Bo Ningen / Hoxton Bar & Kitchen

If you’ve been around Hackney this past summer, chances are you’ve the fearsome foursome known as Bo Ningen around. Originally from Japan, the line up consists of Taigen (Vocal/Bass), Kohhei (guitar) , Yuki (guitar) and Mon-chan (Drums) who met and began playing together in Hackney. With hair down to their waist and the ability to build an intense cult following in London while only having just released their second official album, Line the Wall, these guys are refreshingly eccentric, totally fresh and surprisingly humble.

I caught them at the Hoxton Square Bar and Grill, a gig which I couldn’t have been more excited for after seeing them in a tightly packed tent at 1234 Festival this year, in which they brought an energy and rawness that was almost punk like, together with an incredible mix of psychedelia, art rock and pure metal.

So it was with great excitement I could see them at Hoxton Square Bar and Grill to promote their eagerly awaiting second album, Line the Wall. Following on the heels of their impeccable self-titled debut, Line the Wall’s is essentially a psychedelic rock masterpiece.

The venue packed up quickly for some great DJ action from Andy Fraser and Faris Badwan from the Horrors amongst other and opening bands Blue on Blue and Race Horses provided some brilliant supporting action, but once Bo Ningen came on stage, all bets were off.

Opening with 'Soko', the band brought an already warmed up ground literally bouncing off their feet. Following with other great tracks such as 'Henkan', 'Nichijyou', and the amazing 'Mogura', the venue was on fire just over half way into their set.

It wasn’t until an impeccable version of 'Natsu no Nioi and Daikaisei pt. 2 and 3' that I realised why I love Bo Ningen so much. It’s simply because there’s nothing like Bo Ningen out there – definitely not in London, probably not in Europe, and possibly not on the planet Earth. A fair warning for any serious music fan: go see the most exciting band out there.
James Cunningham