Perhaps the greatest delights in London are to be found tucked away from the bright lights, and hiding in the shadows is one such gem in the shape of The Shacklewell Arms. Set in the East London suburb of Dalston, The Shacklewell Arms is a rather unassuming pub, but stepping through its doors is not unlike stepping inside Dr Who’s TARDIS, and once inside you’ll find a rather nifty live room and tonight it hosts two very unique artists that highlight the best of Japanese and UK culture.
Once described as “acid-tinged folk”, tonight’s opener Lando Manning comes from a musical family, and he condenses all of his schooling into a unique sound. Performing with a guitar and a keyboardist, this set is stripped back and bare yet, paradoxically, it is direct and powerful. His sound is quintessentially English, it’s melancholy but tinged with optimism and could only come from someone who grew up beneath slate grey skies with the eternal hope that one day the sun will shine through. Original songs such as Driftwood and Brighter Days combine the mellower side of early Kinks and the otherworldly nature of latter day Talk Talk. It is ethereal and will haunt the listener long after the chords have faded and that means Lando commands the crowds full attention despite his music’s low key nature. The new track debuted (called Soft Morning Rain, I believe) signposts bright skies, whilst old favourite Today caps a well-received set.
There’s no doubt that isolation can be a spur towards creativity, the lack of external influences can help a band develop an original sound, and that’s certainly the case with tonight’s headliners Maya Ongaku. Residing in the seaside communities surrounding Enoshima, a small island 50 kilometres from Tokyo, the band find solace in art and music, and channels that into their unique brand of psychedelia. If tonight’s opener Lando Manning was a product of his environment, then Maya Ongaku are the sum of theirs, and an earthy, rootsy sound has absorbed the essence of their domain and created a music that flows with a natural rhythm, like waves lapping a shore or white clouds passing in an azure sky.
It looks (and feels) as if tonight’s show is a sell-out, so we are packed in tightly and it is standing room only as the band takes to the stage with opening track Water Dreams. When the band are working out ideas for songs they usually jam and go with the flow, and that’s very much the case with Water Dreams. Whilst the track is easily identifiable and the framework is the same, Maya Ongaku are operating with a free form vibe; they don’t stick too rigidly to the songs original structure, rather they grow organically, and how the songs develop depend on a number of factors such as how the band members interact or the feelings they derive from the crowd. It means that every performance is slightly different, but one thing that remains constant is their ability to hypnotise a crowd. The annoying chatter that usually forms a backdrop at a gig is totally absent and it feels as if the band have cast a spell over the entire venue. With the aid of some inventive lighting, the whole show become an experience that totally submerses us in the world of Maya Ongaku, altering the very fabric of time, and that means their set passes far too quickly.
With only two dates in the United Kingdom on their European tour, Maya Ongaku’s visit to these shores has been too short, so hopefully next time they’ll return for a more extensive trek, and judging by the crowd’s reaction tonight, they’d be welcome back anytime.
Maya Ongaku Setlist:
1. Water Dreams
2. Anoyo Drive
3. Something In Morning Rain
4. Melting
5. Iyo no Hito
6. Pillow Song
