Melt-Banana in San Francisco

Melt-Banana is a Japanese noise-rock and hardcore-punk band formed in Tokyo in 1992 by vocalist Yasuko Onuki and guitarist Ichirou Agata. Their rapid, compact songs and heavily processed guitar are heard across albums including Scratch or Stitch, Charlie, Cell-Scape and Fetch. The band’s 1998 US tour was documented on the live album MxBx 1998/13,000 Miles at Light Velocity. Melt-Banana later supported Tool on a North American arena tour in 2007, while their own headline tours have largely taken place in clubs across North America and Europe. Since 2012, Melt-Banana has performed as a duo: Yasuko Onuki handles vocals and electronic rhythm controls, while Ichirou Agata plays effects-heavy guitar.