Review: Japanese Breakfast, Thekla

Michelle Zauner’s project Japanese Breakfast may have bit of a dodgy band name, inviting inevitable food based puns and witticisms from music hacks. However her performance at the Thekla was far from dodgy and if we have to indulge in puns and references, gave the audience a tasty smorgasbord of her talent.

The set showcased smart, sharp and personal lyrics, an ear for a melody, and her essential fearlessness, a fearlessness which is all too rare in much of the sanitised, indie music you hear nowadays. At no point was Zauner afraid to move from full on indie-pop, to dream-pop to retro-shoegazing, to bare-bones near acoustic renditions of her songs. Not only was she musically bold she was not averse to lyrically confronting and describing situations and ideas which may be difficult or off the wall or even incomprehensible to her audience.

And, for a change the audience was respectful, no inane chatter during songs, no endless taking of selfies and no constantly filming the gig. Just quiet concentration and absorption when the band played and very enthusiastic and appreciative responses as each song finished or when she chatted between songs. Though anyone who says that the people on the balcony at the Thekla remind her of the ‘kids in Waterworld’ and proceeds to digress for a few minutes on the merits of that film deserves a positive response.

Zauner’s band consisting of drums, bass, guitar and keyboards were near note-perfect for the entire show, however there was enough grit and occasional rough edges to keep it interesting. At no point would you think that you might as well be listening to the songs at home. Live songs like This House and Triple 7 and their stripped back sound gained an element of rawness which could tug at the heartstrings and make you think.

However it wasn’t all reflective, gentle dream-pop which admittedly could sucker punch you at any point and frequently did. The final trio of songs Diving Woman, Road Head and Everybody Wants To Love You were superb guitar driven tracks. the latter being particularly on the psychedelic side. Psychedelia, but good psychedelia, multilayered, with swirling guitars and effects and a massive drum sound, not just a bunch of mop-haired fops twanging Rickenbackers and pretending they took vast amounts of psychoactive stimuli for breakfast.

The only criticism which could be levelled at Japanese Breakfast is that the set was too short at just over an hour. However with only two albums of material released and a tendency to write short songs this was understandable and forgivable. And if truth be told Zauner was such an engaging, charming and talented performer who had the audience hanging on her every word and guitar chord by the end of the show she could and would be forgiven anything.