Kawabata Makoto and his Acid Mothers Temple crew filled the Doug Fir Lounge with vintage psychedelic noise this past Saturday. Higashi Hiroshi's spacey waves of synths complemented the tribal vocals and Makoto’s maniacal guitar so well that the entire crowd droned out properly for over 90 minutes. After leaving their fans in an ecstatic daze, the band and the Melting Paraiso U.F.O. quartet humbly walked back to their merch table, greeted by handshakes and broken English conversation.
Opening the evening was Shilpa Ray and Her Happy Hookers, a Brooklyn band that played to an unfamiliar, yet pleasantly surprised, growing crowd. Marked by Ray's powerful and energetic vocals and the unusual choice of a harmonium, the band offered an entirely different style from the headlining, psychedelia legends. For their final song, Ray took the stage alone, offering a raw, original performance. If she keeps up this engaging energy, Shilpa Ray and Her Happy Hookers will certainly be a band to watch.