Injured Ninja are one of the most interesting things we have seen emerge from the Perth music swamp recently; variously described by members of the crowd as ‘atonal’, ‘prog-noise’ and ‘like a vicious Floyd’, there is so much more going on in the music than can be grasped in one listen. The guitar, bass and vocals, each augmented by effects pedals individually, are then manipulated and arranged on stage by Jake Steele at the helm of a sprawling sausage factory of keys, synth, kaoss, delay, mixer and computer. What comes out the other end is probably too loud for the average punter, and too complex and layered for a pop music fan even to grasp; but for those who have seen a thousand live original bands or played in several, Injured Ninja is a refreshing change of soundery. Their music does not reward passive consumption; it is an experience that demands participation from those who attempt its appreciation.
It is what punk was before it had a name, before anyone could imagine that it would be mass produced and sold in flat packs from Ikea, It is about as easy to understand as psychedelic music was for someone who had never been high, and it is what they would have done back then, if they had the technology. It is confronting and disturbing because it does not conform to anyone else’s schema.
Injured Ninja are loud. Really loud. The band may have been concerned that they had driven away the Saturday night crowd, but looking around, it was clear that the crowd was completely engaged: just standing as far away from the speakers as possible. Shortly into the 30 minute set, a couple of people walked up to the stage to show some fist shaking, horns up kind of respect, before moving back beyond ear bleeding range.
By the time Our Bodies had finished, people had started edging forward, and figuring out which part of the beat they could nod to, and a couple of guys decided they just had to dance. Lead guitarist and vocalist Steven Hughes rewarded their enthusiasm by jumping down with his guitar and dancing alongside them for a time, until he needed to get back to the pedal board and make his guitar scream a little bit more. Where most bands play their meat and veg to create an initial fan base, Injured Ninja have not compromised for the sake of nicety, trusting that there are enough people out there who will get it, and playing the music the way they want to hear it.
Standout track of the night IDDQD featured bassist and vocalist Dominic Pierce bashing out an intensely tribal industrial beat on 3 drums while Hughes and Steele sharpened the melody into a stiletto point, then melted it down to begin again. Their debut EP Circuitboard will be launched at Amps at the end of the month with support from a couple of other local acts who are also conspiring to bring about a psychedelic noise revolution.
Using earplugs when you see this band does not make you soft.
