It was hard to find a place to stand, since the draw for this show was dangerously over maximum capacity. That didn't deter fans from making a messy mosh of things, as Mo'some slapped, screamed and kicked out the jams for the next ninety minutes.

Although vocals came mostly from the lead guitar and drums, it was the bass player ﾐ with his slick-back ducktails and bulging biceps ﾐwho truly set the pace. The beginning of the set was dominated by his downbeat bass lines and off-tempo time changes.

And did I mention that it was loud? Once both drummer and bassist bashed out a rhythm, the leads' wall of feedback crashed down from above like the last days of Pompeii. Bands like Tad and Soundgarden (circa Ultramega OK) came to mind as they battered their instruments, only to make clean breaks amid the cacophony. The most memorable of these was a 3/4 time sledgehammer accented by pauses for some seriously maniacal heavy breathing by the lead guitar.

Halfway through the set the grunge and punk elements gave way to a sliver of pop aesthetic, with the lead scratching out more melodic riffs. Amongst these were small flourishes of distortion that could have come from a Sonic Youth bootleg. This gave the bassist enough time to rest, slick his hair back again and prepare for the oncoming onslaught at the end of the show.

Once the sequencers were off, they all came out swinging, with both lead and drummer bashing the strings and skins, howling to the sweaty throng before them. This set the place off, and the front of the stage became a riot of flailing heads and fists.

At the end of the show, the cool air outside club Quattro felt good after taking in the balmy odors of smoke, sweat and testosterone within. The din of Shibuya seemed tame in comparison to what I had just witnessed. As I walked through Hachiko square to the station, the ringing in my ears kept me company, and reminded me of the show for the next few days. God bless Mo'some Ear-bender, er, I mean Tonebender.

report by jason andphoto by hanasan

*The photos were taken on the 25th February, '02.