Self declared "Kings of Scum" the Ultra Fuckers are ambassadors of one of Kansai's more quirky little sub-genres. Scum rock which sprang in the mid to late 90's is defined more by its approach and execution rather than stylistic similarities. Scum Rock is defined by its clumsy, amateurish, antagonistic, provocative, wild and eccentric performances. Infamously shy a lot of bands have a hard time getting any sort of reaction from Japanese crowds. Scum is all about shaking things up and keeping things unpredictable in order to create the necessary climate for the elusive "happening".
Ultra Fuckers' particular brand of scum comes in the form of some raw, crappy, awkward garage punk and more recently experimental diversions into oddball Krautrock. Usually wearing a paper bag on his head and clad in skate pads vocalist Kawai Kazuki's favourite party trick is to bring a ladder on stage with him and use it to launch his body at anything close enough to hit. At least until 2003 when such antics earned Kazuki a rather painful broken shin bone. The ladder has very rarely been seen since. The painful incident is preserved here on youtube and was later released on a DVD fittingly titled "Bone Crunch Memory".
Kazuki also helps curate Lost Frog, a website created to disseminate scum rock through the web. The site seems to be only sporadically active these days but you'll find a lot of interesting stuff available for free download including a number of Ultra Fuckers' EPs and self-releases.
No comments:
Post a Comment