Japanese music culture has always been adept at absorbing Western musical forms and translating them into familiar but distinctly new concepts. Shonen Knife may have begun as a de facto Ramones tribute, but the band has grown into a unique sonic entity that embraces all genres and reconfigures them into its own singular sound. Given that, what can we make of Peelander-Z? The Pop/Punk outfit didn't exactly evolve into a group with a broad range of musical expression over their 17-year history. The band exploded on the scene like a human collage of disparate but weirdly connected sights and sounds. Imagine a Punk band with a fashion sense sits somewhere in the triangulated void between Teletubbies, Power Rangers and Yo Gabba Gabba, and which also claims to be visitors from Planet Peelander who are not wearing costumes but actually revealing their true alien natures to Earthlings. And what does Punk — which is to say, in PZ parlance, “Japanese Action Comic Punk” — sound like on Planet Peelander? A little like The Dead Kennedys, All and The Specials singing about food ("Taco Taco Tacos," "S.T.E.A.K."), rabid jungle cats ("Mad Tiger"), educational opportunities for skilled assassins ("Ninja High School"), promoting better eye care ("Get Glasses") and the overabundance of Michaels ("So Many Mike"). 8:30 p.m. Tuesday in the Revival Room. $8; $10 day of. Southgate House Revival, 111 E. Sixth St., Newport, Ky., southgatehouse.com.
Music: Peelander-Z
Japanese music culture has always been adept at absorbing Western musical forms and translating them into familiar but distinctly new concepts.
All material © 2024 Cincinnati CityBeat, Cincinnati, OH. All rights reserved.
