about tess vs MUNIMUNI “MUNIMUNI BI NEO ALBUM 'THE DOGUU ALBUM' RELEASE PARTY” at Ikebukuro Chop - Part 1

Live concerts in big venues and stadiums are definitely much more spectacular than those played in the middle of tiny hidden clubs. However, it doesn't mean that the small ones deliver anything less to audiences – they simply give you a totally different experience in a more intimate space. One such event was for the release party of THE DOGUU ALBUM by Tokyo-based band MUNIMUNI who released this album after six years in the making. Not only had fans waited eagerly through the years but the band themselves would poke fun at the fact that the album was perpetually “Coming Soon” in flyers and on their website.

DJ KIZOKU (FOXPILL CULT)

© FOXPILL CULT / Katsuhiro Murakami (kacchang photo)

On this night, MUNIMUNI decided to invite special guests to join the release concert. The first was the unconventional rock group about tess who opened for MUNIMUNI. Both bands have been friends for many years and it was not their first show together. However, before the bands went on stage, the one who made sure to raise the energy level for the gathering fans was DJ KIZOKU – usually known by his real name Morishige Shinpei. When he’s not DJing, he's also the guitarist and keyboardist in rock band FOXPILL CULT. KIZOKU is known on the scene as being an enthusiast of 80's music and during the party classic tracks could be heard from bands like The Smiths, New Order or The Cure. There were also Japanese favorites mixed into the set, making it an eclectic mix of homegrown and foreign 80’s hits. A few minutes before the start of the concert, Matenrou, vocalist of MUNIMUNI and Takuto, guitarist of about tess, joined DJ KIZOKU and performed a hit from legendary visual kei group MALICE MIZER - Gekka no yasoukyoku. Of course, they didn't forget about the equally memorable choreography MALICE MIZER was known for during their live performances at the time.


_{© about tess / Katsuhiro Murakami (kacchang photo)}

The lights went down and about tess started their not too long five-track performance. The stage was dominated by black. Black clothes, black instruments and very simple lighting created a dark atmosphere, all this to focus the fans’ attention on the sound itself. The music of about tess is the opposite of a humble image, and, as they write on their official website, their concerts are not just about listening and watching, but experiencing. Sharp riffs, complicated rhythmic structures, noise and silence side-by-side all mixed together with beautiful melodies. While about tess has a following in Japan, their sound could easily be appreciated abroad and follow in the footsteps of other internationally regarded Japanese bands such as Boris, Boredoms or Les Rallizes Dénudés.


_{© about tess / Katsuhiro Murakami (kacchang photo)}

The line-up of the band is another thing that makes them much different from a typical rock group. about tess are: two guitarists (TAKUTO, KAZUYA), two bassists (KANZ, MIYA-KEN) and two drummers (TETSURO, DKO). And the vocalist, you ask? Well, about tess is a purely instrumental band, and although at first it may seem that something is missing here, the listener feels so much only from their music that the sounds of the instruments really speak for themselves.


_{© about tess / Katsuhiro Murakami (kacchang photo)}

During the performance, the music not only won over the audience but the band members were equally absorbed in creating a multi-layered sonic soundscape for everyone in the room to dive into. There is no weak link among them. about tess is a group of virtuosos who give their listeners the assurance of a great performance. While their set ended all too soon, it left the audience yearning for more and created an energy level in the room that surely the headliners MUNIMUNI felt they would need to live up to.

Set list

01. prism
02. flame
03. shine
04. brain drive〜impluse
05. violence freak

Read the second part of this report at http://www.jame-world.com/us/articles-126802-about-tess-vs-munimuni-smunimuni-bi-neo-album-the-doguu-album-release-partys-at-ikebukuro-chop-part-.html.