It`s always a bit of a minefield when you google a name like Adult Play on the world wide web, go ahead and try it. Nevertheless, Adult Play are a self-described Post-Pfunk / Salop-Hop quintet from Shrewsbury, Shropshire and share a short but well received set tonight which included songs like `See Me Now` which had a chorus of “Say no more” which was made for singing along to and what I think was `Lightbulb` before closing out with a number that will grace a forthcoming EP which I think was called `At James`s Bar` which has been played on Tom Robinson`s BBC 6 music show. The band had some merchandise for sale and were encouraging us to if not purchase some at least take a photograph. An enjoyable mix of funk and alternative rock and a band that I’ll hopefully catch again.
Takeshi`s Cashew not to be confused with Takeshi`s Castle the late eighties Japanese gameshow are a post pfunk sextet from Austria and arrive at the Hare & Hounds for their debut Birmingham show. They share, over the next hour, tracks such as `Yelloyello` and `El Topo` from their album `Humans In A Pool` and recently released `Enter J`s Chamber`. They also play `l’ane vert a l’envers`, a really trippy offering that has lyrics added in the intro at these recent live shows.
Although the band are predominantly instrumental, they take us on an eclectic pulsing melodic journey that at time feels like you are travelling through the Amazonian jungle and next are in the heart of Africa with some delightful danceable Afrobeat rhythms. At times the band veer off in a psychedelic haze with bouzoukis, hand percussion, a punji flute and an elongated kind of didgeridoo adding to this hypnotic mix. There`s are touches of Celtic fusion along the way as flutes infuse into this soundscape and there was one song where I felt that I was on the boat heading down the Nung river to challenge Colonel Kultz in Apocalypse Now. Takeshi`s Cashew are like no other band around and would absolutely go down a storm at a festival.
The band have four more shows in the UK before heading back to dates in Europe so I’d urge you to catch any of these if you can as i`m sure they`ll mesmerise you as much as they did me.
