Japanese Voyeurs

The Haymakers, Wednesday 11th May, £5

[rating: 3.5/5]

Walking past the sign reading: ‘Your friendly local’ into a room full of Metalheads is a surreal experience. Once inside though, the atmosphere was that of a friendly disregard for personal space. Drinks were quite difficult to obtain, but perhaps this was due to the popularity of the event, which became completely understandable.

The support act, Federal Black 40, were playing on a cramped stage at one end of the bar. The band as a whole were enjoyable and intriguing, but observers might be slightly distracted by the antics of the lead guitarist, who took great pleasure in the movement of his tongue… Perhaps better left to the like of KISS.

I have to admit, I wasn’t overly familiar with Japanese Voyeurs, so it came as a surprise to hear the high-pitched female voice floating above the overdriven guitars. They seem to completely defy categorisation. It would be insulting to say it was simply “Heavy Rock”; it’s so much more than that. They’ve taken Grunge and adapted it into something new, something edgier and more dynamic. Romily’s voice give Japanese Voyeurs a unique sound, and when you combine that with complex yet tasteful guitar riffs and extremely tight timing from the entire band you end up with a fantastic result.

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otMyV57Pmqs

Japanese Voyeurs – Milk Teeth

Unfortunately, both JV and FB40 were let down by the venue, the mix of the instruments left you struggling to hear vocals over cymbals and there were points during the both of the band’s lead guitarists’ solos where they were quieter than the rhythm guitar. While I appreciate the difficulties of making a band with a big sound work in a small venue, I felt that the sound technician had just tried to make everyone as loud as possible without feedback. I don’t know how successful the sound-check was beforehand but it’s worth noting that a little preparation and a good ear goes a long way.

Japanese Voyeurs made an extremely risky move during their set by covering Closer by Nine Inch Nails, something of a classic in the community. However, it was delivered in a completely original and refreshing way, entirely credited to the beautiful vocals of Romily and the lead guitarist’s delivery of the famous tune. Even die-hard fans were in awe of the rendition and completely captivated by the beautiful vocals.

The crowd, though mellowed by the enchanting sounds made by the female lead, were obviously similarly mesmerised by the band. The most enchanting sound was found in their original tracks such as Get Hole and Milk Teeth. So, despite the inappropriate venue, I heartily recommend adding Japanese Voyeurs to your Spotify playlists, while you can.