Kyushu Pop Festival 2011

Far removed from Tokyo's cultural leviathan, the southern island of Kyushu is a hotbed of idiosyncratic musical activity that's marred only when the local heroes decide to head to the capital in a bid to 'make it.' For the second year running, local indie label Call and Response Records is bussing up a few of the bands who couldn't be bothered with a permanent relocation. Unhinged garage-punks Zibanchinka – who supplied one of the highlights of last year's gig – are returning from Kagoshima to headline this time around, in support of a new album that's been hamstrung by the band's unfortunate name (it's Japanese for 'subsidence' – a term that's been much in the news since the March 11 earthquake). Fukuoka post-punk outfit Hyacca are also back, along with fellow Kyushu-based acts MacManaman, Cynicalsmileisyourfavorite and Bctnx, and the bill is rounded out by four Tokyo bands 'with roots in the Kyushu area.'