Daikaiju (stylized "DaiKaiju") is a

kaiju is a Japanese term that is commonly associated with media involving giant monsters. Its widespread contemporary use is credited to ''tokusatsu'' (special effects) director Eiji Tsuburaya and filmmaker Ishirō Honda, who popularized the ''kaiju'' ...

-themed surf punk band from

Huntsville, Alabama Huntsville is the List of municipalities in Alabama, most populous city in the U.S. state of Alabama. The population of the city is estimated to be 241,114 in 2024, making it the List of United States cities by population, 100th-most populous ...

, now based out of Houston, usually consisting of two guitarists, a bassist, and a drummer. The band formed in the winter of 1999 and first performed in January 2000. The band has played shows across Europe, eastern Asia, and North America. As of 2024, the band is still actively touring.

History

Daikaiju originally formed in the winter of 1999. In 2005, the band released their first full-length album, ''Daikaiju''. Of the album's ten tracks, five were previously recorded (in an earlier form) on 2001's ''Monster Surf'', and two more were previously heard on 2002's ''The Phasing Spider Menace''. The album received mostly positive reviews from critics, with

Pitchfork Media ''Pitchfork'' (formerly ''Pitchfork Media'') is an American online music magazine founded in 1996 by Ryan Schreiber in Minneapolis. It originally covered Alternative rock, alternative and independent music, and expanded to cover genres includin ...

giving the album a 7.8/10, praising the band's "prog muscle" and calling it an "impressive full-length debut". In 2010, the band released their second full-length album, titled ''Phase 2''. In a 2012 interview with Florida Geek Scene, the band was asked about the change in personnel between ''Daikaiju'' and ''Phase 2''. Daikaiju, in response, referred to the departing members as "casualties". In 2013, the band toured the

Far East The Far East is the geographical region that encompasses the easternmost portion of the Asian continent, including North Asia, North, East Asia, East and Southeast Asia. South Asia is sometimes also included in the definition of the term. In mod ...

visiting China, South Korea, and Japan. Its visit to Japan, in particular, was highly anticipated by fans and the band itself. Daikaiju tied Public Image Ltd. as the 'Best show by a foreign touring act' in Time Out Beijing's "Year's end roundup: the best of Beijing music" for 2013.

Performing style

Daikaiju performs while wearing

kabuki is a classical form of Theatre of Japan, Japanese theatre, mixing dramatic performance with Japanese traditional dance, traditional dance. Kabuki theatre is known for its heavily stylised performances, its glamorous, highly decorated costumes ...

masks, and using

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true meaning ( orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individual's o ...

s. They do not speak during performances, instead communicating using

hand signals Hand signals are agreed gestures that people make with their hands or body to communicate in a non-verbal way. When used in traffic, hand signals are often used to convey driver's intention of their next movement. In some countries, hand signals ...

. The band often sets fire to their instruments during live shows.

Interaction with media

Due to how secretive the band is, they rarely grant interviews, and do not mention their real names or private lives (apart from their opinions on monster movies such as Tristar's ''Godzilla'', which they agreed to call

Godzilla is a fictional monster, or ''kaiju'', that debuted in the eponymous 1954 film, directed and co-written by Ishirō Honda. The character has since become an international pop culture icon, appearing in various media: 33 Japanese films p ...

in name only ''In Name Only'' is a 1939 romantic film starring Cary Grant, Carole Lombard, and Kay Francis, directed by John Cromwell. It was based on the 1935 novel ''Memory of Love'' by Bessie Breuer. The fictional town where it is set, Bridgefield, Co ...

") in the interviews they do agree to. It is a reflection of how wild Daikaiju's live performances are that, on their own website as well as in interviews, they refer to these performances as "attacks"; or instead, in a 2013 interview with '' Time Out Beijing'', referring to them as "Most exciting shower of golden radiance!!!" This likely refers to the band's tendency to use lighter fluid to spray their instruments while the instruments are on fire.

Similarity to Man or Astro-man

The similarity of the band's sound to

Man or Astro-man? Man or Astro-man? is an American surf rock group that was formed in Auburn, Alabama in the early 1990s and came to prominence over the following decade. Primarily instrumental, "Man or Astro-man?" blended the surf rock style of the early 1960s, ...

has fueled some unconfirmed speculation that the band may contain members of that band. The band's only response to this speculation, a denial (though characteristically vague), appeared in an August 2012 interview: ''"Daikaiju have many member of man: secret-man, rock-man, hit-man, and mobile-man!!! Daikaiju also like taste of astro-man but have preference of lizard-man... or aqua-man!!!"''

Discography

The band has released two EPs, three studio albums, and two singles.

References

{{reflist

External links

daikaiju.org
American punk rock groups American surf music groups