Here come Haiku Hands with their high-energy tunes and killer dance moves. And the trio of sisters Claire and Mie Nakazawa alongside Bea Lewis certainly have energy to burn. They left their native Australia in late November for the United States where they joined the American rapper Big Freedia for a number of shows that coincided with the release of their second album, the irresistible Pleasure Beast.
Haiku Hands then returned to their homeland where they appeared at a couple of festivals, saw in the New Year and got ready to jet off once more, this time in the direction of the United Kingdom. A seven-date jaunt through Scotland and England began last night in Glasgow and will finish at the Thekla in Bristol on the 3rd of February. Yet despite this expansive and exhausting schedule, there is absolutely no sign of the Haiku Hands express slowing down.
“Ain’t playing with caution / My peoples are awesome / We’re having a ball.”
And with these words, Haiku Hands produce their mission statement. It is a clear statement of intent. Taken from the opening song ‘Cool For You’, the three women are unquestionably here to enjoy themselves but on their very own terms. Of that make no mistake.
But just in case that point may have somehow been lost on us, it is duly reinforced on ‘Super Villain’.
“Guess what? Fuck this shit. I’ma do this if I want what I want when I want I’ma get it.”
It is sheer emancipated fun. With suitably chaotic choreography, it comes at you at 100 miles an hour. Throw in a few costume changes for good measure and then present it all with the broadest of smiles on your collective face. That is the Haiku Hands’ way. It is a serious business but there’s no harm in having some fun whilst delivering the message.
Their maelstrom of movement is vaguely reminiscent of fellow Antipodeans Confidence Man whilst the sound that Haiku Hands create would take you onto some alien territory possibly inhabited by the similarly inclined Aussie feminist and art ensemble, Chicks on Speed, a clutch of post-modern All Saints, and a trio of supercharged Spice Girls.
‘Ma Ruler’ was clearly made with the dance floor in mind and ‘Squat’, with its unforgettable refrain of “Nobody gives a fuck what you look like”, reinforces the cheerfully expressive devil-may-care attitude that Haiku Hands embrace when they just go about their day-to-day business. It all feels quite wonderfully liberating.
‘Eat This Bass’ elevates the industrial language to new heights. “I don’t give a fuck about a radio, I don’t give a shit about a TV show, All I know is cut the chase, I don’t give a fuck.” Yet in the midst of all this dismissive social nihilism and ribald sailor talk, Haiku Hands are having the absolute time of their lives. Then after what are a dozen veritable bangers and some equally fabulous visual entertainment the three women return for one more song. They duly oblige with ‘Feels So Good’. It couldn’t have really been anything else, could it?
Photos: Simon Godley
More photos of Haiku Hands in Leeds
