Wrangler

Koenji High, Tokyo, Japan - 7 March 2015

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"I saw Wrangler live with my own eyes"

I saw Wrangler live with my own eyes in Koenji, Tokyo.

This was the first of two nights of gigs, and Wrangler's first ever in Japan. It was a dazzling performance and a new creative way of producing electronic pop. I think Stephen Mallinder’s method of music is different from that of his former Cabaret Voltaire partner Richard H. Kirk because Mal is a bandsman. Wrangler's music includes the rhythm of Neue Deutsche Welle, recent John Foxx & The Maths, along with the influence of Cabaret Voltaire's music. Mal produced all kinds of cool voices courtesy of the effects of a Korg Kaoss Pad.

There is an absolute necessity for Benge’s electronic percussion section and Phil Winter’s keyboards section because, as a consequence, this electric music is made up of body and soul - the physical and spiritual. There were Cabaret Voltaire enthusiasts in the audience, a number of like-minded Japanese musicians, the organizer of tonight's event, the owner of a record label, etc. The show was in full swing, reaching a crescendo when Wrangler played Cabaret Volatire's Sensoria. The Cabs had a great influence on the electronic music world in Japan, and it was therefore a fitting end to an unforgettable evening. 8/10


Setlist: Days, Lava Land, Stop, Harder, LA Spark, Space Ace, Modern World, Theme from Wrangler, Clockwork, Crackdown, Sequence On, Sensoria

Review+Photos: Satoru Sekikawa

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