Back in high school, I had an English teacher who was rather eccentric, to say the least. He was quite enormous in mind and body but wouldn't/couldn't teach conventionally. Basically, our classes with him were quite reminiscent of any sitcom. In fact, the other students would talk about any time with our teacher as being more along the lines of a tribal experience rather than a regular lesson. I heard that with one other group of students, he actually re-enacted the march of soldiers from Birnam Wood to Dunsinane Hill from "Macbeth" (not sure where he got the branches).
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| From Nathan Wind at flickr |
From what I've read, Afrirampo performs any sort of rock, as long as it's supremely loud and involves a lot of sonic crashing. And just seeing some of the images through Yahoo and Google, their concerts probably define the word raucous with Oni and Pikachu taking on a day-glo jungle look with perhaps some of their fans feeling that the concerts are clothes-optional events.
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| From Facebook |
I had always wondered about how Oni and Pikachu came up with the band name of Afrirampo, and according to their J-Wiki page, they apparently just saw the name in the corner of a diary belonging to one of their elementary school classmates, and basically it doesn't have any sort of meaning. Good enough explanation for me. Anyways, starting in 2002, their first run lasted until 2010.
"Miracle Lucky Girls" is the first track on their 6th album "We Are Uchu no Ko" which was released in May 2010 as their final studio album up to now. I've seen a few other videos by them and the one other thing I've noticed by them is how often the ladies show off some gleaming smiles. It's kinda like being smiled at by Harley Quinn with the X-Men power of Banshee.
Afrirampo came from back from their hiatus in 2016 and have started touring again in Japan and overseas. In fact, according to Wikipedia, the duo is due to release their newest studio album, "Afriverse" next month. Nope, I'm not a fan but I have to admit that the band has made quite an entrance.
Mind you, if anyone is a fan out there, please let us know your Afrirampo experiences.
They are my favourite band, and I finally saw them in Canada. The music is overwhelming...magical and masterful.
ReplyDeleteI met them, too. Charming and genuine.
Hi, Mark.
DeleteThanks for letting me know. Where did they perform and how was the overall experience?
They played at a dull festival ("FIMAV") in Victoriaville Quebec on 19 May 2018, allocated a slot such that they started past midnight.
ReplyDeleteThe two tiny red-clad giants wandered out, with smiles, and did their traditional charming performance art shtick, then launched into a blistering rendition of Miracle Lucky Girls that woke everyone up. Then Wakemi-Tamashii, which will be on the new album (release: 16 Sept) and the stunning epic "Umi"...a complex masterpiece about the changing moods of the sea. Also 'Sore Ga Afrirampo' and the lovely 'Potsu Potsu' (Also
on the new album), and then, surprisingly, Pika's 'Hoshi No Uta', an interesting jam with the usual breathtaking Oni guitar freak-out.
Finally the peculiar 'Kanionika' chant.
I was blown away...all those familiar songs being played in front of me, and they were really throwing themselves into it. At one point a giant invalid
threw down his crutch and staggered to the edge of the stage to start head-banging with some French students who were slam-dancing in front of the audience of middle-aged cellists and music professors. The lights turned gold and Oni strutted to the front, turning into a sharp outline, hammering her guitar, with one bare foot at head level like some elegant insect. The head-bangers were transfixed, bathed in golden light and
looking up in awe like in a renaissance painting. Then more stunning guitar licks, me bellowing "Oni !!!" with the students howling approval.
Then it was over and I found myself slumped on a bench, exhausted. I wandered back into the venue and saw the guitarist fetching her pedals and approached her and spilled my guts about how I knew every song and thanked her profusely. She seemed overwhelmed...held my arms and said various 'thank you's and arigato or whatever they say. On the way out I ran into Pika and she signed my ticket...she is a doll. They are so genuine.
The live performances are really spectacular...YouTube has many. But the albums are also great...their songs are beautifully crafted. Some are catchy, some are technical, some are grungy and some are superbly complicated and integrated with folk imagery.
I hope I managed to get across the magnitude of the event !!
Here is some background of my discovery:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/haruspex/3224772638
Hello, Mark.
DeleteThe midnight slot was a bit harsh but it looks like everyone got their money's worth. Thanks for showing me the pictures as well. And no problems on the explanation...I do get the picture.:) How did you first find out about Afrirampo?
The pictures were from some Australian lady...she got some great shots. This summer I noticed that it was her picture I linked to that was the 1st time (10 years ago!) I ever noticed Afrirampo, so you can see in my flickr comments to her the story of how I became aware and how I became such a huge fan.
ReplyDeleteIf you search for English-language Afrirampo entries on Twitter or Flickr or Youtube, much of the time the comments will be from me!
There are plenty of obscure Afrirampo recordings hidden away on the internet, but they quite raw and of interest only to hardcore enthusiasts. Do you understand spoken and/or written Japanese?
Hello again.
DeleteI have a feeling that taking photos at an Afrirampo concert isn't too difficult. From what I've also see on Google and Yahoo, it looks like people can get up really close to Oni and Pikachu for shots.
As for my Japanese, I used to live in the Tokyo area for a number of years so I've got some ability in the language.