This Stones Throw Show Was An Attack From The Past
something downright scary happened at the July 27 show at Stones Throw: Daikaiju
On Wednesday, July 24 at 5:26pm, I was beginning my after work bed rot routine (see “bed rotting”) when I came across a poster for a show happening near me at The Stones Throw the following weekend.
I saw a few familiar names I’ve seen play live before. Drunk Drivers, Astro Notever, Roboman, but atop the seemingly regular show poster was a crown of intrigue. A word I had never heard, “Daikaiju,” and four members of a band I have never heard of, all in masks. Color me curious.
Daikaiju: A Japanese term meaning “Giant strange beast” (I had to Google it).
The show went off without a hitch. Good people, good tunes, cheapish drinks that got the job done; what more could you want from a night of live music? After Drunk Drivers left the stage I readied myself towards the front to see what would come next. Which was, in short: an absolute ATTACK!
Loud, messy, pulse-pumping guitar filled the room. The musical attack continued as the Daikaiju delved into the audience as deep in as their instruments’ cables would allow, and at first, it was honestly quite frightening. But that’s where all the best stuff lives. Right on the edge of fear. So I got closer.
One of the guitar players came right up to my face, less than a foot away, while playing and looked me directly in the eyes for what felt like an eternity. I was staring into a masked, seemingly empty void, and I realized: I feel empty like that, too. Before you know it, audience hesitation turned into a musical seance. Somehow the band got the rest of us in front of the stage to yell up to the people in the balcony, demanding they come down to join us. The attack pressed on and guitars were thrown into strangers’ hands to make whatever noise they could manage while the band hurriedly brought their drum kit into the audience and formed a circle, begging us to join in the enclosure.
Once they had their instruments back, FIRE! The drummer was lighting the drum kit on fire! A literal fire fueled by lighter fluid and a cigarette, in a landmark, historic building in downtown Eau Claire. It was insanity. It was incredible.
Through sight, smell, sound, and touch, Daikaiju attacked downtown Eau Claire on July 27. After, I left Stones Throw and walked out into the night air, ears ringing, and smiling ear to ear. “Ah, yes – that’s a feeling I have not felt in a long time."
Want a taste of the action from July 27 at Stones Throw? Find Daikaiju on their website and social media (Facebook, Instagram).
