Asobi Seksu, in Late February 2011

After buying the shirt for BRAHMS I was too broke to buy Asobi Seksu's latest. The shirt was to keep BRAHMS in mind for when they come back. It was my first time seeing them. This was my third time seeing AS. All three times the world changed on me. I think I took a vacation day from work to see them the first time. My friends Killer Moon was still just Jesse and Amaris. I felt such great urgency to see Asobi Seksu, like it was the only time. The world was different around me when I first was made aware of Asobi Seksu. Citrus was the CD that first hooked me to the band, with "Thursday", "Strawberries". There are just so many songs. They have that sweet feminine voice driving these aggressive guitars and drums. Fearless, power-shoe gaze, that gives you this instant feeling of nostalgia with the songs even without actually taking you back. You're still driving forward, just in an old muscle car. My routines were different then at the point of discovery. We were all at the beginning of the Great Recession. Yeah, I'm gonna capitalize that. It was urgent for me to see AS live and fill the nostalgia cup. It's fascinating to feel like you have an old relationship with a new song. And now it's March 2011. The third time seeing AS is now behind me. Seeing them this time was a much more casual thing, and I actually do have that long term relationship with AS. I have a real history with the music now. The unsigned BRAHMS hooked me with their song "Repeat It", for which they have a video. They played that song second to last. They were awesome, dancey like Depeche Mode/Golden Filter. The audience was big but hard to read. They seemed kind of luke warm to them. They were not being ignored but I was probably one of three people dancing to them. Then Asobi Seksu played to that same casual familiar audience. It was nice to see old friends that you know like the band, like Scary Lady Sarah and William Faith. They create and promote the music that I have identified with for years. They played and appreciated shoe-gaze when the rest of the world sneered at it. Oh, yeah. AS played from their new CD as well as all those songs that have played in my head for the last few years. It's nice to have a few constants even as the local and indeed the entire economy crumbles under your step.

Kaspar-Zig