Acid Mothers Temple - 14/9/2014 - by Nick the Bookman

Wow! This is a brain-melt moment, indeed.

Let me explain. It's about 1600 Sunday, 14/9/2014, and I've just read the gig guide in the Sunday Post Review section and seen a notice for a band I never thought I'd see playing live in Hong Kong. In four hours time. Bad news is that they're at Hidden Agenda - a place I've yet to visit as I was never sure how to get there. Well, it's most certainly time to break that duck. Hell, not just break it. Smash It! Pulverise It! Time to pack up the books, head home, clean up and embark on my Magical Mystery Tour to the wilds of Kwun Tong.

(Who's the band, Nick? Don't keep us hanging on in barely concealed irritation!)
Ooops. Sorry. They're a world class Japanese freakbeat meets psychedelic rock band called Acid Mothers Temple & The Melting Paraiso U.F.O. They've been going in one form or another for at least a quarter of a century. And they appeared on a Mojo CD from 2007 dedicated to all things Syd (as in Barrett - ex-Pink Floyd). It was the final track and it was 18'30" long. An absolute pummeling shit storm of feedback, noise, and brain-destroying migraine madness. Seeing the brief ad for tonight's show is like suddenly finding out that Hawkwind or The Electric Prunes are playing Hong Kong tonight. And I Must Be There.

It's a few hours later and I'm on the MTR to Kwun Tong. I figure I'll just get off there and cab it to the Wing Fung Industrial Building, 15-17 Tai Yip Street. However, I'm about to have a lucky chance meeting with Gabe and Hui Hui on the MTR. I've moved from my crowded carriage to the next one along and find myself standing next to a long-haired European and his lovely girlfriend. (Hmm! I wonder...). So, I ask if he's going to... (Yes is the answer) And he's seen the band three times already! Problem solved. We get out at Kowloon Bay, not Kwun Tong and his magic street app gets us to Hidden Agenda in about five minutes.

It's a smallish but expansive room. Stage at one one end and seats and mixing console at the other end. There are about 150 -200 hardcore freaks inside. Mostly locals but a few Europeans. I've bought my $270 ticket and met the band who are chatting with some fans. Higashi, the bearded, silver maned synth/keyboard maestro writes down the band names for me (see the accompanying photo). I buy the live CD (see the second photo). I don't get a set list because the band aren't too sure what they'll play. From left to right, the band are Higashi. Makoto (who looks like a refugee from the Edgar Broughton Band) is on lead guitar. Shimura Koji (with the silver chin wig) is the drummer. Tabata Mitsuru is the rhythm guitar and the dude in the red shirt and sunglasses is Tsukama on bass and lead vox. The show starts quite casually at 2030. No warm up.

The opening song is a howling buzzwind of freaked out synths, Free (the band) style heavy blues, crunchy, riveting bass and Zen/orchestral meets Ennio Morricone Spaghetti Western guitar runs and twangs. After about ten minutes or so, they go deep space kosmic. Sort of mellow floating bleep blurts chill the audience down. Just a little, mind. And then the sound goes back to 15. Fuck Nigel Tufnel's "these go to eleven" speakers. This is a major sonic assault. And Ray is front and centre of me capturing it all on video. The next hour and a bit is relentlessly on. Hard rocking and bursting with heaviosity! The only bands I can imagine at this point who are equally musically tight and precise are Captain Beefheart's Magic Band and Frank Zappa's "The Best Band You Never Heard Of" from the late eighties.

I'm thinking that AMT are the perfect band to sound-check the life of Chuck Norris. You remember Chuck, don't you? Fought Bruce Lee at one point. Has a website dedicated to feats of Chuck. Such as Chuck Norris is so persistent that he's counted to Infinity - TWICE!! Chuck Norris is so indomitable that he went into Burger King and ordered a McDonald's Happy Meal. Which he got. Delivered by the top brass of White Castle. Chuck Norris is so principled that he made ALL the other Expendables stop swearing in the second film. Which he's in. And the third film. Which he isn't. There's loads more, but you get the drift.

One thing I noticed during the show is how the band all watch out for each other. Especially Mr. Koji the drummer. He anchors the beat with swift precision. Furious tours around the drum kit, but he also slows down now and then to conserve his energy. Doesn't affect the performance, but Higashi is especially solicitous. Encouraging him and filling in the downtime when he slows a little. Watching with concerned affection. These guys have all passed a lot of water over the bridge together. Higashi thanks the audience for coming to what is their long awaited local debut. They were booked to come a few years ago, but things didn't work out. Still, the wait was well worth it.

Hidden Agenda is one rocking cool gig spot. I know I'm going to be in attendance much more often. And the best and closest stop to get there is Ngau Tau Kok MTR Station which is less than three minutes away. Down a main road and a right turn to the building and hey presto. The people who run the place are excellently courteous. And they put on a good show.

Until the next time... ntb

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