Welsh post-hardcore/noise instigators Mclusky paid a loud and bracing visit to the Crocodile Cafe Thursday evening, much to the rowdy delight of a beyond capacity crowd. It was my first time seeing the band live and, based upon their recorded work, my expectations were high. To say that I was impressed by their performance would be an understatement. I was unaware of this band until hearing David Yow of the Jesus Lizard mention them not all that long ago as one of his favorite artists. I took note of his accolades at the time and was excited last year to hear that Mclusky was planning a rare visit to the states in 2026. Having now experienced that band in the flesh, Yow’s nod makes complete sense. Mclusky inhabits a similar space as the Jesus Lizard, delivering intense, compact sonic blasts that provide a vehicle for cynical yet humorous lyrics that convey a dark view of humanity and our rather dismal current state of affairs. Frontman Andrew Falkous shares with Yow the ability to transition from incisive (if exasperated) lyrical content to wordless, howling angst and rage at the drop of a hat. I would also think that Mclusky would find traction with fans of similarly noisy and anarchic bands such as Fugazi, Big Black, and Shellac.
Mclusky’s Crocodile appearance proved once again that a worthy band can develop a large and devoted following without much in the way of radio airplay and/or mainstream advertising. I’ve seen a lot of shows at the Crocodile, many of them purported to be sellouts. Be that as it may, there seemed to be half again as many fans packed into the club Thursday night as I’ve witnessed at any other gig. Lead singer and guitarist Falkous cuts an unique figure with his large, over the ear headphones. He suffers from tinnitus and, catching his band at full roar, one can understand how his affliction came to be. Bass player Damien Sayell is a kinetic wonder, wielding his instrument like an axe and spinning about while never losing the plot and somehow managing to pitch in on vocals. Jack Egglestone on drums is every bit the equal of his bandmates, driving the tempo at a brutal pace. The overall impact of the trio is tremendously exciting and satisfying.
Mclusky was ably supported by Ekko Astral, a relatively new pop-punk/noise outfit out of Washington DC. They highlighted material from their 2024 ‘Pink Balloons’ which was selected by Pitchfork as Album of the Year.
Canadian singer-songwriter Lauren Spencer Smith headlined at the Moore Theater for the last night of the 31-city The Art of Being A Mess World Tour. The sold-out show featured numerous songs from her sophomore album, The Art of Being A Mess, released last year, plus material from her debut album, Mirror. The British Columbia-based Spencer Smith, just over the border from Seattle, drew a huge group of enthusiastic Canadian fans to the show.
SXSW 2026 had its annual music festival earlier in March. Photographer Kirk Stauffer attended the event, capturing gorgeous shots of so many fantastic bands it’s mind-boggling. From the USA to Australia, enjoy day one coverage, including Seattle’s own Avery Cochrane! Also, check out Welsh singer Gwenno, formerly of the Pipettes.
Gokumon Brings High-Energy Japanese Rock to Seattle on First Major North America Tour
SEATTLE (March 5, 2026) — When Japanese rock band Uchikubi Gokumon Doukoukai, known internationally as Gokumon, took the stage at El Corazon, the crowd was treated to something rare: a live show that was equal parts spectacle, comedy and genuine musical power. The band, celebrating more than 20 years together, kicked off their first major North American tour, the “GOKUMON NORTH AMERICA TOUR 2026,” in Seattle: the opening stop of a seven-city run stretching from the Pacific Northwest to New York City. If this debut date is any indication, North American audiences have been missing out for far too long.
The evening opened with Seattle locals Flür, a band whose sound defies neat classification. Founded by Colombian-born guitarist Mateo Leguizamón, better known as Matt Leggo, the group blends blues, classic rock, hard rock and Latin influences into a bilingual set performed in both English and Spanish. The contrast between Flür’s warm, groove-laden approach and what was to come from Gokumon was stark, but in the best possible way. Flür did exactly what a good opening act should do: energize the room, earn genuine applause from an audience that hadn’t come to see them and leave people feeling like the night was already off to a strong start.
Then Gokumon arrived, and the temperature in the room went up several degrees.
Vocalist and guitarist Atsushi Osawwa walked out carrying a tapestry bearing the band’s logo, an entrance that was equal parts rock showmanship and old-school charm. He was joined by bassist and vocalist Junko and drummer and vocalist Asuka Kawamoto, as well as a fourth touring member serving as visual jockey, or VJ, a role that proved to be far more than a technical position.
From the first notes of “BUNBUN SUIBUN,” it was clear this was not a band content to stand still. Junko worked the stage constantly, moving from one end to the other with a commanding presence that belied the low-key humor embedded in the band’s lyrics. The VJ, meanwhile, treated the entire venue as his domain, leaping around the stage, engaging directly with audience members and serving as a kind of hype engine that kept energy levels surging from song to song. While the crowd at El Corazon was roughly half capacity, those who showed up were fully invested, and the band played with the same conviction they would bring to a packed arena.
The sonic backbone of the set was anchored by Osawwa’s seven-string guitar and Junko’s five-string bass, a combination that gives Gokumon’s music a low-end weight rarely heard in a three-piece format. Their sound is heavy, genuinely and physically heavy, and yet the band’s signature approach, which they call “Seikatsu Micchaku-gata Loud Rock,” or “Life-Immersed Loud Rock,” keeps it grounded in something universally relatable. Songs about not wanting to get out of bed, cats, not wanting to go to work, rice, and even about wanting to speak English.
“I Wish I Could Speak English,” the band’s newest single, released in 2026, landed with particular warmth from the Seattle audience. There was something genuinely moving about a Japanese rock band playing a song about the struggle to communicate in a foreign language while performing that song on foreign soil during their most ambitious North American run to date. The crowd responded accordingly.
Throughout the night, the band made a point to connect with the audience between songs, talking about their music with the kind of unpretentious ease that makes a mid-sized club feel like a living room. In one memorable moment, they paused to teach the crowd how to properly pronounce their full name, Uchikubi Gokumon Doukoukai, and then just Gokumon while showing anime images from Pokémon, a bit that drew laughs and genuine effort from an audience clearly willing to meet the band halfway. That easy warmth, that playful back-and-forth between performers and fans, is a quality that cannot be faked and cannot be manufactured. Gokumon has it in abundance.
Behind the band, a large rear screen displayed images and song lyrics throughout the set, a practical touch for a crowd hearing Japanese-language songs for the first time, but also a visual element that gave the show an immersive, almost theatrical quality. The VJ’s work was synchronized throughout, elevating the experience beyond a standard rock show into something closer to a fully produced performance event.
The 16-song setlist drew from across the band’s discography, which spans more than a dozen studio albums and mini-albums dating back to 2009. Longtime fans had plenty to cheer about, while newcomers were given a thorough and entertaining introduction to what Gokumon does and why their following in Japan has grown so devoted over two decades. Few moments captured the spirit of the evening better than “Kinniku My Friend,” during which the band led the entire crowd in squats, a participatory bit that caught more than a few audience members completely off guard, apparently unprepared for the evening to double as a workout. It was the kind of spontaneous, joyful absurdity that Gokumon seems to conjure effortlessly. “Neko no Wakusei,” “Nikutabeikou!,” “Shimaguni DNA” and “Nippon no Kome wa Sekaichi” were among the other highlights, each one landing with the kind of crowd reaction that suggested the room had been converted, song by song, into fans.
The encore arrived as a weather-appropriate gift: “Naze Kyou Tenki ga Warui,” which translates roughly to “Why Is the Weather Bad Today,” dedicated, with a grin, to Seattle. It was the perfect closing note for a city that has long made peace with the rain and apparently found a kindred spirit in a Japanese rock band that turns the mundane frustrations of daily life into reasons to jump around and sing.
The audience at El Corazon was itself a story worth telling. From young children to elderly adults, spanning genders and ethnicities, the crowd was as diverse a cross-section of Seattle music fans as one could hope to see at a club show on a Thursday night. That range is not accidental. Gokumon’s music, even across the language barrier, speaks to something universal: the shared experience of navigating ordinary life with humor, energy and a little bit of noise.
Gokumon has two dates remaining on their 2026 North America run: Friday, March 20, at Hard Luck Bar in Toronto, Ontario, and Sunday, March 22, at SOB’s in New York City. If you are in either city, do not sleep on this one. Thursday night at El Corazon proved one thing beyond any doubt: Gokumon’s Seattle show confirmed Japanese rock has no language barrier. This is the kind of show that reminds you why live music matters.
