Blood-sucking fun from Japan

With an act self-described as the ‘best-dressed vampire band in Japan,’ Thee 50s High Teens is… With an act self-described as the ‘best-dressed vampire band in Japan,’ Thee 50s High Teens is bound to draw a diverse crowd. And Tuesday’s show at Howler’s Coyote Cafe in Bloomfield was no exception ‘mdash; indie kids, anime fans and many others stood shoulder to shoulder representing a perfect cross-section of the Pittsburgh alternative community. Thee 50s High Teens, an all-girl Japanese punk band featuring Tomo (lead vocals/bass), Sue (drums/vocals), Nami (guitar/vocals) and Yocci (keyboard/vocals), visited Pittsburgh on Tuesday to promote the recent U.S. release of its 2004 album, Punch De Beat. Tomo founded the band more than 10 years ago in the Fukuoka prefecture of Japan, and it’s still playing its unique garage-screampunk blend. The band has attained a large amount of indie popularity in Japan and has toured Europe, but this is its first foray into the United States, where it lives on the fringe of indie fanfare. Two bands opened for the High Teens at Howler’s. First up was Weird Paul Rock Band, a Pittsburgh staple that delivered a strong (if unexciting) set. Leading up to the Teens was The Main Events, a ‘turnbuckle rock’ band that sang exclusively about wrestling, including hits like ‘Wrestling is Real’ and ‘Hulk Hogan Sucks.’ Its sound was pretty generic, but its high-energy (and very amusing) performance was a fantastic crowd-pleaser. Once the openers were done, the girls, decked out in full vampire regalia, began setting up their instruments as the crowd waited. There was a certain hilarity to the situation, seeing four incredibly adorable vampire girls set up the stage like pros. Yocci ‘mdash; quite possibly a bit tipsy ‘mdash; had the whole crowd enthralled, as she struggled valiantly with getting her keyboard on its stand. The actual main event was set to begin. And then, without transition or warning, the insane screaming began. The High Teens had arrived. Starting off with a crazy mix of instrumentals and shrieks, the band quickly transitioned into ‘Don’t Break My Heart,’ the first track on Punch De Beat, where Tomo’s vocal prowess really shined ‘mdash; an unexpected, guttural snarl that gave the band’s sound a hard edge. The High Teens played almost every song off of Punch De Beat, including its cover of the Isley Brothers’ ‘Shout,’ which drove the crowd wild. Aside from the single-worthy ‘Don’t Break My Heart, the scream-funk ‘It’s All Over’ and the more down-tempo, vocal-heavy (and catchy) ‘Stroller In The Air’ stood out, though every song was more than well received. Emphatic cries of, ‘Again!’ invoked an encore featuring two songs from the band’s self-titled first album. The energy level was through the roof ‘mdash; the Teens was clearly what the crowd was waiting for all night. The girls’ sound was somewhat eclectic, a mix of hardcore scream-punk and mellower garage sounds. What was most engaging about the High Teens’ performance was not so much the sound itself as the expectations that it crushed. From the girls’ mega-cute appearance, one might expect a poppy girl-rock sound. On the other hand, their vampire aesthetic seems to indicate a goth or death-metal inclination. Instead, it’s just straight-up punk, avoiding a gimmicky pitfall and instead delivering an awesome, energy-packed show. ‘ ‘ ‘ This dissonance also indicated that the girls didn’t take themselves too seriously, which only added to the experience ‘mdash; drummer Sue, seemingly the most English-proficient of the group, even attempted a rousing ‘Go Steelers!’ cheer between songs, which was (of course) heartily received (and reflected) by the crowd. The moment that really defined the show, however, was that first round of yells and growls that emanated from the vampire girls to start the show ‘mdash; energizing, jarring, unexpected and absolutely awesome.