Mountain Mocha Kilimanjaro @Festival Barracks Bar, Sydney(8/1/12)

Wed 11th Jan, 2012 in Gig Reviews

Sydney Festival has established itself as one of the most respected annual events of the city, and as a result, it draws a unique amount of punters to many of its shows. You associate Sydney Festival with quality. It has a penchant for bringing out acts that are no less entertaining than they are unique, and Mountain Mocha Kilimanjaro typifies the philosophy of the festival.

For those who aren’t familiar with the group, they played at Sydney Festival two years ago, playing a series of shows of such quality that it was no surprise to see them return. Fans and punters filled the venue in what seemed to be equal proportions, but by the end of the night the audience had been converted. At the core of Mountain Mocha Kilimanjaro or “MMK”, as they often refer to themselves, are entertainers. An MMK performance is as much focused at engaging the audience as it is about including them, and the band was able to fulfill both of these goals to a high degree in their show at the Festival Bar.

Accompanied by a background torrent of rain, the band were met with both the distraction of the weather in the semi-outdoor venue, whilst having to validate the audiences’ decision to come out; which had soaked close to the entirety of the crowd. Suffice to say, several songs into the set and the band had already achieved this. Naokazu Kobayashi, the groups’ guitarist, served as their front man for the night, announcing on the bands arrive to the stage in a heavy accent: “We are here to give you a good time!” Throughout the evening Kobayashi’s presence drove the set, with his clear joy to be playing the show echoing throughout the audience. Kobayashi’s best moments, however, came in his solos throughout the night. His duel with saxophonist, Kunimitsu Ohashi, and his closing set displayed a savage style and energy that drove the band throughout the night, leaving a lasting impression on a clearly awed crowd.

The group moved through tracks off their self-titled including Time Has Come, Don’t Touch, Just Watch Me, and Yellow Soul Force; however, they didn’t run as separate songs, instead with the band weaving each song into the next. Throughout the bands two hour long set, there were seldom standing still in the packed out festival bar, squeezed in undercover to avoid the downpour. In defiance of the rain, the bands’ warm brass-heavy tunes transported the crowd away from the miserable weather.

There’s a certain appeal to an MMK show that exceeds their musical ability. While each member of the band ranges from talented to virtuosic at their instruments, it isn’t why I’ve made the vow never to miss a Sydney show from them. Although Kobayashi is the only member who attempts to communicate with the crowd in English, and often expresses his trouble with the language; when it comes down to it, the group is special because of how easily they transcend the boundary of language.

As the band played through songs including Sympathy and Just a Rambling Man, they all shared a mutual expression of glee, and a rarely matched enthusiasm for performing. Through cheering, laughing and constantly making gestures at the audience, MMK are able to develop a strong, and a special connection with the crowd. This connection drives and defines their live show, as something more than a musical performance.

Concluding their encore with a call and response, Kobayashi and the band reaffirmed their performance as something very much a product of audience participation, and the cheering that punctuated the bands’ exit proved this. Despite being extraordinary entertainers, Mountain Mocha Kilimanjaro played to a crowd with few strong fans within it. In a way, it’s hard for them to develop a strong following when their music can’t be found in many stores. That said, the quickly sold out CD’s at the merchandise table after the show proved one thing: although there were people in the crowd before the show who weren’t fans of the band, they were now.