ABSTRACT
Back in Nishiazabu at Yellow, the music pours forth from the double doors, inspiring both the reviewer and myself to relate the events of that evening. The individual performers who inhabit both the event at Yellow and the
preceding pages share one thing in common: Despite at times drastic differences in background, aspirations, and their degree of involvement in the underground Tokyo hardcore scene, they all participated in the production of some version of hardcore music that was at the center of the scene. Both the reviewer’s comments and excerpts from the backstage narrative at Yellow call attention to the essential activities of the band members on stage and the music they created, which of course is defi ned as “fucking heavy and fucking fast.” This music also typically moved between alternating “hard and soft” sections that created a movement between tension and release for all involved. The qualities of the vocalist mimicked this pattern, as he is seen “sometimes whispering, sometimes throwing his whole body into the words.” All the bands on stage at Yellow, of course, “performed aggressive music, often leaning towards a punk aesthetic, with screaming vocals, and a noticeable absence of guitar solos.” The descriptions in the review at Yellow and the backstage narrative highlight several of the key musical kata of hardcore, the stereotypical patterns of performance that defi ne the scene. And admittedly I am making very liberal use of the term kata as synonymous with any meaningful practice-not necessarily referring to a single identifi able pattern only. The reviewer’s comments and backstage narrative also highlight several other extramusical activities equally necessary for the performance of hardcore as well.
