North American tour with Next Music from Tokyo Vol. 13.
Mass of the Fermenting Dregs—With this appearance, MOTFD (as they’re known to fans) will become the first band to make a third appearance on the NMFT tour. Tanaka: “Formed in 2002 by three girls from Kobe, MOTFD perform a blend of post-punk that combines beautifully melancholic vocals with ferociously powerful instrumentation. Apparently, they were also an inspiration for…
The influential Mass of the Fermenting Dregs.
Otori—This quartet incorporates a range of influences that include punk, noise and other acquired tastes. This is their second time as part of NMFT; apparently, on their first go-round in 2015, they put on “a legendary performance” in Toronto (click on band name to view), thanks in part to unruly frontwoman Kobara Sae.
Paranoid Void—More math-rock, this time from a band from Osaka. Tanaka: “Their ability to weave effortlessly between smooth, intricate and technical and vicious, thunderous mayhem will stun the audience before it seduces them.”
Paranoid Void stun and seduce their audience with math-rock and thunderous mayhem.
UlulU—A three-piece band with “a garage-rock revival sound similar to The Strokes and Arctic Monkeys. Soulful, melodic, bluesy, and unpretentious with occasional bursts of power.”
UlulU brings some garage-rock to the Next Music from Tokyo party.
