Formed in a 1990s workshop for South Asian teenagers in London, Asian Dub Foundation’s electro sound, aggressive rap lyrics and Indo-dub bass lines were never as media friendly as the unstoppable Indie-rock bands of the time. While Oasis and Blur got rich and famous, ADF kept doing their thing in the shade. Most of the ‘90s’ acts, such as Belle & Sebastian (playing Studio Coast on March 3; ¥ 6,500; www.smash-jpn.com), lost relevance with age but still manage to retain a loyal fan-base. ADF’s style makes their music perfectly suited to current events, though: With their new single “A History of Now” getting the YouTube treatment with remixes splicing in images of the recent Egyptian and Tunisian struggles, their time in the spotlight may have finally arrived, 15 years later.
April 3, 7 pm
Admission: ¥6,000
Venue: O-East Shibuya
Nearest station: Shibuya
