Concert review/photos: OOIOO @ Johnny Brenda's

With heads swaddled in white cloth and strong, tattooed arms exposed, two men carried a pair of xylophone-like instruments onto Johnny Brenda's stage on Monday night. An uncommon sight, these metallophones belong to the ancient Javanese music tradition of gamelan and were positioned in the center of the stage, indicating just how critical they would be to the evening's show. After the men seated themselves on the ground they were soon encircled by the four core members of OOIOO, the 17-year-old, genre-defying group founded by Boredoms drummer Yoshimi P-We. 

Even after repeated listens to their new album, Gamel, when OOIOO began to play it was like nothing I had ever heard. The simple harmonies of the metallophones evoked something fundamental about music, while the furious drumming and Yoshimi's shrieking and wailing added a touch of the primitive. This was layered upon an ever-shifting canvas of funk, noise-rock and psychedelia.

While much of OOIOO's music is filled with repetition, the songs never become dull. Listening to their music is like a meditative practice, with intent focus revealing different layers of sound. The sonic trance was broken about mid-way through when the two gamelan players rose and started chanting in shrill, surreal voices while waving their arms. This unexpected interlude had me almost jump out of my skin.

Yoshimi, with her percussive vocals and commanding presence, led the highly-disciplined group, all of whom played their instruments with straight backs. When they had finished their set, the Japanese band gracefully bowed and left the stage. The person next to me, stunned by the performance, said "They don't need to do an encore." But OOIOO returned with three more songs to round out their rare appearance in Philly.