Anamanaguchi is an electronic rock band that’s held a niche popularity in the world of gaming for a few years now. They deliver a very energetic sound overloaded with tunes like those heard in Atari and NES titles. Recently, they launched a massive LP entitled Endless Fantasy, funded post-release via Kickstarter. Tonight’s show at Irving Plaza was their album release party.
The billing tonight was dominated by dance music, with a trio of electronic acts supporting and a dj between them. Every set was coupled with a unique flavor of visuals. George & Jonathan opened with chiptunes derivative of our main event. Hot Sugar, a soloist, brought music dripping with creepy vibes, a personal favorite of mine. Pictureplane’s set was the most interesting of the three, as his music was augmented by two dancers who fused weird and sexy well.
Crowd tension was like a powder keg as Anamanaguchi took the stage. The front half of a very crowded pit erupted as soon as the first note hit, bringing about a massive, thrashy dance fest. Too bad there was no room, so everyone got helplessly squished together. Quickly becoming heat exhausted and matted with sweat, I found my only way out was up, and so I made my escape surfing the crowd.
Anamanaguchi has cool visuals for all of the new songs played from Endless Fantasy, in addition to a self-crafted light up rig around their drum kit. What I’m conflicted about their translation to live is how three of them can play string instruments. The guitar line is a smaller component of their music. It’s fun watching them shred, but someone armed with a keyboard handling the electronics would offer more of a thrill to watch, especially considering all the unique sources they use to generate their music.
