The sounds of Southeast Asia’s psychedelic underground are set to hit the West with a 13-date co-headline European tour by Mong Tong and Maya Ongaku in November. The UK shows take place at the Shacklewell Arms in London, Bristol’s Crofters Rights and White Hotel in Manchester on November 13, 14 and 15 respectively. Gigs in Germany, France and the Netherlands make up the itinerary.
Mong Tong, who recently appeared in Prog’s All Around The World column, hail from Taiwan. Their new album, Tao Fire, draws on their homeland’s cultural heritage by using gamelan music, phin guitar and tabla drums while adding sampled sounds from local weddings, funerals and traditional Taiwanese celebrations into the mix.
Maya Ongaku hail from the seaside communities surrounding Enoshima, a small island located 50km southwest of Tokyo. Their brand of spiritual-leaning psychedelia has been gaining traction in Europe.