Cibo Matto

by Cory Blackwood
staff editor

The turnout at Mississippi Nights on Friday, Sept. 17 proved that there is still hope for the St. Louis music scene. The show was Cibo Matto and Citizen King, and the crowd was sizable.

Cibo Matto is essentially Yuka Honda and Miho Hatori, two girls who blend rock, rap, jazz and electronica a la Beastie Boys with the end result being as confusing as it is entertaining. 1996 heralded Cibo Matto's entrance into the music world with "Viva! La Woman." 1999's "Stereotype A" showed a more mature version of Cibo Matto, singing about things other than food, and branching out to "Obi Wan Kenobi" and other "Pieces of Americana."

The show opened with Solex, a band from the Netherlands. Solex would have been just as comfortable opening for Ministry, Bjork, or Portishead as Cibo Matto because their repertoire was so diverse. Quirky and original, Solex is a band set to explode.

Citizen King was next on the bill, and possibly better known than headliners Cibo Matto. Citizen King's single, "I've Seen Better Days" is virtually unavoidable on the Point, but for once, the overplayed song is good. Singer/bassist Matt Sims and company played through their set with so much energy and talent it was easy to forget that they were not the headliners.

Cibo Matto took the stage in a more subdued manner than Citizen King, but the crowd showed their support in full. Cibo Matto live also has a drummer, guitarist, and bassist. The bassist was Sean Lennon (yes, that one) who thankfully did no grandstanding, but rather let the writers of the music, Yuka and Miho, take the credit.

Cibo Matto blazed through hits like "Know Your Chicken" and "Birthday Cake" from their first album, and blazed fearlessly into new songs like "Sci-Fi Wasabi." Slower songs like "Sugar Water" and others were pulled off without a hitch.

The audience gave full attention to Miho Hatori and Yuka Honda, didn't focus on Sean Lennon, and thoroughly enjoyed the show. It isn't often that a concert with two opening bands can be impressive on all three fronts, and fans are grateful when it does occur. The Cibo Matto show was one of these rare occasions, with Solex and Citizen King nearly as impressive as their headliners.