I was anticipating a very calming set from the local Atsuko Chiba, who was opening for Goat, during the FIJM. Their fourth and self-titled album is a slow-burning dirge, with small moments of their frantic prog rock, but overall, the chillest we have heard from the five-piece. So I thought this would be a very hushed, low key set. Damn, was I wrong.
They opened with the unnerving “Climax Therapy” single, which, live, feels like Chibaz & sons are marching to war. A war of the self. Next came the album opener “Retention,” from the new album, a dark funk escapade made up of a bouncy bass, retro keys, samba-type beats, and psychedelic guitars. This song, for me, is all to lead up to the blistering bass solos from David Palumbo, who also slayed on the backing vocals. Lead singer/synthesizer/guitar player Karim Lakhdar always brings the commanding energy to any Atusko Chiba show, but for this one, it seemed he had the audience in the palm of his hand.
The visuals were, as always, amazing, created by drummer and mad projector scientist Anthony Piazza. We had third eyes, abstract udders (you heard me), mutating hands, and other weird shapes beautifully intertwined with the live set. “Future Ways” has me running from the top mezzanine to the floor. I love that dual lead guitar hero line from Eric Schafhauser and Kevin McDonald.
And then something happened. Something I never thought would. You see, the Atusko family is filled with genre shapeshifters, shapeshifters who love to hop between prog rock, psych, folk, hip hop, synthwave, and for one brief single, post-hardcore. They ended their set tearing into “Pope’s Cocaine,” a punkified hardcore track that has Lakhdar screaming, viciously, “I’M ON THE POPE’S COCAINE.” Hell yes. If i had my way, Atusko Chiba would do a whole album like this.
There was only one mosh during the closer, and you can be damn sure I was in it on the MTELUS. floor. I’m still feeling it in my back days later.
Photo by Benoit Rousseau
