Embedded Files
"The roof tiles of Seibu Kōdō are vibrating." Report on Seibu Kōdō from teen magazine Mimi (1984)
The Kansai No Wave group had a loose structure and did not last into the 1980s. Out of this, however, grew a more organized collective that, through the events they staged, heavily influenced the music scene of 1980s Kyoto — Beat Crazy. Having run a series of successful festivals in the 1970s, Mojo West organiser, Ki-Yan, conceded that musical tastes had changed and that the 1980s signalled the era of Beat Crazy.
Beat Crazy formed in 1981 and included an interesting mix of high school dropouts and university students: originally, Bide, Shinoyan (シノやん, ex-SS), Idiot (Takayama Kenichi 高山謙一, from Idiot O’Clock), Ranko (ラン子) — who had moved to Kyoto from Hiroshima — and Wada Ryoichi (和田良一), a Kyoto University Student. Having a Kyoto University student in the group was important: Wada represented Beat Crazy at the Seirenkyō (the organizing committee of Seibu Kōdō) and thus could secure bookings for their regular events.
Seibu Kōdō and its annex, the Kyoto University Light Music Club (since burned down), became the main space for Beat Crazy events under the name Rock-a-Go-Go Club. Beat Crazy were important in bringing bands into Kyoto, mainly from Tokyo, and also in supporting local acts. Indeed, getting to play at a Beat Crazy event was an essential rite of passage in the 1980s Kyoto punk scene. They also spread into Osaka via the Nishi Nari based live venue Eggplant, which became a focal centre of the 1980s hardcore punk scene in Japan.
Wada, fronting the Beat Crazy Band, Vampire!
Beat Crazy members played in bands as well as organized events. The Continental Kids, as the center of the Beat Crazy collective, were perhaps the most influential. The Continental Kids consisted of Shinoyan and SS, along with Chinese Club drummer Takami (Takami Isono 磯野隆臣), vocalist Tsukiizumi (ツキイズミ) and bass player Ranko. Ranko was the most active member of Beat Crazy, offering to put up touring bands in her house and supporting young acts, becoming a godmother of the scene in the eyes of many younger punks. She also fronted the group Sperma, drawing media attention for her outlandish behaviour, which usually ended with her in various states of undress. Ranko also ran the bar Rose Garden about 10 minutes from Seibu Kodo, an important and storied hang out.
To promote their groups, the collective founded Beat Crazy Records, releasing 11 singles and one album by Kyoto-based bands, including the debut single by Sekiri, one of Japan’s first all-female punk bands. Beat Crazy had much in common with other contemporary punk collectives across the world (e.g. Warzone in Belfast), in that it offered a space and support for young musicians to hone their craft.
Sta-Kaidan, 1983
Sta-Kaidan, 1983
Seibu Kōdō remained at the centre of the Kyoto scene even as punk moved into its more Oi and hardcore inspired direction. One of the standout events of this period was a September 1983 show involving the coming together of Kyoto noise music specialists Hijokaidan and The Stalin.
Collage of Sta-Kaidan show at Seibu Kōdō, 17 September 1983, from MeHer 17 (1983)
The Stalin were a well-established punk band from Tokyo founded by Endō Michirō (遠藤ミチロウ) who was keen to experiment with the more chaotic performance-style associated with the noise scene. The noise group Hijokaidan, started in 1979 by Jojo Hiroshige also an original member of Ultrabide, became famous for the violence not only of their music but also of their performances. The combined group performed under the name Sta-Kaidan, beginning a long line of "-kaidan" collaborations. While audio recordings released by Alchemy records capture the sonic violence of the music, these cannot reproduce the full somatic intensity of these events: audience members recalled Beat Crazy members digging pits around the entrance to the venue to trap unwitting punters on their way in. Once inside they were pelted with cartons of milk, natto, worms and other viscera. The doors were then chained to prevent any early exits for what was about an hour-long performance of noise, experimental dance, and audience intimidation loosely held together by outlines of The Stalin’s songs. It proved a big hit, impressing many of the reported 1,000 people present. While hardcore punk made its way into Kyoto via the UK, the combination with the Kansai noise scene resulted in more extreme and experimental groups such as S.O.B. and the Boredoms.
A Note on Magazines
A Note on Magazines
Music collectives, cassette exchanges, and record stores worked in tandem with each other. A particularly important “technology” for the scene were magazines and zines, available in record stores and venues. Nakamura Shintarō (中村 進太郎, of the bands Anti-Spectacle and First Alert), recalled that after reading about new releases in magazines he would either directly order these via the mail or get the record store Jūjiya to order for him. According to his First Alert bandmate and artist Kazuhiro Imai, they would write up wish lists to ensure that they bought different records in order to facilitate sharing.
The main music media were Rock Magazine, Fool’s Mate and Doll, all Tokyo-based, nationally distributed magazines. Kyoto punks also had access to US magazines such as Maximum Rocknroll (MRR) or the British NME. Doll also translated and published articles from MRR. Along with the circulation of cassettes and people, information travelled across scenes, more tightly linking the Kyoto and Kansai scene into a global network. More locally, Beat Crazy ran their own section called "Beat Press" in Pelican Club to keep fans up to date with upcoming events.
Gig Venues
While Seibu Kōdō, with its radical history and large seating capacity, was at the centre of the Kyoto underground music scene, there were several other important venues, including Takutaku, Jittoku, Circus Circus, and Avix.
Interior of Takutaku (2021). Photograph by authors
MOBs At Circus Circus around 1984. Photograph courtesy of Babi
Established venues that still run today are Takutaku (interior pictured above) and Jittoku, which both embraced the punk scene and other types of experimental music. One early champion of the punk scene was Circus Circus, a venue near Ginkakuji temple, a short walk from the Kyoto University Yoshida campus. Circus Circus embraced punk rock or, at least, it allowed punk bands to play on Monday and other nights when business was slow. This started a tradition of Kyoto punk bands playing at unpopular times in the Japanese calendar, such as the all-night Beat Crazy events held every New Year’s Eve at Seibu Kōdō, when the rest of the city shut down. Circus Circus was cramped and, like a lot of gig venues, featured seats and tables, which inevitably got broken after the introduction of aggressive dancing styles by young punks. In a nod to its punk legacy, Circus Circus changed its name to CBGB’s in honour of the legendary New York venue. It now operates under the name Under-throw, a branch theatre of the Chiten arts/performance company.
The Comes at Avix around 1984. Photograph courtesy of Babi
Established venues, however, were reluctant to continue with punk gigs as the violence associated with them was unattractive to owners. Also, most venues served alcohol, which by necessity meant placing age restrictions on who could attend shows. The 1980s hardcore punk scene was mainly made up of teenagers who were high school dropouts. Apart from the annex of Seibu Kōdō, they had few venues to perform or have their peers come and see them play. There was one venue which operated without a liquor licence and was thus open to all-age shows, called Avix (pronounced Abiex). This became a centre for the teenage punk scene in the city, with shows organized by the young bands themselves or with the help of Beat Crazy. The stage was primitive, being flat to the floor with a single palm tree as decoration. Nonetheless, photos from the venue (above) show the exuberance of youth and provide us with literal snapshots of the alternative scene to be found in Kyoto, nestled on streets like Gojo, just to the north of Kyoto Station and away from university campuses.
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