Flash concert photography – Acid Mothers Temple Live

The Japanese psychedelic space-music outfit Acid Mothers Temple has been touring, recording, and deafening the planet for over twenty years now.
Their discography lists over 65 albums, most of which consist of live recordings of psychedelic jams that border somewhere between ten and twenty minutes in length. As always, their merch table is full of home-made live recordings, “supa rare” synth/experimental solo stuff, t-shirts and more.

I still have the signed pair of drum sticks I bought when I saw them last, roughly 8 years ago, also in Basel. I ask Kawabata Makoto, the guitarist and founder of the collective, whether he remembers. “No,” he replies, “… too many concerts.” he concludes laughing.

The gig is at the Kaschemme, a small DIY-club in Basel, in the shade of the ominous St. Jakob stadium. As the show begins, the place fills with smoke, people and sweat. It’s crowdy, and the fog machine covers the stage grey. I soon realise that it will be tough to take photographs, so I decide to make the best out of my position in front of Kawabata, and Higashi Hiroshi, the grey wolf dealing with the synths.

When the music’s over, after 90 minutes of sonic, spaced-out jamming, the applause is steady. The band however, is already back as the merch stand, asking for the light to be turned back on. No encore, but none needed. Acid Mothers Temple delivered what they came for.

All photos takes with a Leica M6, using a SF-20 flash, on Rollei RPX 400 film. The band was asked for permission to take photographs before the show. Negatives developed in my own basement, as always.