50/50s
Can't Shake the Blues
For a two-piece, these two young chaps make one hell of a racket, nor can they be faulted for a lack of enthusiasm. Shirtless and skinny, both looked slightly overwhelmed by their instruments, but they did a good job of yanking out as much sound as possible from their respective instruments. Frontman Yohei channels Elmore James in his playing, but with a heavy dollop of punk distortions thrown in for good measure. To mix things up even more, he possesses an animal yell reminiscent of Kurt Cobain circa “Incesticide”. Drummer Genki, meanwhile, is as the name suggests – a ball of energy trapped behind a drum kit, which he attempts to escape by offering Yohei a glass of beer. As far as the songs go, there’s no doubt a lot of skill going on here, and a lot of passion, but I wonder if things might be better focused on to something less derivative. Regardless, it’s a good start to the Rookie Stage in Saturday night.