PHOTOS: ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION, O2 ACADEMY ISLINGTON, LONDON, 08/11/2015
The test of time is something that can make or break a band. Where some grow stale with age, some manage to prosper as they keep themselves from falling into obscurity with new material and engaging live shows that can stand their own against the slew of younger new comers. ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION are one of the latter bands, and next year they will be celebrating their 20th anniversary.
In November they took centre stage at London’s O2 Academy Islington for the first time since their UK debut back in 2013. To a passionate crowd, Gotō, Kita, Yamada, and Ijichi, played a fan picked set-list of 20+ tracks, from career defining classics to the latest tunes from their 2015 8-beat rock album Wonder Future. Performing like Japan’s answer to Oasis with a sound akin to that of Weezer and Radiohead, they’re good, and they know it, as they nonchalantly go song after song making every rhyme, riff, and solo look like a walk in the park.
ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION proved that despite the band’s age, they show no sign of slowing down any time soon, and with the news of a new song in the works, it’s going to be a long while until we see the last of one of Japan’s most iconic indie rock outfits.
Words and photos by Charles Shepherd
RELATED LINKS:
ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION GET DUAL ALBUM RELEASE AHEAD OF ‘WONDER FUTURE’ EU TOUR
ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION – INTERVIEW IN LONDON
