ABC2 Glasgow
Saturday 14th February 2009
Yeah yeah, I remember Asobi Seksu when they were a goth band, obviously. Although between you and me, I only acquired their two albums last summer, thanks to a random shoegaze tip-off. I can't say I get random shoegaze tip-offs often, but in hindsight, we were in the pub waiting for it to be fashionably late enough to strut around to a My Bloody Valentine gig. If ever you were going to get a random shoegaze tip-off, you'd like to think it was going to be then.
I've been deeply ensconced in their second album, Citrus, ever since. I was gutted that "logistical challenges" meant I could only catch the arse-end of their Ladytron support set just before Christmas. It was the most amazing arse-end I’ve ever had the good fortune to hear, so I was looking forward to this - I would have been banging on the door waiting for the place to open, if I hadn’t had gone for a quick pint or three earlier in the evening. Damn this fashionable lateness!
The band shuffled onstage with an almost alarming lack of ceremony, collected their thoughts, and ploughed headlong into Sing Tomorrow's Praise, from the forthcoming album Hush. In next to no time, it was apparent all was not well - Yuki Chikudate, Asobi Seksu's achingly cool focal point held the front of the stage with reassuringly aching coolness, but whatever was coming out of her mouth was lost amongst the onslaught of the band's particular translation of the Shoegazing Handbook. Soon after, the PA decided to develop a bout of flatulence, which ever so slightly took away from the beauty of what they were trying to craft in front of us. Yuki's vocals seemed to return for Strawberries, but then they were gone again by the next song, and so it went on until Pink Cloud Tracing Paper near the end of the set.
I say slightly took away, for if you squinted your ears slightly as to blur the distractions, you could hear how magical Asobi Seksu were. There's an aural assault which is slightly reminiscent of My Bloody Valentine, but it’s less about grooves and volume, more about "proper" songs (as my dad would call them) played with ferocious zeal. The real tragedy in losing Yuki's vocals in the mix is not the forfeiture of any lyrical content - the lyrics are largely unintelligible anyway - but the loss of the most distinctive and melodious instrument the band possess. Her angelic tones are a joy, and a perfect foil for the high octane backline. If there’s one downside to their proficiency live, it’s that it makes their recorded material seem slightly overproduced. Which is isn’t, I’m just trying to find a negative needle in a stack of positive hay. It’s a thankless task with Asobi Seksu.
Asobi Seksu on MySpace
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