Recap Peelander-Z and Birthday Suits at High Noon Saloon

The batshit tag team of New York City punk-rock Power Rangers Peelander-Z and Minneapolis’ Birthday Suits spun a crowd into an ape-ish seizure dance on a previously dreary Monday night at The High Noon. After local band Zebras kicked things off with a tight-knit blast of Moog-fueled no-wave, Birthday Suits hit the stage—but didn’t rip into their set until guitarist-vocalist Hideo Takahashi took a few minutes to stretch.

Opening with “Flying Man Y2K,” the duo wasted no time in hurling its spazzoid brand of garage-rock at the audience in its entire bratty splendor. Takahashi’s snotty howls and screeching power chords ripped into the bestial drumming of Matthew Kazama, who pummeled away at his drums as if they'd just spat in his face. Birthday Suits’ set pulled from 2005’s Cherry Blue as well as the group's latest 7-inch split with The Marked Men, delicately titled 7 Inches For Your Ex. Throughout the set, a very sweaty Takahashi flailed his guitar around, dancing across the stage and kickboxing the air, as he and Kazama often filled spaces between songs with long, noisy guitar and blurry drum fills. The pair closed with an extended version of “Automatic Oh Oh Yeah Yeah,” during which Takahashi climbed onto a tall drum monitor, hammered away at his guitar, jumped off the monitor, and sended shreds of atonal guitar into the crowd as he laid down onstage, convulsing.

Next, the absurdity squad that is Peelander-z stormed the stage wearing zebra-, leopard-, and checker-print tights. Drummer Peelander Green and guitarist-vocalist Peelander Yellow (we know) marched forth to the tune of the Ghostbusters theme song. Bassist Peelander Red followed them out, wearing a suit that appeared to lie somewhere between a squid and a bass guitar. When the band launched into the opening chords of the Motörhead-esque “Mad Tiger,” it became clear the group was more focused on having pure, unadulterated fun than about the music. Eventually, Peelanders Yellow and Red put down their instruments while Green kept drumming. Red brought out a big briefcase full of dented pans and drumsticks, handing them out to various audience members to beat on. Yellow and the band's merch girl (who was dressed as a pink Peelander) brought a rope into the crowd and had audience members either limbo under it or jump over it, as the entire room chanted: “Rrawr, mad tiger, mad tiger!”

“How-ah do you-ah want your steak?” was one of several questions that Yellow screamed at the audience in deliberately broken English. Green guided the audience’s response with a giant cue card that said: “Medium rare!” Red stirred up more insanity by hanging upside-down off The High Noon's balcony with his bass. After that, Red and Yellow played a game of "human bowling," where Red would slide across the floor toward Yellow, who was dressed up as a giant bowling pin. At the end of the group's set, the trio joined forces with Birthday Suits and moved its gear onto the floor. The audience circled around a wacky drum duel between Peelander Green and Birthday Suits’ Kamaza (whose bass drum was pressed up against Green’s), which eventually devolved into a finale of sorts: Peelander Yellow belting along as Queen's "We Are The Champions" played on the house speakers. Sure, the lack of musical substance can make Peelander-Z an easy target, but the room full of smiles suggested that as long as you dress like cracked-up superheroes and put on one of the best live shows in the country, it simply doesn’t matter.