Boredoms/Vooredoms @ The Bowery Ballroom
NYC May 25, 2005

reviewer: Alan St. Laurent

July / August 2005

  The Boredoms have got to be the most elusive band around at least in terms of information regarding their activity. Being from Japan doesn't help either with the language barrier and all. They descended on Manhattan on May 25th and brought with them a cosmic flow for all that were willing to tap into it.

  What we do know of them now is that their guitarist Seiichi Yamamoto and bass player Hila left after 1999's Vision Creation Newsun album. Since then they have morphed into a lineup that includes three drummers and Eye on electronics and voice now calling themselves Vooredoms unofficially. No CD release from this lineup has surfaced but since 2001 the LIVE shows continue to move forward.

  At The Bowery Ballroom Eye hit the stage first alone holding two glowing orbs somehow connected electronically to his stacks of sound manipulators. When he threw his left arm down the sold out crowd was greeted to white noise. When his right arm lowered we heard a series of jingles. Eye cavorted around the stage and shouted to the audience without a microphone making the intensity of the orbs and the sounds they made build with frequency. As the crescendo was reached he began hitting the orbs together and changed one of them to a huge resounding guitar chord. The drummers, including Yoshimi from The Boredoms original lineup, took the stage at the close of this mad introduction.

  Short cascading drum rolls start the adventure next with Eye throwing some electronic zips and zaps out using pitch control to give you a zooming effect. Then he adds some voice and effects as the 3 drummers start to speed up. Eventually hitting an insane three drum assault that kicks and grooves like a watermelon truck careening down a mountainside! Add some utopian organ and it felt like the Bowery Ballroom was going to take off out of Manhattan to a galaxy far far away. Note: The dark side of the force was not present. Just positive juju all around.

  This was a 90-minute show without a break! The music went from a zooming drum circle to a more tribal drum section then back again with pockets of diversity all over the place. A tour de force! An international event that should have had a lot more attention! There really are no words. In fact, forget everything I just said. Nothing I can write would do the experience any justice. I JUST today managed to grab a bootleg of their show in Quebec two days before this NYC gig and listening to that doesn't even convey the energy. You just had to be there.

Copyright © WWUH: Program Guide, 2005