An evening of experimental music with World's End Girlfriend and Mono.
The evening of April 26th found a crowd of roughly 250 people gathered at the Doug Fir Lounge in Portland, Oregon, to spend an evening with Japanese artists World's End Girlfriend and Mono.
The predominantly male crowd seemed to already be quite familiar with Mono, and many of the audience members made multiple trips to the merchandise table for T-shirts, CDs, and even vinyl, before the bands ever took the stage.
At about 10PM, World's End Girlfriend took the stage and began to perform. The brain child of musician and composer Maeda Katsuhiko, World's End Girlfriend is not a band, but a project where Maeda alone weaves his music. He sat on a small stool in the middle of the stage, with a table covered with equipment next to him. Never speaking or making eye contact with the audience, Maeda only looked up from his guitar to adjust dials on his sound board, or to call up programs on his computer.
For the next 45 minutes, the audience was caught up in the world Maeda's created. Guitar riffs fought with loops of piano music, recorded voices played over screeching feedback, and walls of sound that were almost visible rose and toppled around the mesmerized audience.
Watching the artist himself during the performance was nearly as entrancing as the sounds themselves. He curled his body over his guitar, rocking back and forth, often with his eyes closed. It seemed for the most part as though he were completely unaware of the audience, not conscious of being watched by hundreds of eyes. His lack of acknowledgement lent to the feeling of being inside a dream world in Maeda's head, where his music is born.
Maeda abruptly finished, bowed once, and began to clear his equipment as his last notes wafted out to us. Then he was gone.
After a short break, Mono took the stage, and many fans began to murmur excitedly to each other Get ready for the wall of sound!
The band's set started out softly, with guitarists Taka and Yoda drawing lullaby-esque melodies from their instruments. Bassist Tamaki and drummer Takada joined in slowly and softly at first, but then the sound began to grow. What came next was indeed a wall of sound.
The four musicians built a wave of music which rose up then crashed down over the audience. Using various pedals, and even harnessing guitar feedback, Mono created an aural experience like no other. At times, the sound was so massive that the clothing on the audience members' bodies literally vibrated.
This was another band that was completely caught up in the music. They never spoke, and rarely looked out at the crowd; their focus was entirely internalized.
Yoda sat on a stool with his guitar, moving his body with the music. Taka jumped, bounced, and squatted on the stage. At one point, while he was working his guitar to create feedback, he writhed and twisted with the sound, looking like a tortured soul, and adding to the ambiance his music created.
Takada played the drums with mallets, and coaxed sounds out of them that were just as unusual as what the other band members were producing. At one point, he lay across his drums, seeming to give in to the sounds that surrounded him.
Tamaki's powerful bass chords were responsible for the physical impact the band had on the audience. This was, in several instances, music that actually rattled your bones.
After about an hour of submerging the audience in their sound, Mono gave their thanks and left the stage. The crowd screamed for more, hoping for an encore, but Mono was done.
The low point of the evening was, surprisingly, the band's own fans. The crowd did not seem to know when to be quiet, and often shouted out to the band during songs. Unfortunately, this behavior was not limited to just a few people, and it definitely put a damper on what would otherwise have been a perfect evening of music for any fan of experimental, electronica, or post-rock music.
Thanks to Mono and World's End Girlfriend
Pictures by Bow
