Venture: hear about something on the grapevine, arrive at unassuming neighborhood, finally find a plain door, go down to the basement, take a chance. Rattling through cans of beer on the Chuo-sen looking for chaos in Kanda, The Shojimaru was the destination. Less of the neon glow of the usual SetagayaSendagaya haunts; by night, Kanda is all softer edges concealed in silhouette. The sign on the building barely registered then, a marker to confirm the pin drop.
Descending into the B1belly, Dumdumdan’s set was winding down, their lead singer performing a spectacular mic drop ‘n’ dash as the final chords ricocheted off the walls. She was only on the way to the airport to catch a flight to Thailand to do another show. Hardcore, you know the score. Okinawa’s Shocking Momoiro took the stage after the customary 15-minute soundcheck. Bottled tropical thunder raised the temperature. At this point, the familiar Tokyolive elements started to coalesce: an audience of a few BFFs of the bands, the curious (us 2, maybe more), rising sake damp from perpetual giggery, and jokkis with decent foam ratios. Kamoshiren from Osaka were up next. Jagged riffs and a mounting manic energy loosened the walls. Where does all this energy come from? Aren’t these guys and gals spent from their day jobs?!
We needed air. Climbing the stairs toward The Shojimaru’s nondescript entrance, the sign caught me again—the logo, an almost-formed black circle, part calligraphy, part chaos, total yugen. It hung there like a question mark, dripping, splattered, refusing resolution. Was it an enso, the Zen brushstroke for the void, the circle of life and death, creation and destruction, a punk ma—the serrated crack between a scream and a snare hit? Cod musings don’t last long in rock and roll though, and THE JUNGLES!!! were about to go on.
We hurtled back downstairs. The void distraught, a juggernaut, THE JUNGLES!!! aren’t an afterthought! They don’t just play a set—they detonate one. The 2024 winners of the JIMA Best Band Award have something about them that is impossible to pin down: bits of glam rock glitter mixed with punk rock grit, touches of ‘60s mod, flashes of ‘70s attitude, echoes of ‘80s new wave, 90s grunge rebellion, and 2000s indie swagger—all thrown into a nuclear reactor with blood, sweat, and tears! Torn jeans that is. It wasn’t makeup and costumes; it was warpaint and armor—a pyroclastic flow of L7/Slits-reminiscent defiant girl-beat rebellion, tempered by a nod to perennial favourites in Japan: The Muffs. Their soulfed set whizzed by and the headliners were up. The Gimlet continue to be prime movers in the SAVE THE LIVEHOUSE campaign that says much about their commitment to the scene. And they have the musical chops to back it up. Fierce, controlled DIY garage aesthetics leapt off the stage.
Womanning the merch table between sets, THE JUNGLES!!! gave us the lowdown on how they reached their final form rising from the ashes of the fadó fadó Red Bacteria Vacuum (No Ten F**k!!). Now we got the chance to chat at length to them in the izakaya conveniently located above the venue.
When you witness performances like theirs, it can be a mystery what sets bands like THE JUNGLES!!! apart from internationally acclaimed darlings like OOIOO, Afrirampo, Shonen Knife, and Otoboke Beaver. Well, for a start it doesn’t hurt to have Michael Gira, Thurston Moore, Kurt Cobain, or Dave Grohl in your corner!
Timing, timing, timing.
THE JUNGLES!!! have opened for A Perfect Circle as part of Benten Label’s Japan Nite, toured spots in the USA, South Korea, and Taiwan, have three albums under their belts: Nice to Eat You!!!, Well, Well, Well, an EP titled do or die, a mini-album, Live & Dangerous, as well as a handful of singles. Playful and singular, they told us about their influences from Primus, Pixies, and Devo to local heroes 54 Nude Honeys and Polysics. They are currently on the Girlz Disorder Vol. 4 International Femipunk Compilation alongside acts from Ukraine, China, and North America, cementing their role as cultural ambassadors of Japan’s punk underground.
Helping to put together Surround Sound events in ‘n’ around Tokyo over the last 23 months, it’s the same ol’ same ol’—Floppy Pinkies, Bulbs of Passion, Stompin’ Riff Raffs, ymss, Kawainaya, HExSO, sickufo, Super Sound Stupid, EX REVERSION, S.A.T.S,—all bands carrying on punk’s ur-story, playing to friends, staff, shadows, and not giving a goddamn about validation. To that crop, add Dumdumdan, Shocking Momoiro, Kamoshiren, and The Gimlet. Check them out as soon as you can—but whatever you do, DO NOT SLEEP ON THE JUNGLES!!!
Oh, and not one phone was recording the gigs all night!