Just like regular music, only free.

An hour before TsuShiMaMiRe are due onstage, I'm stood near the bar of Fukuoka's Voodoo Lounge watching an atrocious performance by a shoe-gazing outfit whose name I won't mention (for their own good). I'm busy trying to fit myself with an extra pair of earplugs, when a foreigner steps up and shyly introduces himself. I know he can't live locally, because local gaijin rarely speak to each other at gigs like this. True enough, he's over on holiday from San Francisco, and he's traveled all the way to Fukuoka especially for this gig. I apologize for the onstage atrocities and offer to introduce him to TsuShiMaMire. Having seen them in a much larger, much more crowded setting back in 'Cisco, he can't believe his luck.

And therein lies one of the mysteries of the 'Mamire. The giggling, almost geeky threesome that listen in awe to his tales of extreme international fandom are actually the veterans of 6 U.S. tours, the irony being that only a handful of people in this Japanese live-house know who they are. There are YouTube videos of TsuShiMaMiRe rocking vast cattle-sheds across the United States, but tonight they face an uphill struggle to convert a weather-beaten Fukuoka crowd of less than 40 people on their first homeland tour.

Of course, you wouldn't bet against them. Anyone who has had the pleasure of hearing their albums will testify to a bone-crunching force, unbecoming of the cherubic mites that create it. This tour - the Rock to Beer Tour, to give it its official title - is in support of a new album that maintains their manic track record flawlessly.

I spent the early evening hanging out with Mari (vocals) and Mizue (drums), and my point really bears reiterating: aside from Mari's peroxide hairdo, these girls do not appear capable of doing what they do. Mizue is warm and sisterly; she talks happily of the time she spent traveling in the States with her mum, and she's the most welcoming when I introduce their jet-setting fan. Mari seems reserved to begin with, though it becomes clear that she's merely resting her voice for tonight's gig. Once the music's over, she's a bundle of generosity, and first to hand out the hugs when I have to take my leave.

They've been friends since university - nakayoshi ('best friends'), Mari explains - having formed the band during the summer of their 2nd year. That was way back in 1999, and the band are currently formulating plans for a 10th anniversary bash, though nothing has been confirmed as yet. In the meantime, they are excitedly putting the final touches to their 7th U.S. tour schedule, due to kickoff in September. Not bad for 3 girls who, by their own admission, make very little money from music in Japan and often have to resort to part-time work to keep afloat. With the likes of Ken Hirai allowed to graze freely, you've got to admit it's a crazy, back-to-front world, people.

Meanwhile, back at the Voodoo Lounge, the girls take the stage in front of a standing audience of about 15 people. They've more than doubled that number by the end of the first song, just in time for Mari to leap from the stage and crowd-surf across the first few rows with her miniskirt hanging on for dear life. Quite where she's been hiding this manic alter-ego is anyone's guess, but here she comes again - this time shoulder-barging a couple of delighted schoolgirls into the speaker stack and rounding up the stragglers at the periphery with an extended mic cable.

Meanwhile, onstage, Yayoi is trying her best to kick the lights out. Not having spent much time with her before the gig, I can't tell if this is something she'd normally attempt, but I'm pretty sure she wasn't gurning in that manner when I saw her supping oolong tea a few minutes ago. She's arguably the most ferocious bass monster I've ever set eyes on - she'd certainly give Lemmy Kilmister a run for his stolen money.

Behind her is sweet, sisterly Mizue, currently kicking 7 shades of shit out of the house drumkit. For the full 30 minute set, she just doesn't let up, her taiko stylings adding an extra layer of kickass to the proceedings. She's an absolute powerhouse - though, strangely, she's the only one that I can still picture working as a school nurse (providing the school had a strict MAKE SOME EARDRUMS BLEED policy).

From where I'm standing, it feels as though this Fukuoka crowd are a tough sell, but it's obvious that TsuShiMaMiRe's ten years of experience has them in good stead. Yayoi tells me afterwards that she enjoyed it immensely, in which case I want what she's taking, 'cause the crowd squashed in around me generally act as if they were watching a slow hearse passing. But the band aren't leaving until the job's done, and between songs Mari jabbers maniacally and harangues the crowd until something akin to emotion bubbles forth. There's no way the sourpusses can win, though. Just watching them forces a smile, while the sound they make knocks the wind from your guts, and you have to get airborne just to reclaim some oxygen.

Simply put, TsuShiMaMiRe take no prisoners.

Back at the merchandising booth, however, it's like nothing ever happened. The small gathering of young, freshly minted fans queue up patiently, and Yayoi fusses over them as though she bears full responsibility for their well-being. Mari's more talkative, too, and she gracefully accepts my offer of a drink (non-alcoholic - she's got to get a good night's rest) and thanks me profusely for my restaurant recommendation earlier in the day (Shin Shin Ramen, incase anyone's taking notes). She talks excitedly about the remainder of their tour and the forthcoming jaunt around America. Though these girls are fast approaching 30, it's hard to imagine how age will ever slow them down.

And then it's all over bar the hugging. They actually see me to the door of the live-house, they're that polite, and they cheerfully choreograph a little video performance for our TADA Music homepage (see below). So sweet. So wholesome.

So, who the fuck was that on stage?

TsuShiMaMiRe are currently on a nationwide Japanese tour. For info on their dates, see our events calendar. For more information on the band themselves, check out their official website at www.tsushimamire.com.

Jon Wilks is editor of Japanzine, where he first encountered the 'Mamire back in 2006. To read his first interview with the band, click here.

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