Unhinged surf band Daikaiju brings fiery show to the Ivy Room in Albany
A band whose literally incendiary live show has earned them a reputation as a can't miss act, masked instrumental surf outfit Daikaiju returns to the Bay Area Thursday for an afternoon Fourth of July show at the Ivy Room.
Founded in Huntsville, Alabama, in 1999, the group took its name from the Japanese word for "large strange beast" (a reference to the Japanese monster movies like Godzilla and Gamera that the band's music was inspired by). Keeping their identities hidden by using pseudonyms and performing with kabuki masks obscuring their faces, the members of the band quickly developed a loyal following in the Southeast with their kinetic live show and knotty, complex style of surf instrumentals.
The group would release several EPs and tour Europe extensively before finally issuing its self-titled proper debut in 2005 that earned Daikaiju rave reviews and comparisons to similarly conceptual Alabama-based '90s sci-fi surf rockers Man or Astroman? (some have even wondered if former members of that band were involved in the masked group). While not the most prolific recording ensemble -- it would be another five years before they would release a follow-up effort, Phase 2 in 2010 -- the group traveled relentlessly, playing to audiences throughout the Far East and across the U.S.
Onstage, the band has made a reputation for the explosive, high-energy stage performances that often climax with the members moving the party out into the streets outside of venues and igniting their instruments with lighter fluid. While the group had not put out a new full-length in over a decade, instead choosing to focus on split 45s with other bands and digital singles, last year the band compiled many of those songs on the new effort Phase 3. For this return visit to the Bay Area, the quartet headlines a sure to be spectacular afternoon Fourth of July show at the Ivy Room Thursday. They'll be joined by ghoulish garage/surf combo Isaac Rother and his Phantoms and Oakland punk outfit Party Force, with the bar offering holiday drink specials and a wood-fired pizza pop-up featuring Gabba Gabba Pizza.
Daikaiju
Thursday, July 4, 4 p.m. $15-$18
The Ivy Room
