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[Breaking News] Porno Super Express 2017: Live Report on Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra
ROTTENGRAFFTY’s Porno Chotokkyu, a classic winter tradition in Kyoto.
Breaking down genre barriers, fiery bands from all over Japan gather in Kyoto!
Here’s a breaking live report from the Kinkaku Stage!
Life is a festival. Let’s enjoy it so we don’t end up missing the party.
At Pornograffitti Super Express 2017, the fourth act on the Kinkaku Stage was Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra.
We’re kicking off the live show with “Ska-ravan,” a ska arrangement of Duke Ellington’s jazz number “Caravan.”
An instrumental number with solo sections where you can fully enjoy each member’s performance, greeting an audience of 10,000.
Hajime Omori whipped up the crowd with a deep, booming chant, and it kicked off in high spirits as the audience bounced around doing ska dance steps.
No sooner had it ended than, amid a huge cheer and Yanaka Atsushi’s call of “Special guest: TAKUMA from 10-FEET!”, TAKUMA of 10-FEET appeared.
When NARGO’s wistful trumpet strikes the first note, a thunderous cheer erupts from the audience.
When they launched into the hard-boiled killer tune “Samurai Dreamers - Sabireru na Wa yo -,” included on the album Paradise Has NO BORDER released in March, circle pits broke out during the chorus, crowdsurfers rolled toward the stage one after another, and the venue’s energy reached a fever pitch.
After Atsushi Yanaka told TAKUMA, “I’m happy we get to play together at all sorts of events in both summer and winter,” they shared a friendly anecdote and then performed the maxi single “Senkou,” released in 2013 featuring 10-FEET.
When TAKUMA raises the microphone above his head, the audience responds in unison with a sing-along.
With its positive lyrics and soothing melody, the venue was enveloped in a happy aura.
At the end of the song, TAKUMA hugged Atsushi Yanaka and left the stage. Hajime Omori shouted, “Life is a festival. Let’s enjoy it so it doesn’t become a missed festival. Music is a journey. Leave your shame on the road!” and Routine Melodies began.
After easing the crowd with a laid-back, feel-good, medium-tempo, side-to-side ska number sung by Hajime Omori and Atsushi Yanaka, they move into “DOWN BEAT STOMP,” practically synonymous with Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra.
Smiles spread throughout the venue to the upbeat melodies of the horn section.
A breathtaking sight as everyone in the venue links arms and sways from side to side.
The sixth track is the live staple number, “Peddlers.”
This is a tight, danceable arrangement of the Russian folk song Korobeiniki. As Yuichi Oki’s melancholic accordion tone begins to flow, Takashi Kato’s tremolo guitar rings out across the venue, cutting through it.
We enjoyed the members’ standout moments, including GAMO’s sax solo, Masahiko Kitahara’s trombone solo, NARGO’s trumpet solo, and Tsuyoshi Kawakami’s bass solo, and from the audience rose a swelling chant of “Ha! Ha! Ha!”
The seventh song performed, “Michi Naki Michi, Hankotsu no.,” is the theme song for the film “Japan’s Most Evil,” and was released as a maxi single in 2016.
When Atsushi Yanaka arched his long limbs gracefully as he sang, a chorus rose from the audience, and I strongly felt that this has become one of Skapara’s signature songs today.
With Atsushi Yanaka’s MC, “Everyone put your hands up—then put them down and link shoulders, all of you!”, the entire venue had their arms around each other as the last number began: “All Good Ska is One.”
To the familiar tune used in Aquarius TV commercials, the entire venue linked arms and swayed from side to side, creating a breathtaking scene.
Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra delivered an outstanding performance where music united the stage and the audience, turning neighbors in the crowd into comrades.
Porno Chotokkyu 2017 Photo by HayachiN
Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra Official Website