As a part of the Mission Creek Festival lineup, TEKE::TEKE will perform at Gabe’s on April 8th. TEKE::TEKE is an ensemble project, and they self-describe themselves on their website as, “…a Montreal-based Japanese psych-rock group composed of guitarists Serge Nakauchi Pelletier & Hidetaka Yoneyama, bass player Mishka Stein, drummer Ian Lettre, flutist Yuki Isami, trombone player Etienne Lebel, and visual artist and vocalist Maya Kuroki.” Originally, the ensemble was formed as a tribute band to guitarist Takeshi Terauichi. In 2018 TEKE::TEKE switched from a tribute band to creating and performing original music.
TEKE::TEKE plays primarily alternative rock music, taking heavy inspiration from psychedelia and Japanese eleki music – surf rock originating in Japan during the 60s and 70s. Aesthetically, the band expresses itself through kaleidoscopic, pop-art visuals as seen through their music videos. Through combining both Eastern and Western influences, the band’s music takes on a unique cinematic quality. The band roars with originality, as seen in their debut 2018 EP “Jikaku” and their 2021 album “Shirushi”, which was longlisted for the Polaris Music Prize. “Shirushi” contains a fierce cinematic quality – as if it were the score of a Western taking place in a water park – filled with riotous, psychedelic instrumentation and forceful vocals that fill the balladry and drama of the project.
TEKE::TEKE has an upcoming album, “Hagata”, on June 9th, featuring the recently released singles “Gotoku Lemon” and “Garakuta”. Other notable singles from the band also include “Kala Kala,” “Barbara”, and a cover of Unwound’s “Corpse Pose”. TEKE::TEKE will perform at 10:45 p.m. Saturday, the final act of the festival.
