[ATTENDED: February 12, 2022] CHAI
I heard about CHAI from NPR. Bob Boilen had found them charming and said their live show was not to be missed. But since they were from Japan I had to wonder how likely it would be to see them. When they announced a tour, I grabbed pre-sale tickets even though I was sure it wouldn’t sell out.
It didn’t, of course, and it was scheduled opposite Joe Russo’s Almost Dead, so the two crowds couldn’t have been more different.
So here’s a brief histoy of CHAI
Chai was formed in 2012 in Nagoya, by twin sisters Mana and Kana. Mana, Kana, and Yuna were in the same class at high school. Yuna introduced the other band members to Japanese music that did not easily fit into the traditional definition of “J-Pop”, such as the band Cero or Kimyō Reitaro. After the members went to university, Mana became friends with Yuuki (originally from Gifu Prefecture, who had moved to Nagoya), and asked the four friends to form a band. The band’s name comes from Russian tea (known as chai). Kana drank the tea with jam with her Russian literature professor at a Russian restaurant, which she thought was cute.
Cute is the key. They wanted to make something that was neo-Kawaii. Not as limiting as what people thought of as kawaii.
The band came out in brightly reflective rain jackets with hoods. Underneath these were pink toile…outerwear. Underneath those were a kind of jumpsuit that had short sleeves and pants. In short, they were matching and they were a sight to behold.
Three of the women came to the front of the stage and faced away from the audience. The fourth, Yuni, sat at the drum set. She played a beat while electronic sounds swirled (I assume she was triggering, them, too, but who knows).
The other three women proceeded to do synchronized and, at times, wildly freeform “dances.” as they sang their hilarious song “No More Cake.”
Thank you for reminding me your daily makeup routine
But look at you
That’s way too much
That’s way too much
You’re not a cake
Look at you
That’s way too much
Your face is made up like a cake ha?
As the song neared its end, Kana was handed a guitar. She walked up front and proceeded to play a noisy, wonderfully wild guitar solo. Then she handed the guitar back and they finished the song.
Then Yuni joined the other three as the four of them danced and sane their song ACTION. A wild, frenetic chant to fun.
It was an exhausting seven minutes. And I’m sure they were pretty wiped out too by then. They took off their shiny coats to reveal their toile outfits in full.
The four of them settled into their places at the back of the stage. Kana on the left, then Mana, who sings most of the lead vocals (she and Kana are sisters). Then there was Yuuki who plays bass and synth and finally Yuni on drums.
The next song “In PInk” was full of funk. It was great. The four women tend to sing a lot at the same time and they sing in really high-pitched voices. It’s a little hard to understand them (especially since sometimes they are singing in Japanese), but it works wonderfully.
Then Yuuki moved to the far left and everyone else shifted down for “Nobody Knows We Are Fun.” (This is the most false statement in all of music–CHAI is the most fun band I have ever seen and you know it in about thirty seconds). The song is a kind of slow funky quiet song with whispered vocals. It’s a hugely different sound and maybe makes it seem like they’re not as fun as they are?
They moved back to their original positions for the slow, sultry sounds (complete with some crazy phase-shifted keyboards) of “Maybe Chocolate Chips.”
Imperfection is truth
In the cuffs of our youth
I wrote this song as the sun had set and the horizon remind me of you
Your moles are what deem you special
And if he can’t see don’t settle
Your opalescent smile
It’s like god made joy and he made you a vessel
All four of them jumped back to the front of the stage to rap the “band’s introduction.” They talked about themselves. About how happy they are and how they are all part of the “best band CHAI.”
Then things got really crazy. They started in on “Cool Cool Vision.” A siren sounded, Mana played a pretty rocking riff on the guitar while Mana stood out front and danced like a dervish (This song is all in Japanese).
There was no relaxing after this as Yuuki picked up a bass (she has such a great bass sound I wish she’d play it more… except that her Moog is so drenched in funky sounds that I loved that too). Mana and Kana were out front singing and dancing to “END.” The song is mostly in Japanese with a wonderful moment where they sing the same word (or syllable) over and over while pointing at each other and then switch to English:
だだだだ だらららら
でぃでぃでぃでぃでぃ りりりり
でゅでゅでゅでゅでゅ るるるる
でででででで today
Shut up
Hey, cool your head
Shut up
You go home and cool off
Things seemed like they would settle down an as Kana and Yuni went behind a big pink table with a sound effects machine on it. Yuni pounded out a drum rhythm while Kana was a wild woman. Dancing around (Kana and Yukki got a little rest) and seemingly slapping Yuni to the beat. They created a wild rhythm that was chock full of video game sound effects. This was an extended intro to “PING PONG,” which Mana and Kana sang while Yuuki took over making sound effects.
It was, once again, exhausting.
But then they settled down to a very traditional R&B love song. Except this one was originally sung by Mariya Takeuchi and is called “Plastic Love.” Even though CHAI is as cute as anything, they can pull off a sexy song or two (like “Miracle”). Then they slowed things down even further with a lead vocal performance from Kana on the gentle ballad “Wish Upon a Star.”
There were more changes to come though, as Yuuki and Yuni stood up front while Kana played bass. They sang the slow but upbeat “United Girls Rock’N’Roll Club” (a song that they duetted on with the Spanish band Hinds). Then Yuni sat back at her kit and told us that this was their first time in Philly and she had not had a cheesesteak yet and she very much wanted one.
This served as a roundabout introduction to their new album Wink‘s opening track “Donut Mind If I Do,” a slow sexy song that belies its silly title. Once again Yuuki was on a great-sounding bass.
The band ended the set and sort of left for an encore. Whether it was the size of the stage or something else, I don’t know, but they started to leave the stage and then stopped and asked if we wanted one more. So it was sort of an encore break.
Everyone got back into position for the fun and dancey and very uplifting “N.E.O.” Over chants of “you are so cute” and “nice body” (these were affirmations, not come-ons) they played a funky rhythm with some very cool bass lines. The song sort of collapsed on itself as the set ended and everything was wonderful.
So, yes, it was a fairly short set (maybe an hour?) but it was so packed full of energy and fun that it felt like a much longer show. They must have been exhausted.
- No More Cake (new single)
- ACTION ⊕
- IN PINK ⊕
- Nobody Knows We Are Fun ⊕
- Maybe Chocolate Chips ⊕
- (Band’s Self-Introduction)
- Cool Cool Vision €
- END ⊕
- PING PONG! ⊕
- Plastic Love
- Miracle ⊕
- Wish Upon a Star ⊕
- United Girls Rock’N’Roll Club (single with HINDS 2020)
- Donuts Mind If I Do ⊕
encore - N.E.O. ♥
⊕ WINK (2021)
♥ PINK (2017)
€ Homegoro Series EP (2017)
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