Japanese Television and Coma Rossi at the Hope and Anchor in London

Japanese Television

Well known in the punk scene in the 80s according to resident historian and promoter Chris Parkins, the Hope and Anchor is situated right in the heart of Islington High Street – and from a cursory glance you may not even realise they have a venue in their basement. But alas tonight, we must dive deep into the underground to catch some space surf rock.

Now you might be thinking, what on earth is that? Well, it’s what Japanese television self-describe themselves as on their Bandcamp – and I have to admit that it’s pretty apt. The all-instrumental unit are very tight – with the only possible reminiscent comparison being And So I Watch You From Afar, as they waste no time jamming out off the back of one another.

Using shakers at one point to strum his guitar, Tim spared no moment to entertain the crowd while playing. His Danelectro had a certain twang to it that cut through at every moment with its harmonic qualities, combined with exaggerated spring reverb – and that certainly is the key to the surf sound. All the while, keys player Riko was creating the space. I’m a sucker for a bit of organ, Riko was non stop jamming on his, darting back and forth to another curious looking instrument called a Taishogoto, described as “half lap steel, half typewriter”.

Every member of the band was running big pedal boards as playing with effects is the key to their sound. And whilst clearly the tracks are pre-composed, the band play and riff off each other in their own jams, but never drifting too far apart. A great performance – a band that wouldn’t look out of place at a festival like Portals or ArcTanGent at some point in the near future.

Coma Rossi

Something a bit moodier now, more in the post-rock zone – next up was Coma Rossi – and they have a bit of a curious backstory. Recently, band leader Gaurav Govilkar moved to Cologne from India with an aim to re-build the band from scratch. Putting out a new record entitled Void, and then off the back of that embarking on this UK tour which leads us to tonight.

Guitar solos from Gaurav were emotive rather than flashy during the performance, leaning on dissonance and filthy tones to build a wall of sound with plenty of wah wah. And whilst I must admit I know the drummer personally, Diane was another star of the show being incredibly energetic on stage at all moments of the set, running constantly through all sorts of emotive facial expressions to reflect different moments in the music.

As the set progressed, the performance got more intense and intimate. Flavours of a heavier Porcupine Tree could be heard at points, while a lighter Opeth at others, which certainly perked up my ears. Although vocals at times did leave a little to be desired – but possibly that was just due to the lack of a decent sound system in the tiny venue that led to them getting overrun by the dual guitars.

It was cool – if I were to sum it up crudely and speedily! It’s always hard to have a lot of words to say about a band when you know little about them, but I’ve left this concert wanting to find out much more – and certainly catch them next time they’re in town to watch them evolve.

Once again, a great night had by all…