Japanese art-punk trio TsuShiMaMiRe brought their long-running experiment in sound and spectacle to Get Tight Lounge last week. Formed in 1999 in Chiba, Japan, the group has carved out a global cult following with music that darts between jagged punk riffs, bursts of noise, and lyrics that jump from the absurd to the existential. Songs about food, death, sexuality, and everyday strangeness have made them distinct voices in Japan’s underground and beyond. Over the years, they’ve shared stages with acts across the U.S. and Europe and even opened for Jack White in Japan, cementing their reputation as one of the country’s most fearless exports.
Richmond’s own Steelboy opened the night with a breakneck set that was all speed and aggression, sharpening the edges for what was to come. Their drummer, also a staff member at Get Tight, gives the band deep roots in the venue that’s quickly become one of the city’s anchors for underground music. With plans for regional touring in the coming year, Steelboy is positioning themselves as one of Richmond’s next bands to watch.
While the spotlight was on TsuShiMaMiRe and Steelboy that evening, the energy had been building the night before with Austin’s Tear Dungeon. Featuring members of A Giant Dog and …And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead, the band is as theatrical as they are punishing. Known for blood-spitting performances and a wall of sound that borders on chaos, their set added to a two-night run that underscored just how far Get Tight has come in attracting national and international acts.
Photos by Alexander Kent
Main photo is of Tear Dungeon
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