Live Review: Guitar Wolf and Hans Condor brought the insanity to Petit Campus

Guitar Wolf with Hans Condor
Petit Campus
September 7, 2016
Photos by Jason Hughes

Inimitable garage-noise-rockabilly band Guitar Wolf performed in Montreal on Wednesday as part of their “Yojouhan Strikes Back Tour 2016,” promoting the recent release of their album T-Rex from a Tiny Space Yojouhan. The record, put out in Japan this year by Ki/oon Music, also has a limited cassette release in the United States through Burger Records. Self-described “filth rockers” Hans Condor, from Nashville, opened for Guitar Wolf.

Hans Condor delivered a short, energetic set of Motörhead-influenced songs. In fact no sooner had I thought “these guys must be really inspired by Motörhead” then frontman Chazz Kaster started eulogizing Lemmy. He also kept throwing his guitar into the audience and insisting people play it, with mixed and amusing results. It was especially funny how many people he had to burn through before he found one who did what he wanted: play his guitar then throw it up to where he was standing (in an elevated niche by the stage), at which point he jumped down and lay on the floor, playing and thrashing. Guitar Wolf surpassed this later, calling audience members up on the stage to play guitar but also, eventually, to form a human pyramid – from the apex of which Seiji (the lead singer) delivered his distinctive screaming vocals.

Guitar Wolf formed in Nagasaki in 1987, and currently consists of Seiji (aka Guitar Wolf), U.G. (aka Bass Wolf), and Toru (aka Drum Wolf). No sheep’s clothing for these wolves, though: all three members came out in mohawked T-Rex masks. Seiji started messily drinking beer through his mask and the whole crowd was just lapping it up. After the masks were off Seiji dripped beer and/or sweat throughout the entire set, flicking it periodically onto an adoring, applauding audience. The show was sublime, with one tight song driving in after another, the distorted droning noise bits and the sexy sleazy garage bits merging continuously and flawlessly. Even the guy from the audience who played guitar awhile really rose to the challenge; I don’t know who the hell he was but I was hella impressed. The showmanship continued with Sheiji’s tricks with fire and an approach to crowd surfing that can only be described as thorough. The band really proved – if there was ever any doubt – that the only thing more fun, manic, and noisy than a Guitar Wolf record is a Guitar Wolf concert. My ears will be ringing for days, but I’ve got no regrets.

Guitar Wolf

Hans Condor