Wed, 8pm, Hang-Out
Until 2008, Japanese instrumental rock band Toe hadn't ventured outside Japan. Now they're looking at Europe and 'doing our live shows everywhere', says guitarist Yamazaki Hirokazu,
Toe create mesmerising, textured soundscapes with two guitars, a bass and a drum kit, which is tapped, caressed, brushed and pounded by the inimitable Kashikura Takashi.
Formed in 2000, Toe have long had a dedicated following in hometown Tokyo and have twice played at the Fuji Rock Festival. When they first visited Hong Kong in 2008, they blew away a large crowd at Grappa's Cellar. No doubt they'll do it again when they play here on Wednesday.
Last year, the band released For Long Tomorrow, a follow-up to their New Sentimentality EP and debut LP, The Book About My Idle Plot On A Vague Anxiety. Each work offers a torrent of notes and patterns, a complicated embroidery of mellow rock sounds that leaves one grasping for superlatives. There are vocals - judiciously sparse - on only a handful of tracks and, when they do happen, it's a pleasant shock to the system. Translated into a live setting, that's a very special thing - and just the way the band likes it. 'We think live shows should be created and shared with the audience,' says Hirokazu. 'It's not only for the band.'
That point will be emphasised in Hong Kong at Hang-Out, where the band will play in the middle of the audience, blurring the distinction between performer and observer. This time they'll also be joined by keyboardist Keisaku Nakamura, adding beef to their sound. The band admit to not really thinking much about the future, aside from a planned album release in Europe. 'We're just doing what we want to do at the moment,' says Hirokazu.