Simon RushworthThe Mutants – Tokyo Nights (Killer Tracks)
Genre: Garage/Surf/Rockabilly/Punk
Versatility is a word bandied about with lazy abandon by those wishing to elevate an album’s status above its natural place in the order of modern music.
In 2015 there are many bands that sit outside the norm, defy genre classification and offer something different. But the majority show very little ambition within the confines of their own creativity.
In the case of The Mutants versatility is a tag that fits like the proverbial glove. It’s a monicker this abstract collective fully deserve and in one word it perfectly sums up a magical mix of styles, cultures and collaborations.
Chris Constantinou (The Wolfmen, Sinead O’Connor, Adam Ant) and Paul Frazer (Black Futures, The Prodigy) have joined forces with Rat Scabies (The Damned) and Steve ‘West’ Weston (Wilko Johnson, Roger Daltrey) to form a band built on adventure. Then they’ve only gone and teamed up with the biggest and best names in Japanese garage, surf and rockabilly.
It’s a melting pot of musical mischief. Twelve blasts of short and (bitter)sweet snapshots of Tokyo’s growling underbelly make for one of the most compelling releases of the year.
Samurai Death Wish, featuring members of The Sham and The Golden Wet Fingers is a fabulous place to start but Mikabomb’s Mika Handa steals the show on the ludicrously catchy Ichi The Killer.
If Tokyo Nights are anything like as exciting as The Mutants make out then make it your mission to make Japan’s ultimate city break destination your next rock stop. Versatility guaranteed. Simon Rushworth
RUSHONROCK RATED: 8/10 Crazy Crazy Nights