"Spoon Market" is more than just a music event. Organized by female new-wave/electro band Tokyo Pinsalocks and Holly, owner of live house Sangenjaya Heaven's Door, the event includes live music and DJs, as well as video, art, photography and craft exhibits, fashion, food and even "hair arrangement."
If this seems terribly girly then you're right: this is a "Tokyo Girls Pop Community" event, with an overwhelmingly female cast of performers and staff — on the live stage, Dr. Usui of electropop band Motocompo and Akito, who plays with Chocolat, will cut lonely male figures amid a sea of all-girl bands.
The selection of music on offer is diverse, from post-punkers Falsies On Heat to American singer-songwriter Kate Sikora. Another highlight is prolific, multitalented pianist/chanteuse Eiko Ishibashi, whose album "Slip Beneath the Distant Tree" with Tatsuya Yoshida of the band Ruins was her fourth release in less than a year; also worth noting is quirky guitar and drum machine duo M.A.G.O., who not will only perform live but are also behind the "Teachers" crafts brand.
One of the most compelling points of "Spoon Market" is the way that despite the diverse media in which the participants have chosen to express themselves, there is a sense of unity — which Reiko Kayoh of Tokyo Pinsalocks describes as "kitschy and coquettish" — that should provide a unique experience for anyone looking to get a glimpse of real Tokyo DIY art culture.
Spoon Market will be held at Ebisu Milk on Sept. 21 from 8 p.m. (all night); tickets ¥3,000 in advance and ¥3,500 on the door. For more information visit www.pinsalocks.com/spoon
