Mr. Bungle at Toyosu Pit, February 28th 2024

 

I think I already mentioned that I used to host a couple of radio shows more than twenty years ago when I lived in Los Angeles. They were on KXLU, a station that broadcasts from the campus of Loyola Marymount University, my alma mater. One of them was a jazz show that went on the air on a weekday, I think Wednesday or Thursday. My co-host Joseph came up with the title ’The Gift of Jazz”. It followed an instrumental show that was hosted by DJ Ned. Ned’s show was one of my favorites, he introduced me to a ton of music. Two releases in particular, that he personally recommended while music played between the end of his slot and the beginning of mine, ended up being among my favorite albums of all time. One was the Ethiopiques 4 compilation with music from Mulatu Astatke -we’re talking years before the movie Broken Flower exposed these songs to the world. The other was a new release at the time, the album The Director’s Cut by Fantomas.

That album, a four-piece rock band reinterpretation of a few of the most iconic soundtracks written by some of the most acclaimed movie composers, spurred a genuine love for everything Mike Patton or Melvins related, I was already a Slayer fan at the time, if I recall correctly. I’ve seen Melvins live several times, the most recent one reviewed here, but I only saw a Mike Patton project once live, Tomahawk at Amoeba Records in 2002. I never thought I’d ever see Mr. Bungle, that band stopped playing around the year 2000, I believe. When they announced their reunion a couple of months before the pandemic hit I thought there could be a chance, but we all know what happened next. Four years later they finally made it to Japan for the first time ever. Which meant I could see three of the four members of Fantomas in concert.

If for me, personally, Fantomas is the ultimate Mike Patton project, that’s not to say that Mr. Bungle is some kind of slouch or something. If anything Bungle is Patton’s flagship undertaking, not only because it was his first, but also because at its prime it was anchored by all members contributing at an equal capacity. Two of those original key members, Trey Spruance and Trevor Dunn are part of this new reincarnation, along with thrash metal veterans Scott Ian and Dave Lombardo. In true subversive fashion, rather than resting in the experimental laurels of the three masterpieces in their discography, Mr. B opted for going back to their roots releasing a remake of their first demo tape, an ode to their thrash metal purveyors that was definitely one of the genre’s best albums of 2020: The Raging Wrath of the Easter Bunny.

The tour reached Japan last February. The turnout wasn’t the same as in other stops, but nonetheless the place felt electric in anticipation, a wait that extended for another half an hour due to an unexplained 30 minutes delay. But everything was forgotten as soon as the lights dimmed as the band made its entrance to the Portsmouth Sinfonia version of Also sprach Zarathustra blasting through the PA system. This “amateurish” rendition from the experimental outfit lead by Brian Eno and Gavin Bryars was the perfect way of setting the tone for a group of musicians of the highest caliber that still believe in the effectiveness of humor as means to convey dissatisfaction with the tired routine of fulfilling expectations or fitting into a mold. In other words a legit way of embracing eclecticism.

The combination of styles they are known for took place for the first time on the show after a solid 45 minutes that highlighted songs from their 2020 album. These included a guest appearance from Makigami Koichi, famous for introducing the theremin in Japanese pop music through his band Hikashu back in the late seventies. He improvised wordless vocals on top of Methemetics, committed to the max while rocking a Members Only jacket. It was one of the most memorable moments of the show. 

At the aforementioned 45-minute mark the ominous toms hammering and guitar riff from the Slayer anthem Hell Awaits resounded as Mike Patton, almost comically, headbanged centerstage. After a little while they switched to another iconic intro but from the opposite spectrum, that of the fellow eighties tune True by Spandau Ballet. The tandem, that included a cover of Cold War by the somewhat obscure hardcore band Siege, worked wonders and was one of the best moments of the concert. From then they turned into full gear.

They played the two big epics from their latest album (Raping Your Mind, Sudden Death) as well as a shortened version of the classic tune from their debut, My Ass is on Fire. A Circle Jerks cover of World Up My Ass -following with the anal topic- brought Agata, one half of the Japanese noise band Melt Banana to shred an unconventional solo. Coming back from the encore they closed with two covers that perfectly encapsulated the spirit of the show, especially the contrasts present in the second half. First was the ever present I’m Not in Love from 10cc and then the closer, the classic Territory by Sepultura. More relevant than ever, not only the latter brought the house down, it also delivered a political element to their unrelenting subversive spirit. Thank you to Ned for getting me into the Mike Patton rabbit hole, it’s been rewarding. I checked and noticed that Ned is still spinning on KXLU. I’ll definitely be checking what he’s up to these days.

 Thank you for reading after a drought of almost nine months without shows. Hopefully the pace will pick up in the next few months. Please follow me on Twitter for updates at @ConcertTokyo. You can also click the Like button and get notifications at The Tokyo Concert Experience on Facebook.