For New York chiptune 8 bit rock n’ roll (wow, that was a mouthful) quartet Anamanaguchi tonight is a bit of a homecoming, not necessarily in the sense of Glasgow being a second home like most bands tend to inform us these days, rather, this was the first city which guitarist Peter Berkman would legally drink in, ABC to be precise, didn’t know? Now you know.
Tonight is a sure fire sell out with an incredibly eccentric crowd for the most part comprised of mid twenties to early thirties males seemingly buzzing off a packet of blue smarties, such is the contagion, I go ‘taps aff’, to discover that tonight the cloak room is full, well that’s a hummer.
Fear not, though, up first is producer and DJ Mizuki, who mashes up a bunch of button tapping, bass driven frenzies all the while diluting the noise into a melting pot of absolutely sensational and at times scintillating bass drops.
By twenty to ten we are awaiting Scott Pilgrim and Kickstarter Project heroes ANAMANAGUCHI, by the time the band eventually saunter on at ten, we are greeted by a plethora of distinguishing bright stage props and lights, some in the shape of boxes while others flash fluorescently suggesting that rather than appearing present in King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut, I may in fact be on Planet Pluto or at the mercy of a multi pack of Blue WKDs.
Opening with 2013 hit ‘Meow’, Tut’s quickly disintegrates into a sea of space hopping journeymen at one with speed, lightning and very fast dance moves – that’s just the crowd – on stage the band are going a bit hell for leather to, whipping out a specific precision of hip jiving madness.
Ultimately, though, tonight is all about fun – there aren’t many grim faces to be found in this sweltered cave of sweat, blood and tears – as the New Yorkers roll out a bunch of hits from both 2009 debut record Dawn Metropolis and eventual follow up Endless Fantasy, tonight the mentalists on stage completely nail it.
There is something euphoric yet intrinsically terrifying about Anamanaguchi, as they somersault a bunch of saccharine filled dance mixes into a shimmy of intelligent musicianship, this balance is highlighted most beautifully in the sonically and viscerally inspired ‘Prom Night’.
With the lungs and throats of the crowd utterly dismantled, perhaps it is now time for Anamanaguchi to collect more of those blue smarties alluded to earlier and cash them in with view to progressing to the next level much like those games that the 8 bit samples they utilize so well come from.
Words: Chris Kelman
