Photos by Geoff Henao
Melt-Banana has been one of my favorite bands for close to a decade now. Since May 5th, 2005, I’ve caught the band every time they’ve played in Chicago (outside of the handful of times they opened for Tool). Needless to say, I’ve been pretty committed to the band for the past eight years. When long-time bassist Rika mm left the band last summer, I was curious to see how Yako and Agata would continue on without a rhythm section (the band has been without a permanent drummer for a number of years).
This past Sunday at Wicker Park’s legendary Double Door, any doubts I had about Melt-Banana’s live performance were quashed within the opening seconds of their set. The Japanese noise-core band is touring all over the United States and Canada in support of their latest album, fetch, on their 2 do what 2 fetch tour. I admit, it was a bit weird to not see Rika bouncing with her bass stage right, but Yako and Agata’s combined energy was still enough to overshadow her glaring omission. Armed with a laptop controlling the bass and drums, the duo played a wide range of songs spanning their 20-year history.
My photos from their Chicago show are below. Be sure to catch Melt-Banana when they come to your city. You can find the rest of their tour dates here. I have a feeling their set at this year’s Fun Fun Fun Fest in Austin, TX will be one to remember.
