On one of the most prominent streets in Manchester's Northern Quarter, the Night & Day Cafe is still a lowkey, unassuming place despite its history and reputation. A cafe bar during the day, it is transformed into an intimate live music venue in the evening and tonight takes on extra significance as it plays host to only the second show The Cabs have played outside of their native Japan, having played London the previous evening.
It is an evening some thought they would never see, as The Cabs originally disbanded in 2013 before reuniting last year. There is a decent turnout too but it seems to be mostly casual observers curious to see what the fuss is about rather than hardcore emo/math rock fans (although there are some of those too).
Local masked duo Binge open up the show. They start off with some doomy chords before speeding off down the Lightning Bolt noise rock avenue. It is super heavy and they create one hell of a groove with some dynamic drumming and a colossal guitar tone. There are some math rock moments but generally this is an all out, relentless assault on the senses. The sound is dense and progressive and you can't help but be sucked in by the percussive brilliance of it. That percussive beat is provided by the incredible Mark Heron who impresses not only with the variety of his beats but also with the unbelievable amount of stamina he has. One track is frantic mathcore which has a nice jazzy interlude that allows you to catch your breath before it becomes chaotic and intense again. Absolutely brilliant.
The Cabs start off with the emo tinged mathrock of 'Anschluss' which starts off summery and builds to something more dynamic with touches of chaotic screamo. 'Nigastu No Heitei' is math rock with some complex noodling but the rhythm section keeps it tight and focused. The interplay between the clean and screamed vocals is great and the crowd greets each track like returning heroes. 'Leland' has lovely vocal melodies and some controlled yet chaotic guitar playing. They manage to be both challenging yet accessible at the same time.
The guitarist Kunimitsu tries to address the crowd and express his gratitude but he struggles a bit with the language so he leaves it to the drummer Itta instead but they seem genuinely happy to be here. The drumming is intuitive and combined with Yoshikatsu's bass playing provides a solid bass for Kunimitsu to go wild. Yoshikatsu's clean vocals have a sing song quality to them and prove to be quite emotional. There are quite a few time changes and twists and turns where they abruptly stop one passage and immediately veer down another path but it still sounds natural and it totally works. The band have been missed, and the announcement of the intention to release new material is greeted by a rapturous reception. One of those new tracks is spiky and dynamic, with much more of an screamo feel, and it bodes well for any upcoming release. 'Camn Aven' has technical guitar playing reminiscent of Minus The Bear and the moving chorus is terrific. Looking out at the crowd, you get the impression that some have been waiting forever for this and The Cabs don't disappoint.
The Cabs ****
Binge *****
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