Brightest Young Things

all words: Jesse Young
all photos: Nick Balleza

If the words “chiptune punk” mean nothing to you, then Anamanaguchi’s (pronounced ah-nuh-mon-uh-goo-chee) set last night at the Black Cat’s Backstage may sound a little deranged, at least on paper. It’s basically four dudes you probably went to college with, playing kick-ass Andrew W.K.-styled instrumental pop-metal with a little help from some synth tracks piped through an 8-bit vintage Nintendo gaming system. If you generally think rock ‘n’ roll righteousness is passé and that fist-pumping in public is just so terribly gauche, then these are not the droids you’re looking for.

The band’s been on a roll of late – having penned the original soundtrack for the Scott Pilgrim vs. the World video game last year while spitting out a series of uber-catchy singles, they’ve built a sturdy following of nerdy kids just old enough to remember first-gen video games with warm, fuzzy affection.

Opening the show were D.C.-based pop-punkers Club Scout, running through a set crammed with hooky ruminations on college abroad programs, teachers, and off-beat literature. Their chugging, mid-tempo sound calls to mind early Weezer, full of head-banging riffs and crunchy guitar breakdowns. A lot of bands tend to produce a dull, shapeless roar when pairing two guitars playing the same chord sequence – Club Scout, however, found a nice, mid-range-y balance that never sounded sloppy or ill-defined. Lead singer Ben Eiserike is all nervous collegiate energy, bouncing around the stage and hoisting his guitar aloft in faux-rock god grandeur. His habit, however, of staring down at his shoes while shouting his lyrics grew a little grating at times, and the latter part of the band’s set occasionally settled into a middling sameness, with one similarly-paced song blurring into the next. But I simply cannot help but love any band that engages in Van Halen-style synchronized guitar choreography (as they did during the set-closing “Creepsicle”).

At the outset, things looked dire for Anamanaguchi – first they couldn’t seem to get their projector to shoot straight, and then, less than a minute into their opener, their backing track got stuck on single note, bringing the song to a stumbling halt. After those first few ill omens, however, Anamanaguchi spent the next hour cutting deep into their kaleidoscopic catalogue of stuttering video game anthems. The band splashed the rear wall with a series of hyperactive synced animations, jerking around like some old school Tron-meets-Pong art installation. Still, despite the band’s best efforts to foment mosh-pit style chaos, the sold-out crowd crammed into the cozy Backstage never quite got over being out on a Sunday night to truly rock out.

Outside of their backing tracks, the organic elements of the band are fairly traditional – drums, bass, guitars. Their chirpy synth lines carry most of the melody, while the band provides slashing rhythms that propel the songs forward. Much of the time, unless you’re watching closely, it’s virtually impossible to hear where the live band ends and the computer begins – guitarists Peter Berkman and Ary Warnaar do a pretty seamless job of weaving their guitars in and out of the electronic maze they create on stage. Also, drummer Luke Silas deserves a fucking medal or something. That dude may not be human. How he manages to keep up with the band’s thunderously breakneck tempos without having a coronary is beyond me. Shirtless and bearded, he looked like some sort of sweaty, percussive caveman back there. When these guys start playing arenas, he totally deserves one of those hydraulic drumsets that rotates in midair like Tommy Lee played in the 80’s.

As great as the band is, it was hard not to get the sense every now and then that you were witnessing expertly-written-and-played instrumental karaoke. Because of the pre-recorded backing tracks, I’d imagine that the band has to play these songs live at essentially the same speed, and in the exact same form, every time. These guys are talented as hell, and part of me really wants to see them stretch and shape a song organically on stage. It’s like how Keith Moon used to piss a fit when he had to play The Who’s synthesizer-driven 70’s material live – being rhythmically yoked to a set of headphones and a click track made it all that harder to build a unique sonic moment on stage.

But obnoxious analytics aside, these guys sound like virtually no other band out there, and they put on a killer show. Songs like “My Skateboard Will Go On” and “Helix Nebula” are epic anthems in search of a revolu­­­­tion. Their flirtations with clubbier dance rhythms are also totally compelling, and hint at a range and compositional complexity that would make Ratatat proud.

I’d end here with a cheeky retro video game reference, but my parents didn’t let me play them when I was a kid (feel my pain). So, um, go see Anamanaguchi. They’re cool.

Previously in Live DC:

• 5/22: LiveDC: Spirit Animal @ Red Palace
• 5/22: LiveDC: Astra Via @ Black Cat
• 5/22: LiveDC: Father John Misty @ Rock & Roll Hotel
• 5/22: LiveDC: Drive-By Truckers and Lucinda Williams @ Merriweather
• 5/22: Photos: Summer Camp takes the "Ladies of Town" Drag Show
• 5/22: LiveDC: Penguin Prison & Class Actress @ RNR Hotel
• 5/21: LiveDC: James Morrison @ 930 Club
• 5/21: Photos: Que Sera L'Anniversaire @ Napoleon
• 5/21: LiveDC: La Sera/ Beach Week @ Red Palace
• 5/21: LiveDC: The Black Keys & Arctic Monkeys @ Merriweather Post Pavilion