The first time I witnessed a Xenophobia production was at their first one man in Tokyo during January 2007.

When I say production, I don't throw the term around lightly. This gig proved Xeno to be much more than your standard rock act. With a gang of extras, dancers, guest musicians, clowns, and props galore, it's understandable when vocalist Benjamin Perry sets his next goal for the band at "nothing short of a theatrical style musical".

Originating in San Francisco at the turn of the century, they featured a new take on "the sad songs" with their central concept: the tragicomic. With roots ranging from ancient Greek philosophy to Existentialism to automatique poetry, the subject matter of Perry's bilingual lyrics (which jump from English to Japanese and back) are not the easiest to dissect. But apparently, that's how he wants it: "My lyrics are sometimes meant to be heard....& sometimes just felt. I enjoy the word play that's possible when switching between languages, tenses, etc. Not all the songs have a clear message. I like leaving some ambiguity for the listener to fill in - isn't that part of the fun?"

Personally, I don't know if fun is the best way to describe Xenophobia's bizarre expression of this world that surrounds us. But the listeners certainly seem to think so. Since their revival just over 2 years ago, the band has grown from a virtual unknown to a prominent staple of the Tokyo indie circuit. What's more, they refuse to limit themselves to any one genre, playing with an array of bands on the Tokyo scene. Don't be surprised to see them bending boundaries by playing in both visual-kei & punk gigs within the same month ( something unheard of in Japan). In fact, they rarely play with the same bands twice. "It's important to us that we don't get pegged as this or that kind of band", says Perry, "we don't believe in establishing our identity in that way. What's the point of becoming an artist if you're going to be expected to follow some predetermined concept? We like the fact that we don't fit in anywhere."

And they are ready to take it up a notch. "We'd love to play the states again, as well as Europe. Hell, we're ready to go play Antarctica if there are people who want to hear our music. We truly feel that it's the universal communicator, and we want to bring our vision to everyone across the globe. Let us laugh and cry together once again."

It's the tragicomic, and it's coming to your town.

Hirofumi "Patch" Tanaka, PopJNeo magazine