The night before they left for Europe, Japanese group Cicala Mvta (pronounced Chicala Muta) played for about 50 people in Tokyo -- about par for the course for them. When they arrived in London the next day, theirs was the hottest ticket in town. Sort of.
Cicala Mvta was supporting Blur on the Meltdown Festival's final night at the Royal Festival Hall, now established as one of London's most esoteric and exciting festivals.
Each year, a celebrated musician (Elvis Costello, Laurie Anderson, Nick Cave, to name a few) puts together a dream lineup, mixing genres and mediums, the obscure with the exalted, giving downright weird and unsung acts a chance to share a stage with more well-known yet creative peers.