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Unhinged surf band Daikaiju comes to Ivy Room in Albany

SAN FRANCISCO -- A band whose literally incendiary live show has earned them a reputation as a can't miss act, masked instrumental surf outfit Daikaiju returns to the Bay Area Wednesday when it plays the Ivy Room.

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Daikaiju

Founded in Huntsville, Alabama, in 1999, the group took its name from the Japanese word for "large strange beast" (a reference to the Japanese monster movies like Godzilla and Gamera that the band's music was inspired by). Keeping their identities hidden by using pseudonyms and performing with kabuki masks obscuring their faces, the members of the band quickly developed a loyal following in the Southeast with their kinetic live show and knotty, complex style of surf instrumentals.

Daikaiju - Live at The Bar Car 5/26/2006 Nashville, TN by Marc Elliott on YouTube

The group would release several EPs and tour Europe extensively before finally issuing its self-titled proper debut in 2005 that earned Daikaiju rave reviews and comparisons to similarly conceptual Alabama-based '90s sci-fi surf rockers Man or Astroman? (some have even wondered if former members of that band were involved in the masked group). While not the most prolific recording ensemble -- it would be another five years before they would release a follow-up effort, Phase 2 in 2010 -- the group traveled relentlessly, playing to audiences throughout the Far East and across the U.S.

Daikaiju @ Ukie Club- Philadelphia 8/31/22 by DirtyMovies76 on YouTube

Onstage, the band has made a reputation for the explosive, high-energy stage performances that often climax with the members moving the party out into the streets outside of venues and igniting their instruments with lighter fluid. The group has not put out a new full-length in over a decade, instead choosing to focus on split 45s with other bands and digital singles -- its most recent for the song "Red Tsunami" earlier this year. For this return visit to the Bay Area, the quartet will be joined at the Ivy Room Wednesday by surf-inspired SF band Frankie and the Pool Boys and Morricone-meets-Dick-Dale San Francisco-based surf outfit Hangtown with renowned DJ Sid Presley spinning rare garage and surf 45s between bands.

Daikaiju
Wednesday, Sept. 28, 7:30 p.m. $12-$15
The Ivy Room

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