🎧 Issue #50 - Concert Review #1

Hey everyone, welcome to the first concert review issue of Shibuya’s Scrambled Sounds !

I hope you had a nice week.

This is just going to be a quick little write up about some of the shows I’ve seen in the past 3 months. Keep your ears low over the next few days to the SS Sounds Instagram for low quality phone videos that are just as DIY as the pics in this issue!

🎵Concert 1: Cornelius🎵

Concert Title: THE FLAMING LIPS x Cornelius
Date : March 27th, 2025
Venue: Zepp Haneda

Let’s start this one off with the artist I’ve wanted to see for the longest time (since high school).

Before I go more into the concert details, just wanted to point out that this is the first time The Flaming Lips and Cornelius have performed together since 1999, when both artists were arguably at their peak. It was amazing to see, but if any of you are Lips-heads, you might know that 1. Michael Ivans left the band years ago and 2. Steven Drozd has not been touring with the band all year long. This is a Japanese music blog/newsletter so I won’t go into too many details, but let’s just say that I’m a huge Drozd fan. It may be a boomer thing to say, but it felt like I was watching a Flaming Lips cover band who just happened to have vocalist Wayne Coyne aboard.

Anyways, we’re here to talk about Cornelius! The man the myth the legend, Keigo Oyamada.

The concert began with “Mic Check,” the first track off Cornelius’ legendary Fantasma album. The curtain was still closed, so at first, I thought it was a recording, but then I noticed it sounded a little different. At the end of the track, 4 lights shined reflecting all 4 members shadows, marking one of the most striking/amazing openings to any concert I’ve seen.

A couple of highlights off the top of my head:

1. The live version of “Another View Point” where video samples were used together with the song but the videos were all playing live on a giant screen like a compilation. For example, whenever a sample of flute was playing, the video of that flute sample was also playing on the screen.

2. The Krautrock-inspired soundscapes of “MIND TRAIN” with a brownish monochrome landscape video of a train traveling in first person view. (Included the video below).

While I wished he had a played a few more tracks from the earlier half of his discography, beggars can’t be choosers and I respect that fact that he played what he wanted to. One of the best concerts I’ve ever been to and you better believe I’ll be at other shows in the future.

🎵Concert 2: MoritaSaki in the pool, My Dead Girlfriend🎵

Concert Title: 死んだ僕の彼女×MoritaSaki in the pool 2MAN SHOW
Date : April 12th, 2025
Venue: Koenji High

My first time ever going to Koenji High, basically the Shoegaze music venue of Tokyo. I expected a tiny venue, but actually it’s relatively big. Not only that, this night was PACKED. I showed up 30 minutes before the show started and was still stuck way in the back. When I went to the restroom, I almost couldn’t make it back to my original spot because of how many people there were.

MoritaSaki in the pool -
This band basically sounds like Nirvana + MBV. There’s a nostalgic aspect to their sound and I appreciate how by the books their sound is. Nothing unique or standout here, but it’s a nice balance of solid songs and ridiculous/legendary banter (the vocalist talked for a solid 5 minutes about why exercise is good and how we should all do it every day).

My Dead Girlfriend -
A band I found and got really into during my college radio days, it was amazing to finally see them live. Everything was pretty much the same as the recordings, but I felt there was a little more passion behind the music in a live setting. The best part of their show was towards the end, where they went into a Sonic Youth-esque noise jam that simultaneously grabbed your attention and challenged your noise resistance.

🎵Concert 3: Acid Clank, Natsuki Fujimoto, Luby Sparks🎵

Concert Title: Crazy For You BASEMENTBAR 30th Anniversary Special
Date : May 17th, 2025
Venue: BASEMENTBAR

I’m a frequent goer to BASEMENTBAR in Shimokitazawa. I’m sure there are some people who go there more often than me, but I’m proud to say I end up there once every other month or so.

I initially went for both Acid Clank and Luby Sparks, but learned later that Natsuki Fujimoto is from Tempalay, who may be considered the most popular modern band in Japan that makes anything remotely adjacent to “Psychedelic Music”.

Luby Sparks -
Sounded just like the records, but there was a little more bite to the more fuzzier sections of their music live. Definitely felt more like a Shoegaze band live which helped accentuate the ferocity of the guitars. A highlight for me was when they played “Tangerine”. While not the most original sounding song in the world, I have a soft spot for that kind of jangly 90’s-esque Indie Rock, and it sounded even better live. Another impressive factor was their bouncing back and forth between pedals and computer synched midi keyboards.

Natsuki Fujimoto -
Some of the more creative songs of the night, Fujimoto really impressed me with their balance of both soaring vocals and screeching yelps. The drummer for that evening (sorry I didn’t catch his name) was one of the best parts of the entire night for me. Some of the most entertaining and interesting drum beat patterns mixed with half melted cymbals, you had to be there to see it.

Acid Clank -
As some of you may know, I had mixed feelings about Acid Clank’s most recent record. Maybe his best so far, but the vocals just didn’t do it for me. Live, Acid Clank is a completely different beast. A 7/10 studio band, but a 10/10 live band. I was floored by the performances of all the members (especially the bassist wow). Instead of playing the songs just like the record, each track was extended into 10 minute long jams and they were so damn danceable. The perfect balance of experimentation and fun.

❤️‍🔥 Thank you! ❤️‍🔥 

As always, thank you thank you sooooo much for reading this issue of Shibuya’s Scrambled Sounds! I hope you all liked this special issue and if you enjoyed the content, feel free to:

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See ya next time! Breakfast is ready.

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