Melt Banana have been hurting ears since 1993 with their blend of experimental noise, speed metal, grindcore and electronica. The Japanese band have released several albums and have toured extensively since their formation. They take in The Caves in Edinburgh on their latest tour. It is their first time in the city and it looks like they are playing in front of a sold-out audience.
The support band is another group of noise makers called First Temple of The Atom. The three-piece play loud doom metal with deep vocals and pounding drums. They make no attempt to engage the audience with conversation and instead concentrate on their dark and doom-laden songs. They are very much a metal band and draw praise and applause from the audience, despite not sharing the headliners love for fast-paced and energetic music.
Melt Banana enter the stage and lead singer Yako stands proud whilst holding a tablet-like device in her hand. On this device are large colourful buttons and each time she presses one, a sound effect from an old 8-bit video game plays. Meanwhile, guitarist Agata builds up a soundscape of feedback and noise on his guitar. After a moment to take a breath, Melt Banana dive headfirst into their blistering set and madness ensues. They play music at breakneck pace, with song following song and no time for rest in between. They are like a full-throttle runaway train, a gloriously unpredictable band who mix several musical genres together.
Yako has a voice that yelps out at a frantic speed and it is impossible to actually decipher what she is saying. She sings in English, but this in itself is immaterial as the band is all about creating noise and subversive sounds that cause the listener to pay attention and invites them to get caught up in the whirlwind of their music. The band have recently become a duo, having previously performed with bass and drums. Now the rhythm section is drawn from samples and loops and this appears to give both musicians the freedom to concentrate on speed, energy and dynamism. The effect is absorbing and Yako and Agata look bold and assertive onstage.
As mentioned earlier, this is Melt Banana’s debut show in Edinburgh. The band were onstage for just over an hour and the audience left the venue with their ears ringing and heads expanded with the veracity of the music on display.