FOUR GET ME A NOTS at 17th Tokyo International Music Market

A challenge faced by every act to perform at Tokyo International Music Market events down the years has been how to make the best possible impression on those watching in just four songs. The task takes on an extra layer of difficulty for bands like melodic punk trio FOUR GET ME A NOTS, with sixteen years’ worth of music to their name, including six albums. Their solution? See below.

FOUR GET ME A NOTS got their set underway with a blast from their past: the aptly-titled Beginning, from their 2010 mini-album TRIAD. In the preshow interview, bassist Yasunori "Botch" Ishitsubo gave advance warning of his bandmate Takayuki "Beck" Abe’s furious drumming and he wasn’t exaggerating. From the off, Beck set about his drum kit like a man possessed, laying down a frantic backbeat that clashed with the smooth co-lead vocals of Botch and guitarist Chie Takahashi, who were standing either side of him.

The trio rolled straight on into Better place, from their latest album KEEP THE FLAME. With Botch handling vocal duties, Chie took full advantage of the opportunity to bounce and thrash around her half of the stage. Meanwhile, Beck continued to play like he’d been challenged to test the integrity of his drumskins to their absolute limit.

Next came a quick breather to retune and hydrate, during which Botch said a few words in English to those watching. Then, Chie stepped up to her mic for Crescent moon, another track from TRIAD. In keeping with the song’s slightly calmer vibe, Botch stayed pretty much rooted to the spot. There was no restraining Beck, however, who hammered away on his snare drum like a blacksmith working over some particularly stubborn iron.

For Beautiful, darkness largely descended as the trio played through the mellow intro, illuminated only by randomly blinking spotlights. After a minute or so, Botch shouted something indistinct which set off a sonic boom onstage. Then, bathed in blue light, the bassist led his bandmates through the call-and-response verses. Away from the mic, Chie seemed determined to match Beck’s energy output, ultimately outdoing him with a sequence of alternating kicks and headbangs.

To end, FOUR GET ME A NOTS went back in time once more to 2011 and Heroine, the title track of their major debut single. In a departure from the studio version, Chie led off solo, softly singing a verse to her own accompaniment as lights almost the same shade of orange as her sweater shone down.

In due course, Beck let loose one final time as Chie and Botch occasionally struggled to make their harmonised vocals heard over the percussive onslaught. Black hair flailing, a beaming smile plastered on his bearded face, the drummer channelled Animal of "Muppets" fame during the climatic outro, clobbering seven shades of you-know-what out of his many cymbals.

On reflection, it's hard to think of a music genre better suited than punk rock to the tight time constraints of a TIMM setlist. In the same timeframe some artists might struggle to squeeze three songs, FOUR GET ME A NOTS reeled off five punchy bangers, showcasing all their vocal configurations and how their sound has (and hasn’t) changed in the last ten years.