Fri 2 March 8PM | £11 (fees apply)


Geoff Leigh & Makoto Kawabata

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Baba Yaga’s Hut presents: 

Makoto Kawabata & Geoff Leigh + Support act by Kamura Obscura solo 

Friday 2 March doors 8pm | £11 (fees apply)  BUY TICKET

Makoto “Speed Guru” Kawabata is best known as leader of Japanese psychedelic band Acid Mothers Temple, and for his innumerable collaborations & recordings with members of Gong, Guru Guru, & many other Japanese and international musicians.

Geoff Leigh is well known for his work with Henry Cow in the early 70’s, as well as contributing to fellow Virgin bands of the time Hatfield And The North, & Slapp Happy. In recent years he has collaborated with members of Faust, Porcupine Tree (as Ex-Wise Heads with bassist Colin Edwin), Nurse With Wound, and musicians such as Mitsuru Tabata, Tatsuya Yoshida, & Nana Tsiboe. He is currently a member of Jump For Joy (featuring members of Faust & Henry Cow), and The Artaud Beats (also featuring Henry Cow alumni).

The duo first played together in Kyoto, Japan, in 2014 – the recording of this concert was released on CD as Spatial Roots.

In 2016 they played eight concerts in Japan – material from these is in the pipeline for a 2nd CD release. Their music embraces a wide range of styles and influences, mixing elements of ethnic, rock, jazz, world, ambient, & electronica, and is completely improvised.

 

Kamura Obscura solo – Atsuko Kamura

One of Tokyo’s most emotive and inventive singers, part of the women’s liberation movement, giving birth to the first Japanese feminist punk band, Mizutama Shobodan (Polkadot Fire Brigade), Japanese agit-prop feminist pioneers. They toured Japan and released two albums, the second of which, Manten ni Akai Hanabira (Red Petals Full in the Sky) was produced by Fred Frith.

​She joined UK based Japanese pop group Frank Chickens alongside Kazuko Hohki in 1988 and toured Europe, US, New Zealand, Australia, Canada, USSR and Japan. This group appeared in Kazuko’s Karaoke Klub on Channel 4 TV in UK in which Kamura was hostess to Spike Milligan, also surviving Jimmy Saville, and performing in musical Club Monkey.

​After decades of soaking up London underground rave, in 2002 she began working with Robert Storey (Orchestre Murphy) in a new group I am A Kamura (Simon King – guitar, Matt Armstrong – bass, and Paul May – drums).

​Other projects included vocal duo Honeymoons with Tenko, touring in Europe, Canada and US where they played with innovative New York improvisers such as Tom Cora. Their album was produced by Kenichi Takeda. Kamura’s hard rock project Yamaneko (Hiroshi Higo – bass, Boy – drums and Lapis – guitar) featured performances with John Zorn. And Anglo-Japanese jazz progressive rock band, Setsubun Bean Unit, (Gideon Jukes – tuba, Pete Flood – drums, Brendan Kelly – sax) who made an appearance in Sonar festival in Barcelona in 2007, whilst she has also worked with improvising rock trio Superstrings. As a solo improviser vocalist Kamura has performed with improvisers Eddie Prevost, Clive Bell, Sylvia Hallett and Charles Haywood.

https://www.kamuraobscura.com