Pascals

There was something telling about Shugo Tokumaru picking this lot to play at his Tonofon Festival earlier in the month. The fresh-faced indie wunderkind has a lot in common with Pascals, not least a love of unorthodox instrumentation and a penchant for encasing whimsical melodies in baroque arrangements. Formed at a late-night gig in Shimokitazawa in 1995, this 14-member orchestra took their name from Pascal Comelade, a French-Catalan composer who makes frequent use of toy instruments. Band leader Rocket Matsu sticks mainly to pianica, but he's often overshadowed by the stage antics of Koji Ishikawa, a butch man-child who plays percussion and toys with equal aplomb.