In just over a month Capsule welcomes back one of our favourite acts, the one and only Melt Banana who play Rainbow Warehouse on May 27th (Tickets here). Hailing from Tokyo, these Japanese noise-punk pioneers have been enthralling audiences worldwide with their own brand of ecstatic, pop-grindin’ rock. After a six year hiatus (partly due to the dreadful earthquake that hit Japan in 2011) the band are back touring with their latest album offering, Fetch. They’ve been missed and not just by us. It seems there are quite a few people with nice things to say…
“A band who have justifiably been championed across the world, Tokyo’s MELT-BANANA have been responsible for some of the most complex punk rock ever made…. that far outshines ninety-nine percent of most other bands out there. The band once described their live show as “Shooting machine gun and laser beam, chaos in order”. And I think that pretty much sums them up.” – Olli Siebelt, BBC
“MELT-BANANA are in a league of their own. There are other extreme hardcore bands out there who are experimental and unique but MELT-BANANA are more than that. They are giants amongst infants. Masters amongst pupils. Kings amongst serfs. Nobody can do what they do and nobody can adequately use words to describe them.” -Jeb, Crass Menagerie
“That Melt-Banana is making some of the best music of their career—over 20 years into the band’s existence—speaks to the universal and transcendent quality of their noise. The landscape of media, society, and even the microcosm of noise rock has changed greatly, but Onuki and Agata have locked jaws on the diametric constants: energy versus agitation, phobia versus euphoria, and instant nostalgia versus the relentless pursuit of the upgrade.” -Jason Heller, Pitchfork.
If all that hasn’t managed to convince you to see Melt Banana for yourself, then it’s worth also noting that the legendary John Peel went as far as to describe them as “one of the world’s great bands”.
Also playing this night are local acts Glatze (Sam Underwood‘s alter ego) and Thrilling Headgear (formed from the ashes of Stinky Wizzleteat). Listen to tracks and find out more about these two artists in two recently conducted mini Q&As for Capsule:
Tickets for Melt Banana + Glatze + Thrilling Headgear at the Rainbow Warehouse May 27th can be purchased here.