Something that has been missing from Ipswich’s cultural landscape has been a decent mid-sized venue but now The Baths has stepped in to fill the void. Set in the heart of the town it has the potential to become a regional hub and is already attracting some of the best international bands and case in point are Tokyo’s Melt-Banana. As part of an extensive (and exhausting!) UK tour the band make their first appearance in Ipswich and it promises to be a memorable event.
Melt-Banana + Kulk at The Baths, Ipswich on 17/09/2024
I’ve often wondered just how heavy two people can get and the answer finally arrives in the shape of support act Kulk. They are a duo who make an unholy roar, and one that is delivered with plenty of vim and vigour. Theirs is a brutal and bombastic sound that has death metal affectations and goes straight for the jugular; the band offer no quarter and there’s no remorse as they set about pummelling the crowd with some of the heaviest riffs known to man. Yet, it would be unfair to label the band as one-dimensional because there’s plenty of variety on offer, but what unites it all is a love of the loud and that makes them an earth-rumbling affair and one that threatens to shake The Baths to its very core and it makes for an unforgettable experience.
Ever since their formation in 1992, Japanese noise rock pioneers Melt-Banana have been exploring new soundscapes and charting new musical territory. It’s been a never ending quest that has been propelled forwards by a restlessness and it has ensured that this tenacious two-piece have remained leaders and not followers. Using a field recording of barking dogs makes for a surreal introduction but it proves to be a pertinent potent for the coming 70-minutes. Attesting to a sense of urgency, Melt-Banana explode into action and send shards of razor-sharp sonics spraying in every direction. Guitarist Ichiro Agata is like a mad scientist, he creates strange musical concoctions that sparkle and fizz and mutate into unheard forms. On the opposite side of the stage vocalist Yasuko Onuki has one of the most recognisable voices in rock music and delivers a performance that ululates and contorts with Ichiro’s guitar. With a hand-held controller, Yasuko manipulates the electronic backing track to create a truly mind altering show.
Because of their wandering spirits Melt-Banana have developed a sound that defies easy categorisation and they’ve a career that’s included everything from hardcore to punk and metal to electronica. Tonight’s gig includes all of these (and more) yet it doesn’t sit easy in any one bracket as the duo shapeshift like some strange alien life form. It’s a set list that’s largely culled from their latest (and critically-acclaimed) album 3+5 , yet they do a good job at touching all points along their discography with tracks culled from Bambi’s Dilemma (Lock The Head) and Teeny Shiny (Third Attack). At the set’s finale, the crowd chant for “one more song” and Melt-Banana are only too happy to oblige, not with one song, but with nine (!) and hit the crowd with a barrage of short, sharp songs including a cover of Discordance Axis’ So Unfilial Rule and their very own We Love Choco-Pa! to ensure that no one leaves disappointed…but there was never any danger of that.
Photography: Peter Dennis
