The people behind the Tokyo Rockin' Nightlife page have now opened a café, where you can hang out with other music fans, get information about upcoming gigs, and treat yourself to coffee and food (vegan and gluten free options available)!
The café is open It is in the same Shimokitazawa place as legendary music bar Poor Cow, so why not come back after they close and talk music all night!
Opening hours: Tuesdays to Saturdays, noon to 5PM.
The new documentary Garage Rockin' Craze, based on Mario Cuzic's many years of documenting the Tokyo garage rock scene and the Back From The Grave events, will have exclusive screenings with English subtitles on January 14-27! Check out the amazing Rockin' Jelly Bean poster above and the trailer below!
Japan has many good bands that are happy to simply slavishly copy their international rock heroes, but the best one are those that start in one end of the musical spectrum and – through luck or genius or both – end up somewhere else and completely unexpected. Take the amazing Stompin' Riffraffs from Tokyo and Fussa. Their musical base may be classic 50's rock-n-roll and rockabilly, and on record you could sometimes mistake them for a twangy revival band. But put them in front of an audience, and the magic happens.
The energy and fun of a Stompin' Riffraffs show is so great it leaves everybody exhausted and smiling from ear to ear! On stage, they turn up the rock-n-roll to 11 and full-scale chaos ensues. Imagine if The Ramones had started out in Tokyo in 1960 instead of New York in the 70s, and instead of four skinny slackers with attitude problems, they were born as three cool chicks in gold lamé dresses and mysterious face mask, joined by a rockabilly guy in a sharp dinner suit. The Stompin' Riffraffs may not be punks but they share the same kind of energy as they race through old rock standards and their own compositions as if they were chased by the Roadrunner. Throw in a little outer space sounds courtesy of their signature Theremin and a lot of screaming, and that's as good a reference as any when it comes to this unique band!
The Stompin' Riffraffs were started by siblings Nao (vocals, guitar) and Miku (piano, theremin, scream) and Saori (drums, scream) in 2006, and soon joined by Rie (bass, scream) (yes, they do scream a lot!). In addition to the standard rock setting, The Riffraffs make good use of the Theremin, the space-age instrument that sounds like something in between a woman singing and a cat squealing – in outer space! Their performances are full of energy, with Nao skidding around his knees like possessed, Miku bashing the keys with her hands, arms and feet (and sometimes whole body), Rie dancing and jumping straight out into the audience, and Saori banging away in the back, always with a big smile on her face.
The name was inspired by the US title of a French new wave movie, The Riff Raff Girls. They first started appearing at local shows in Tokyo, in particular the Back From The Grave garage rock events, and soon started playing all over Japan. They have gone to the US several times, including New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco as well as appearing at the Viva Las Vegas rockabilly weekend. The have also done shows in the UK and recently made their first festival appearance in France. After their first official album Horror Show in 2011 and a clutch of vinyl singles on various labels, in 2014 they signed with Wild Records in Los Angeles, which specializes in rockabilly, rock-n-roll, garage and other roots music. Their first Wild release A Man and Three Chicks is out now, with more to follow!
Videos
There really is nothing like seeing the band live, but videos can at least capture some of the madness of a Riffraffs show! First up is a collection of live clips, including their appearance as The Joker and three Catwomen at the Halloween Ball, filmed by Mario aka Tokyo Gorehound.
You can also catch them in the official music video for Phantom Rock off their latest album!
And finally, here they are appearing at the Bethuene Retro festival in France this year!
Where to hear them
If you have the chance to make it to Japan, make sure to catch them live – they play regularly all over Tokyo and often in other cities. Keep up with their busy schedule on their blog!
If you absolutely can't get to Tokyo right now, the next best thing is to find them on YouTube, or this live recording from WFMU Radio, New Jersey.
You can also hear them on several vinyl and CD records, although most of their earlier releases are hard to come by except at their live shows. The Stompin' Riffraffs' first US album, A Man and Three Chicks, is available on Amazon or directly from Wild Records.
But after the party comes the hangover, and if you are up for even more garage punk antics head over to Hatagaya Heavy Sick this weekend for the official Halloween Ball Hangover! A bunch of our favourite bands will be there including Stompin' Riffraffs, Rock-a-Cherry, and the always astounding Texaco Leatherman. Put your fangs back on and come on over!
Also at Heavy Sick is Mau-Mau Twist with another sampling of Back From The Grave favourites including Mellvins and The Fadeaways, plus top DJs. Stay all night for the ultimate party twist!
For a lighter touch, there is a power pop bonanza at UFO Club in Higashi-Koenji, including the superb Tweezers (featuring Fifi from everyone's favorite bar Poor Cow) and up-and-comers Gorilla.
Our favorite pop punk girls The Let's Go's invite a host of stars including the immensely entertaining Electric Eel Shock for a night of fun at Shindaita Fever.
Several good bands are playing Green Apple in Koenji, including the C86-meets-Velvet Underground of Petersfield, indie rockers Flashlights, and shameless Stones/Dolls adepts Rangsteen. Green Apple is worth a visit in itself - it has a great atmosphere and decor, including some amazingly rare amplifiers and other stage equipment from the 60s that has appeared in several period movies.
When I saw The Fadeaways the first time I was blown away by their incredible high energy music and striking stage personality. Three guys in identical striped T-shirts entered the small stage at the UFO Club in Higashi-Koenji and literally exploded! Few bands can match the pure energy and attack of The Fadeaways on a good day. Musically, they come off like something of a 60s version of The Ramones crossed with every garage band off the classic Back From The Grave compilations.
The Fadeaways have been around for a while now – they celebrated their 10th anniversary in 2015. The members Toyozo (vocals, bass), Sakura (drums) and Assman (?!) (guitar) have the kind of energy that can only come from honing your act at thousands of gigs across Japan. With Tokyo as their home base, The Fadeaways have not only played in towns like Osaka, Kobe, Hiroshima, Nahoya, Sendai in their homeland, they have also toured the US several timers and recently did their first Scandinavian tour.
Videos
The Fadeaways don't have any official music videos yet, but there is plenty of live footage that can give you a taste of what to expect.
Let's first check them out from a few years ago, at Club Statto in Musashisakai...
And here they are in full riot gear at Halloween ball at Shinjuku Loft! Dig that wild cover of Land of a Thousand Dances!
Where to see them
The Fadeaways have a regular event, Teenage Shutdown, at Heavy Sick in Hatagaya, where they invite friends such as Guitar Wolf, Jet Boys, The Let's Go's, and many more. You can also catch them around Tokyo most weekends at UFO Club, Green Apple, and your other favorite live haunts.
Japan has many good bands that are happy to simply slavishly copy their international rock heroes, but the best one are those that start in one end of the musical spectrum and – through luck or genius or both – end up somewhere else and completely unexpected. Take the amazing Stompin' Riffraffs from Tokyo and Fussa. Their musical base may be classic 50's rock-n-roll and rockabilly, and on record you could sometimes mistake them for a twangy revival band. But put them in front of an audience, and the magic happens.
The energy and fun of a Stompin' Riffraffs show is so great it leaves everybody exhausted and smiling from ear to ear! On stage, they turn up the rock-n-roll to 11 and full-scale chaos ensues. Imagine if The Ramones had started out in Tokyo in 1960 instead of New York in the 70s, and instead of four skinny slackers with attitude problems, they were born as three cool chicks in gold lamé dresses and mysterious face mask, joined by a rockabilly guy in a sharp dinner suit. The Stompin' Riffraffs may not be punks but they share the same kind of energy as they race through old rock standards and their own compositions as if they were chased by the Roadrunner. Throw in a little outer space sounds courtesy of their signature Theremin and a lot of screaming, and that's as good a reference as any when it comes to this unique band!
The Stompin' Riffraffs were started by siblings Nao (vocals, guitar) and Miku (piano, theremin, scream) and Saori (drums, scream) in 2006, and soon joined by Rie (bass, scream) (yes, they do scream a lot!). In addition to the standard rock setting, The Riffraffs make good use of the Theremin, the space-age instrument that sounds like something in between a woman singing and a cat squealing – in outer space! Their performances are full of energy, with Nao skidding around his knees like possessed, Miku bashing the keys with her hands, arms and feet (and sometimes whole body), Rie dancing and jumping straight out into the audience, and Saori banging away in the back, always with a big smile on her face.
The name was inspired by the US title of a French new wave movie, The Riff Raff Girls. They first started appearing at local shows in Tokyo, in particular the Back From The Grave garage rock events, and soon started playing all over Japan. They have gone to the US several times, including New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco as well as appearing at the Viva Las Vegas rockabilly weekend. The have also done shows in the UK and recently made their first festival appearance in France. After their first official album Horror Show in 2011 and a clutch of vinyl singles on various labels, in 2014 they signed with Wild Records in Los Angeles, which specializes in rockabilly, rock-n-roll, garage and other roots music. Their first Wild release A Man and Three Chicks is out now, with more to follow!
