Earning descriptions as vivid as “acid-punk” and “Krautcore,” Bo Ningen feature vocalist/bassist Taigen Kawabe, guitarists Kohhei Matsuda and Yuki Tsujii, and drummer Monchan Monna. While all of the bandmembers originally hail from different cities in Japan, they met in London. Taigen and Kohhei first connected in 2006, when the bands they were in at the time were on the same bill; tired of the post-rock they’d been playing with those acts and in the mood for something heavier, they began working together.
Yuki joined the fold after hearing the duo perform at the LCC Sound Art Faculty, and the growing band jammed in a Hackney studio up to 12 hours a day. Eventually Monchan completed the lineup, and Bo Ningen began playing their first official shows in 2007. After signing to Stolen Recordings, they made their recorded debut in 2009 with the Koroshitai Kimochi EP, which they followed with their self-titled first album in 2010. The band’s powerful live performances earned them high-profile gigs including Yoko Ono’s Meltdown Festival and the 2011 Venice Bienniale.
Bo Ningen returned with their second album, Line the Wall, in 2012, while its follow-up, 2014’s III, featured collaborations with Savages’ Jehnny Beth and King Midas Sound’s Roger Robinson.
