"I need oxygen," gasps singer Yuda, and there's little of that in Shimokitazawa's Yaneura live house tonight. One of the smallest venues in Tokyo is packed to the rafters to see Electric Summer, a band reaching for the stars and demonstrating they have the rocket fuel and never-say-die adventurous spirit to take themselves, and their fans, to another planet.
I know just three things about Electric Summer: They're one of the most exciting live bands in Tokyo, they toured in the States with current U.S.-rock darlings At The Drive In and they don't have a record deal. The latter, on tonight's evidence, makes no sense at all. But it's all a little more complicated than that, as Electric Summer aren't your usual bunch of underground wannabes. They've already tasted a little fame -- albeit a few thousand kilometers away -- and it felt so good that they're demanding seconds. And this time they want some home cooking.
Electric Summer is the story of four Japanese kids -- singer Yuda, bassist Toyota, guitarist Miky and drummer Kazu -- who formed the band in 1995 while studying at the University of Denver.