By Keith Walsh
In a sold out show to a wildly enthusiastic crowd of 1500, Japanese punk band Otoboke Beaver played an energetic set of their best known songs and some from their 2022 album, Super Champon, on Saturday, March 2 at The Belasco Theater in Los Angeles.

Formed in 2009 and named after a love hotel in Osaka, Japan, the four-piece band shatters outdated expectations and stereotypes (it would be mansplaining for me to elucidate further). With mostly acerbic lyrics alternating between Japanese and English, and vocals mainly by the lead vocalist Accorinrin, Otoboke Beaver have a fast-paced aggressive sound that has earned them a large following. Their sound is melodic, though often very distorted, with expert musicianship, showcased by frequent tempo and style changes.

Bassist Hirochan serves a foundation of driving punk, disco, or even funk styled bass, while Yoyoyoshie has a bright and fast guitar sound, with drive and distortion, and Kahokiss is a precision drummer keeping perfect time, even though all the songs have tempos above 140 beats per minute. All four members contribute vocals.

They are incredibly charismatic on stage, with Accorinrin in the spotlight with her dramatic poses, and Yoyoyoshie pulling silly faces and expressing her love to the audience, sometimes to the visible disapproval of Hirochan. Other times, the entire band would freeze, holding their positions for up to a minute, only resuming when the roar of the crowd fell to complete silence. At one point Accorinrin extended her left middle finger at the end of her raised arm and held it there for maybe 45 seconds.

 Throughout The Belasco show, wild dancers about 8 rows back from the front of the stage forced myself and those in the two rows in front of me, against each other in a forward direction. I had to stop taking photos to keep my arms folded in front of me. The entire first floor of The Belasco is an open space without seats but no one enjoyed the luxury of standing still.

The fact that the band is colorful and flirtatious onstage should not be taken as an invitation for those who might be inspired to express their admiration. A guy standing a few rows back from me, who later moved just next to me, occasionally shouted out “you’re beautiful,” and “I love you!” Finally, a female voice from the front rows at the left of me, shouted back “shut your f$#king mouth!” Not a peep was heard from him after that.

Girls Just Want To Have Fun
Opening before Otoboke Beaver was Drinking Boys And Girls Choir, a trio with a punk sound leaning towards pop punk. From Daegu, South Korea, the band features Megan Nisbet on guitar and vocals as the newest member, having joined in 2023. Meena Bae on bass and lead vocals is a founding member, as is Myeongjin Kim, also on lead vocals. With lyrics in Korean and English, overall their sound is close to commercial alternative, as least on record, but live they were loud and brash but still playful and positive which is reflected in their new single “History.” Their soprano vocal harmonies are totally unique and pitch perfect.

The first band was Auxiliö, a four piece metal band that leans very heavily into a noise rock sound. The guitar sound was super distorted, as were the vocals, though the precision with which vocalist/guitarist Krisma Aguayo and guitarist Andrea Franco doubled the sound with unison chords was nothing short of astonishing. Belen Sobalvarro was super-fast on the bass, backed up by Cindee Monterroso on rapid fire drums. The wall of sound was occasionally broken with melody, and sometimes veered towards classic heavy metal.

(Photos and video by Keith Walsh. Otoboke Beaver’s ‘no youtube’ policy and the limits of this blog’s host are the reasons for the short video clip.)

Otoboke Beaver Dot Com
Drinking Boys And Girls Choir Dot Com
Auxiliö Links

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