I’d never claim to know every current music scene top to bottom, but I follow Japan’s noisy underground pretty closely. That’s partly because I’ve toured there a few times and booked or collaborated with lots of Japanese artists. But mostly it’s because I’ve happened upon so many Japanese musicians with an uncanny ability to tap into whatever is great and intense about their chosen genres. When I came across Otoboke Beaver, their colorful go-go outfits and giddy enthusiasm grabbed my attention, and I quickly discovered they were punk as fuck—worthy inheritors of the lineage founded by the likes of the Boredoms, Melt-Banana, Ruins, and Shonen Knife. This Kyoto four-piece, formed in 2009, give the finger to obvious influences and clichéd decades-old sounds; instead they’re all about being themselves and going for the jugular. They hop manically between prog, hardcore, free jazz, noise, and garagey surf rock (often in the same song) to create a laser-focused barrage of musical anarchy. Combined with their defiant attitude—“We’re fun and groovy, but also ass-kicking and lethal”—it made me an instant fan.
Otoboke Beaver had to cancel a few tours due to the pandemic, but my prayers were answered in 2022 when they announced fall U.S. dates—their Empty Bottle show that October became my first “big concert” after years of nada. They oozed charisma onstage and set a high bar for post-lockdown ferocity. Singer Accorinrin actually flipped the bird at the crowd at every opportunity, often commanding them to be completely silent (and they did it!), while guitarist Yoyoyoshie chit-chatted with a huge grin. It was a charming, deliriously subversive good time.
Because I loved the ecstatic intimacy of Otoboke Beaver’s Empty Bottle gig, I skipped their next local show, at Thalia Hall in February 2023—I was afraid their power might not translate to a larger stage. But after revisiting their catchy, constantly morphing, and expertly recorded 2022 LP, Super Champon, I’m convinced these righteous women could rock any hall with their visceral, aggressively fun madness.
Otoboke Beaver Drinking Boys & Girls Choir and Ovef Ow open. Sat 3/9 and Sun 3/10, 7:30 PM, Thalia Hall, 1807 S. Allport, $30, 17+
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