“We Are The Champon!”
Rain in Los Angeles, for a supposed plethora of reasons, is like a mini apocalypse. Angelinos just can’t seem to handle it and, more often than not, will stay in during “weather events” instead of going to the movies or grabbing dinner somewhere. It’s just too much of a hassle to brave the weather because everyone on the road is a goddamn idiot. In the case of Otoboke Beaver’s Sold Out show at the Belasco, however, 1,500 people decided to say, “Fuck the rain.” I can’t blame them; I said the same thing. That said, the weather wasn’t particularly awful, in my opinion, as a NorCal-raised aging punk rock metalhead, and god dammit if we weren’t going to enjoy a night of femme-driven rock and roll from across the Pacific.
Warming up the crowd was Auxilio, a local xicana feminist hardcore outfit. On this rare occasion, a sizable crowd was already filling the lower auditorium of the Belasco Theater. Though perhaps a wee bit “one-trick,” the girls charged through their set of D-Beat hardcore mayhem with exuberance to an enthusiastic audience.
I had only recently started listening to Drinking Boys and Girls Choir (DBGC), perhaps a few weeks leading up to the concert, but their live performance blew me away, and judging by some of the reactions of the nearby crowd, I wasn’t the only one. To call them an absolute joy might be understating it. They are so bright, energetic, and engaging that it was hard not to stop focusing on photography and dance. As a fellow bass player, I’m always in awe of people like Meena Bae, who can not only play awesome riffs but sing the whole time while doing it, a skill I severely lack.
Otoboke Beaver’s rise since their US Debut at SXSW has been steady and well-earned. The Kyoto four-piece has all the skill, showmanship, and furious energy you can want, and the tunes are so goddamn good. Super Champon was met with stellar reviews and an increase in their fanbase, propelling them to larger venues and sold-out crowds for this tour. There are a lot of cellphone videos floating around the internet of their incredible energy and talent, but they all pale in comparison to witnessing the band live.
Revving up the crowd with “Yakitori,” they blasted into their set with wild kinetic energy matched by their incredible precision. I’ve seen a LOT of metal bands over the years, and damn if I can follow Hirochan’s fret hands as they sped up and down the neck of her bass. Yoyoyoshie is the most energetic goddamn guitar player I’ve ever seen. She might perhaps even be the most energetic person I’ve ever seen PERIOD. I would die halfway through their set if I expended a third of her energy. Kahokiss’s breakneck drumming, which she somehow manages to do, and finds time to contribute to the band’s “gang vocals,” all the while setting the various tempo changes in every song. Accorinrin, the lead singer, holds down the center of the stage with incredible charisma and power. She’s impossible to miss, both dominating and commanding attention.
Though their songs have an obvious fury to them, there is an equal amount of humor present, reportedly inspired by Manzai, a traditional Japanese form of standup comedy similar to duo comedy. Yoyoyoshie is clearly the “boke (funny man),” taking the lead between songs to rile up the crowd, convincing everyone to sing “We Are The Champon” to the tune of “We Are The Champions” ala Queen, and even coming back on stage for the band’s encore with a giant Beaver pool floatation tube and hurling into the crowd to then crawl across the crowd to it and surf it back to the stage, just for the fucking hell of it.
Other highlights include dramatic pauses that elicited silence, or in the case of those who didn’t seem to get what was going on, a loudly proclaimed “SHUT THE FUCK UP!” from an audience member in the balcony. The gals on stage did a good job of not breaking their tableau except for the final time in the show when both Yoyoyoshie and Accorinrin cracked a grin and laughed for a moment before resuming tension. Suffice it to say, this band is a must-see.
