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CMU Approved
Approved: Charan Po Rantan
By Andy Malt | Published on Tuesday 29 October 2013
Amongst the many acts playing at last week’s Tokyo International Music Market one of the real standouts was klezmer duo Charan Po Rantan (the previously mentioned Shishido Kavka, I should probably add, also turned out to be as brilliant as I’d hoped).
Now, I realise that Japanese klezmer music might not be the easiest sell, but singer Momo Matsunaga and her accordion-playing older sister Koharu won over any doubters quickly during their three song set at their daytime showcase.
In fact, opening a four band line-up in a brightly lit hotel function room, the pair put in such a strong performance – Momo using empty seats as stepping stones to sing into the faces of unsuspecting attendees – that you had to feel sorry for every single one of the other bands following them.
The pair released their latest album, ‘Futae No Rasen’ (‘Double Spiral’), in Japan earlier this year. Now keen to find a wider audience further afield, I’m crossing my fingers for a London show in a venue more befitting their energetic and highly visual performance soon.
For now, check out the video for a track taken from that last album, ‘Last Supper’:
