I love checking out random shit from other countries at SXSW. You never quite know what to expect. Japanese rock night at SXSW is always one of the highlights. Japanese people really go all out when they are in a rock band and it makes for a super fun show.
A new band, they are an eight piece ensemble that, well, let’s just copy and paste the PR email so I don’t have to bother paraphrasing:
WagakkiBand is an 8-piece band that fuses Shigin, poetry recitation rooted in Japanese traditional performing arts, Wagakki, traditional Japanese musical instruments, and rock music to bring a fresh and yet authentically Japanese live show.
Not quite sure what an un-authentic Japanese live show is, but whatever. The video looks pretty crazy and I’m willing to bet their show case will be as well. Mark this one down on your calendars and check this out.