PoiL Ueda
Traditional Japanese satsuma-biwa playing and Buddhist chanting find a surprising congruence with prog freakouts.
The Wire. JR Moores
A wildly loud fusion of the ancient and the future.
NPR – All song considered (Bob Boilen)
[…] this new pairing seems like a marriage made in heaven.
The Quietus (David McKenna)
Legendary Japanese vocalist Junko Ueda joins forces with French group PoiL for earth-shaking avant-garde rock.
Bandcamp, JE Keyes
The Album
A few months after the release of their first album, here is the second part of the collaboration between the musicians of PoiL and Japanese musician Junko Ueda. It’s an unprecedented experiment in which PoiL’s wild, experimental rock blends with Junko Ueda’s sinuous, calm voice, narrative power and charisma.
Inspired by the Heike-Monogatari, the album depicts the epic story of samurai hero Yoshitsune. At the naval battle of Dan-no-Ura, he brought victory to the Genji clan in the long war against the Heike clan. Yoritomo, Genji general and Yoshitsune’s elder brother, suspects that our hero secretly intends to seize power, and orders his assassination. Despite Yoshitsune’s heroic service and solemn oath, he and his loyal vassal Benkei are forced into exile.
Rediscover the improbable encounter between Junko Ueda, a leading figure in Japanese medieval epic storytelling whose deep, warm voice summons up telluric energies, and the organic madness of the PoiL monster, joyfully playing cosmic rock without a net.
.
The Band
PoiL Ueda is the result of a collaboration between Junko Ueda, a vocalist and satsuma-biwa player from Japan, and PoiL, a French rock/contemporary music band. The creation is based on the 13th-century Japanese epic tale “Heike-Monogatari.”
The composition is based on traditional epic singing accompanied by the satsuma-biwa and Buddhist Shomyo chant. Through the fusion of an ancient Japanese traditional music with a hyper modern European musical formation, this project offers the opportunity to discover a unique musical universe.
An innovative performance where PoiL’s unrestrained experimental rock blends with the mellow and sinuous voice, the compelling narrative, and the remarkable charisma of Junko Ueda.
Antoine Arnera | keyboards
Romain Baret | guitar
Ben Lecomte | electro acoustic bass
Guilhem Meier | drums & percussion
Junko Ueda | voice & Satsuma Biwa
Co-production : Centre international de musiques nomades – Festival Détours de Babel – Grenoble, Théâtre de la Renaissance – Oullins Avec le soutien de : Région Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, DRAC Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, CNM, FONPEPS et i-portunus.
Past gigs
– 50% off PoiL T-shirts this month!
With the promo code "Taurus" et "Gemini" get 50% off on PoiL Tshirt 2023 !
PoiL Ueda Tour 2023
New album March, 3 -> poil.bandcamp.com MARCH 01.03 Marché Gare (LYON – FR) RELEASE PARTY !! bit.ly/MG01mars23 02.03 Zelig (LAUSANNE – CH) 03.03 KuBa (JENA – DE) tixforgigs.com/Event/46184 04.03 Festival des Arcs (BADEN – CH) 08.03 Le Bout du Monde (VEVEY -...
PoiL Ueda | Album release March 3, 2023, first single “Dan No Ura, Pt.1” available
PoiL Ueda will release his first album on March 3rd! To wait, here is a track: Dan No Ura, Pt. 1