Turning Japanese: Tokyo's indie-rock showcase | Music | guardian.co.uk
Girls aloud ... Mariko from Japanese wonders Midori. Photograph: PR
Make no mistake about it: gig-going in Japan is only for the most dedicated fans. An act of borderline self-flagellation, it often seems that shows in Japan justify their worthiness by the amount of discomfort you have to go through to experience them. Take the Cupid Recordings showcase and compilation launch party, an all-day mini-festival in the underground venue Unit in Ebisu. There's no re-entry and you're not allowed to bring your own food or drink. It becomes a mad game of perseverance for those eager fans straight through the door at midday, as there's no food available inside and, at ¥600 (£4) for less than half a pint of beer, getting refreshed can be an expensive business. By 4pm the venue's stairs are crowded with fashionable (and famished) fans.
Then, of course, there's the complete disregard for audience eardrums that live venues across Tokyo have cultivated. They crank up the volume a few thousand decibels higher than even Spinal Tap would tolerate, creating a strange division between the fans who remembered to bring earplugs and the poor sods cowering at the back who didn't.
However, this aural assault is worth suffering as tonight's show is a triumph for Tokyo's alternative music scene. Cupid Recordings is the project of Yudai Hirano, the Japanese answer to Tony Wilson. As the host of Fuji TV's FACTORY music show (wonder where he got that idea from?), Hirano offers a rare opportunity for Japanese and international alternative artists to be heard on one of the nation's main TV stations by huge audiences. Away from broadcasting, Hirano is known as a rock producer and Cupid Recordings is his next step in bringing indie music to a wider audience.
While many of the bands, like shaggy-haired lad-rock wannabes Quattro, simply ape the less appealing aspects of the western indie world, a handful of acts offer something more vital. London-based British/Japanese combo Levelload are tonight's only overseas act and, like a sparring brother and sister, Tony Wade and Mariko Doi take turns to see who can thrash the loudest across frenetic, electro-tinged drumposiums. Meanwhile, Bugy Craxone are introduced by a hyperactive man dressed like Jimmy Savile and offer more femme-fronted indie in the manner that Japan does so well, with lead singer and pin-up Suzuki Yukiko managing to maintain a look of innocence despite her band's cacophonous wail.
The highest praise is reserved for Midori. Like many Japanese artists they have little web presence beyond their official site and no audio for fans to enjoy. Which means you'll have to take my word that these genre-bending, jazz-enfused, scatter-punk harbingers of danceable doom are currently the best thing in Japan. Ferocious frontwoman (it's always the girls!) Mariko, dressed in school uniform, spits and fights with the crowd, climbs the stage rigs and cavorts on top of speaker stacks, punching herself in the head as she goes. Mariko destroys much of the set and hits any photo pit cameramen that get too close. This is surprising behaviour for a band that don't play guitars, just piano, upright-bass and drums. They've been offered international tours on several occasions before, but apparently getting them all on a plane at the same time is too much to deal with. So, for now at least, these wonders of contemporary Japanese music will have to remain as a myth for anyone outside the country.