Anger Has A Place

The Sun Rising(2)

Fast(2)

WE'RE pro-filth," announces Danny, the guitarist in the skewed echo-rock band from Oldham, Tsuji Giri. And life pro-filth, like life within the samuari tradition from which they take their name, takes faith. So much faith that the four members have sacrificed their surmames to the cause, so Martin Giri (vocals), Danny Giri (guitar), Ivan Giri (bass) and Phil Giri (drums) live in an insular, filthy world.

"Flithy isn't just prurience," says Martin in his trademark comedy sneer. It's more a sort of... areas glossed over and made clean by glossy popular culture, media and suchlike. Anything that's got a bit of an edge to it that isn't really supposed to be there, and glossed over and put to one side in what pop does and what nu-metal does, and what people who go out drinking in Fallowfield and look like Hollyoaks do. We're more honest about what people are like."

So you're restoring the balance of the universe?

"I think that's a bit too modest actually!" Perhaps, but considering the dark forces stirred up on their new Poison Light EP, it certainly feels spooky that we meet in our city centre bar the day Manchester endured three earthquakes. A six-tracker shared with allies The Sonar Yen ("one of the best bands that any of us have heard or seen,") it's the latest release from Soviet Union. Both bands make an unremitting, post-rock sort of noise, but Tsuji are the poppier, seething half. Signature tune Gotta Love The War takes the seamy side of The Smiths, but surrenders control of its motor functions.

By their own admission, the Giri spent their early days in an Oldham vacuum, until two years ago, when the current Manc Rock Revolution first started to emerge. They found contemporaries in the likes of Valerie, Jackie O and the Strap-Ons, who shared the lust for filth. "The last two years have been an upward spiral," says Danny, "because we've found the extra mile with what we listen to and enjoy and make something that's a bit dark and different."

And how far would this go? Would you go on a support tour with Toploader? Martin: "Yeah, we'd love it! Because if there's one wavering person who just went along because they're friend's kind of into them. If we manage to make one of them experience something a bit visceral..."

Would you sell your songs to a car advert? Martin: "No, you don't want the track that you lost tour virginity to on a car advert." Even a nice one like Aqualung?

Danny: "I heard that on the advert and thought it was bloody awful and then I heard the whole song and thought it was even worse because there was more of it." Would you invite OK magazine into your lovely home? Ivan: "I'd let them into someone else's home! Come in here! Here's the living room!!" But that's the spook. Tsuji Giri comes from the samauri practice of testing out a new sword on a peasant to make sure it doesn't fall apart. And though they won't hate you for liking Toploader, they just want you to see a better way. "That's how we view our `band-audience-dynamic'," sneers Martin for a final time. "It's ideologically unsound, but the spirit of the thing is kind of what we're about. Randomly assaulting people for the fun of it!"

Tsuji Giri and The Sonar Yen play CM at the Roadhouse on Friday, October25. Poison Light is released on Monday through Soviet Union.

mike gray 8

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