Tokyo's Coolest Sound

On April 12 was the 6th event of the "Tokyo eleport" series organized by indies techno-pop unit Candles. It was held at Shibuya Star lounge, a quite nice venue I hadn't been before, located in the same building as the larger Milkyway. Featured were The Aprils, Cutie Pai, ExceNtRip and Pastel Pants (which I unfortunately missed because of the early start time), and DJs FQTQ and petit.

I got there in time for ExceNtRip's set, a band I wasn't familiar with. The show has guitar and bass playing rock-oriented tracks (sometimes with a metal taste) over pico-pico techno backtracks. The female singer adds powerful vocals and has a strong presence on stage, also interacting with the audience at every chance, not leaving anyone indifferent. I'd recommend them to Urbangarde fans.

Next up was Cutie Pai, who I was seeing for the first time but I had been curious about for a long time. This used to be a 3-girl unit, that then had up to 6 members, but now it's the solo unit of cat-eared Mayu-chan. She introduces herself saying "as you can see I'm a doll, but I have magical powers to write songs", obvious! Her techno-pop songs are upbeat and catchy, and her smile and dancing remain perfect throughout the show. The set included songs "Puromoga", "Music rendez-vous", "Techno Doll", and the theme song for Noobow of which she is the "ambassador".

Then was event organizers Candles, a girl-boy techno-pop vocoder unit. who played a set of their best songs, including "Star Way" and "Stay With Me". Although having been around for quite a while, Candles have never released any CD. Finally the situation will change with the release of mini-album "Evolutional Form" on May 30! Stay tuned for details.

Last on stage was The Aprils with a fun band set focusing on songs from their latest album "Magical Girls". The funniest moment was "Magical Girls", where usually The Lady Spade's ATG takes parts singing and dancing, but since she wasn't present this time Nakama Norihisa (the band's VJ) instead took place doing the dance moves with singer Iguchi Miho. Also the audience really got into the chorus of "ki-ra-me-ki Moondiver" when the band extends their arms for the word "diver". Lots of fun!

Set list: New Electric / Back To The Future Music / ki-ra-me-ki Moondiver / PiPiPi Music / koibitotachi no ABC / Magical Girls
Encore: Lo-Fi-Pnk "Tune Up" (Aprils ki-ra-me-ki Remix)

On my way out I had the chance to pick up a CD-R edition of Lo-Fi-Pnk's "Tune Up!" EP (usually download-only). The CD-R was only intended for the Poptune party in Sendai (where Lo-Fi-Pnk is from) but The Aprils had brought just a few copies that sold quickly.

Also I got a free CD-R from ExceNtRip of a live recording of song "Heroin", as can be heard with video below.

Larger sizes and more photos at Flickr

Live schedule:
April 28 @ Akihabara AsoBitCity - Cutie Pai
April 29 @ Koenji Raid=Gig - ExceNtRip, Omodaka, FQTQ & more
May 13 @ Kichijoji Club Seata - The Aprils, Aira Mitsuki, Gekkan Pro-Bowler, Nuxx, Bespa Kumamero & more
May 17 @ Shibuya Star lounge - Candles, Cutie Pai, The Lady Spade, spoon+ & more
May 26 @ Koenji High - The Aprils, Panda 1/2, Spaghetti Vabune!, the Caraway

The Aprils "ki-ra-me-ki Moondiver"

Cutie Pai "Puramoga (Plastic Modern Girl)"

ExceNtRip "Heroin" (live at the same venue 2 months earlier)