Kikagaku Moyo Plays Final North American Concert At Brooklyn Steel

Don’t be sad because it’s over, be happy it happened and you were around the same time as these giants of the current psychedelic rock movement.

This is the sentiment I felt as Kikagaku Moyo ended their final North American tour last night at Brooklyn Steel with an explosive night of over two hours of music. The capacity crowd showered them with enough praise for a lifetime and all five members truly seemed to be moved by it.

They began the show with two acoustic songs, “Cardigan Song” and “Old Snow, White Sun,” and the band seated with drummer Go Kurosawa fronting the group and playing guitar, something I had never seen before. After the two songs, Kikagaku Moyo went back to their usual formation and proceeded to rip into their instruments as if they would never touch them again.

Watching the five of them exchange smiles, laughs, and quick glances as one of them would go into a killer solo was a beautiful thing to see. Tomo Katsurada and Daoud Popal feed off of one another on the guitar. Both need to be in the conversation of the best guitarists out there right now as either one could be the lead in any other band, but the duo shares the duties.

Kotsu Guy, while never really taking the spotlight, always is a force on stage. His bass playing keeps the train moving. Ryu Kurosawa is the secret weapon that helps give the band its sound with his sitar and synthesizer playing. Go Kurosawa not only drums, but sings as well, and is the heart of the band, sitting in the middle and smiling constantly.

The way the set flowed once they went electric felt like one long, two-hour jam session. They get so locked in, especially with how close they stand on stage, that they become one moving unit. The crowd ate up every moment knowing it would be the last time they would be seeing these songs played in the United States. Over the two-night Brooklyn Steel run, the band repeated only “Nazo Nazo” and “Monaka,” which was a treat for those who saw both nights.

Before “Dawn,” Tomo said how glad they were to be ending their U.S. run in New York City, one of the first places they played here, and dedicated the song to the crowd and the city. When the song ended, the ovation from the audience was as loud as I’ve heard in recent memory for any band. All five of them were truly touched as they hugged and waved to the crowd. Usually when the set ends they briefly say thanks and leave, but they continued to linger.

After a breath, the band came back on and Tomo said they only had eight minutes until curfew but were going to fit in two songs. The band proceeded to blow past curfew, playing “Gatherings” and “Monaka,” with Daoud crowd surfing during the former. It was a glorious end to not only the show but the band’s legacy. If you got to see them even once over the past decade then you know how special they were live. Stories will be told about how they grew exponentially and went out on top.

People won’t believe it, but it happened.

Hopefully, sometime down the line they come back for another round, but you can’t always capture lightning in a bottle twice, and not only did they catch it, but they broke it.

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Setlist

Source: JamBase.com