I can still remember the first time I saw Siro-A. The six-strong team of acrobatic techno-wizards marched out on stage at London's quaint Leicester Square Theatre in an assault of thumping beats, dazzling lights and laser beams. Kitted out in white PVC jumpsuits and the kind of mono-lens visors that Data from "Star Trek" would wear, it felt as if I'd fallen into a portal to the Neo Tokyo often fantasized about in cyberpunk.
Twenty months on, I'm sitting in the same theater, maybe even the same seat. It's the opening night of Siro-A's third three-month stint in London — by far the longest series of Japanese commercial runs the West End has ever seen. The six artists enter the stage in exactly the same fashion as before, PVC and all, and I'm instantly transported to the future once more.
If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Their opening segment is testament to that, and offers a wonderfully imaginative crash course in what to expect in the rest of the 70-minute show. Moving images are projected onto the stage, and Siro-A, along with whatever they're carrying, become the canvas as a playful session in virtual reality unfolds. One moment they're a band playing instruments that aren't really there, the next they're recreating the opening level of “Super Mario Bros.” – sound effects and all.