A Joyful Celebration of East & South East Asian Culture and Identity - Review of ‘Ura Matsuri’, Hoxton Hall, 19 October 2024 by Maiko Kawabata

Upon entering Hackney’s Hoxton Hall on a Saturday evening in October, visitors were greeted by a sign in Japanese calligraphy that said ‘Kannazuki’ or ‘Godless month’—a reference to the Shinto tradition of October as a month without gods. The venue, originally built for Victorian-era working-class East Londoners, had been transformed into the setting for ‘Ura Matsuri’ or ‘Ura’ Festival—where ‘ura’ means ‘flip side’ or ‘the other side’.  ‘Alt-festival’ is an approximate translation, in the sense that the event was characterised by its unconventionality, gleefully turning things upside down (perhaps while the gods weren’t looking).

Such was the setting for a whimsical, unabashedly rebellious, no-holds-barred, grab-bag celebration of ESEA (East & South East Asian) culture and identity masterminded by Kazuko Hohki and Kazumi Taguchi, the founding members of the London-based Japanese punk-pop duo Frank Chickens. Their performance (about which, more later) was the grand finale of a sold-out 4-hour show that was by turns dazzling, absurd, irreverent, or laugh-out-loud funny, but infused unfailingly throughout with joy. The line-up of performers captured the diversity of the ESEA diaspora artist community in the UK.

As the compère, the Malaysian writer, comedian and actor Vera Chok shared profound and hilarious personal insights from her recent book of poems, Angry Yellow Woman. Chindon Yeah, a raucous parade of street musicians in colourful kimonos, wove around the audience like a breakaway marching band playing the ‘Sukiyaki’ song. Chinese percussionist Beibei Wang showcased her virtuosity in ‘Marimba Spiritual’ by Minoru Miki and led her group in an amusing cymbals and gong performance of ‘Four Chickens having a conversation’ (in line with the chicken theme, whether by accident or design). Kamura Obscura, a self-described ‘Japanese agit-femme electronic experimentalist’ performed an atmospheric and creative solo set. The delightful Tenzin Sisters (aged 16 and 18) shared their Tibetan heritage via traditional instruments, singing, and dancing. The all-girl J-Pop trio No Cars (and one white male drummer dressed as a racoon) performed entertaining songs about expressing breast milk and about Japanese curry; however, the song title ‘Jap Traps’ struck a sour note by using a derogatory term.

After the interval, ‘Mademoiselle Lychee’, a burlesque dance act by Japanese puppeteer Aya Nakamura, simply brought the house down. Hibiki Ichikawa, the only professional Tsugaru Shamisen player in Europe, led his Shamisen London group with high energy grooves (there was noticeable headbanging in the audience) and accompanied the remarkable vocals of Akari Mochizuki. Vietnamese artist Mai Nguyen Tri & Fear of Fluffing spectacularly combined ‘Zen Punk Butoh Dance’ with live improvised sounds and outrageous costumes. The Frank Chickens set, which kicked off with their hit ‘We Are Ninja’ and included ‘Mothra’ and ‘Fujiyamamama’, exuded explosive comedic and subversive energy.  Their inventive beats, moves, costumes, and staging were delivered with aplomb by all twenty troupe members as well as guest Yuko Tsubame on sanshin (a stringed instrument native to Okinawa).

The Frank Chickens signature stage banter is like stand-up comedy: commenting on their membership of majority Japanese women, they wittily described the one Irishman in their midst as ‘contamination’ and went on to joke that ‘Englishmen are the best… but not hygienic’ and are nonetheless ‘useful… for visas’. The art of using humour to satirise—and thereby potentially overcome—the exclusions experienced by members of the ESEA diaspora in the UK is a powerful tool of resistance, critique and, ultimately, healing. A London show in which white men are present but in the minority makes a contemporary statement about representation and inclusion—and I’d be remiss here not to mention the high level of inclusiveness indicated by the presence of a British Sign Language interpreter, a granny mascot figure, and the LGBTQ-friendly, come-and-go-as-you-please, ‘relaxed’ vibe.

Frank Chickens are at the heart of a growing community of ESEA artists defining their identities on their own terms and building social cohesion through the interconnectivity of performer and audience via music, comedy, and dance. Also contributing to the alt-festive atmosphere were the films shown in the foyer (from Fumi Gomez and Japanese American Toy Theatre of London) as well as stalls for snacks, drinks, merchandise, books (by Natsuko Seki), and prints (by Doura Mizuki). All in all, the Ura Matsuri presented an alternative vision for cultural belonging in the UK as East and Southeast Asians in a way that is positive, heart-warming, topical and vital for today –and, hopefully, for tomorrow.

 

Review by Maiko Kawabata