Tao

Garish costumes, dazzling lighting, slapstick humor – Kodo this ain't. While Japan's most famous taiko ensemble are sticklers for traditional aesthetics, rival group Tao put all the emphasis on performance, making their stage extravaganzas (or, as they like to describe them, 'Neo Nippon Entertainment Shows') far and away the more spectacular of the two. It's the kind of thing that rankles purists, sure, but it's served the Oita-based drumming troupe well: to date, they've performed to over five million people in 17 countries. This weekend's shows are being billed as 'only at Blitz' affairs, and boast costumes by avant-garde fashion designer Junko Koshino.