:: Buffalo Daughter - Ding Dong Lounge, Melbourne - August 04

By: Adrian Ringin

I had never heard any of Buffalo Daughters music before seeing this gig, and going in, I had no idea what to expect. Now, having seen and heard them, I am still not sure what it is they do, but they are definitely interesting.

Buffalo Daughter has been around for some time, and were signed to the Beastie Boys Grand Royal label for a time before that label folded. They had just flown in from Tokyo for a quick, two date Australian tour, Sydney and Melbourne only, to support their new album Psychic. At the Ding Dong they performed the whole album, (five tracks and 50 minutes long) before doing a couple of their older numbers as an encore.

They set up on stage with their DJ, Moog, and drummer Atsushi at the rear of the stage facing forward, and the two guitarists, Yumiko and Sugar, to each side of the stage either side facing each other. All the band members are surrounded by their musical equipments, each member, save the drummer, having at least one electronics board in front of them. This seems to ensure that while the band can see the audience, they can all see each other very easily. Said setup, and the fairly minimal interaction with the audience for most of the gig made this feel a bit like a jam session that an audience just happened to be present for, rather than a performance simply performed for the benefit of the audience.

I don’t know how to categorise Buffalo Daughter – it was electronic, pop, with the noise so many Japanese bands love to utilise. The vocals were fairly minimal, but they are not missed – their music is quite good on its own. Atsushi’s drumming was amazingly good, very fast and with great control. Yumiko used her keyboard and synths rather than her bass most of the time, Sugar’s guitar playing was consistent and good, and as for what Moog was doing with his turntable and collection of knobs, bells and whistles – I have no idea, but the overall effect was good. In some ways it was four musicians almost jamming rather than playing for an audience, but towards the end it seemed clear they were feeding from the audience’s energy and really getting into it.

I can’t really say what Buffalo Daughter is. But I can say I am glad I went to see them.