Peelander Z at Turf Club tonight

Banzai! Peelander Z in action.

Look-- we here at Gimme Noise, as you may well know, are woefully prone to cynicism (you get that way when each day brings bargeloads of CDs by the Kevin Bacon brothers and the soundtrack to Fast & Furious).

But even we, cowering from within our shells of immaculate jade, know fun when we see it, and every so often a band comes along that is so forceful with their good nature we can't help but gleefully be crowd surfed.


Peelander Z performing "Super Health."

Peelander Z is just such a band. Influenced by... well, God only knows what. Wrestling and NES? Guitar Wolf and Godzilla? The Japanese trio is, literally and figuratively, a tecnicolor experience-- less a band than a performance troupe, less musicians than ringleaders. Dressed in yellow, blue and red jumpsuits, their performances include such absurd stunts as human bowling, smartly choreographed wrestling matches between members, and the passing of their instruments into the crowd so that the band members can be free to go about other, more zany occupations around the bar.

There's lots of signage at Peelander Z shows, with the drummer regularly holding up placards on which the chorus of the song is written (without which an understanding of the vocals would be nearly impossible). But the most astute sign in Peelander Z's toy chest is the one that reads "DON'T THINK JUST FEEL." It's the mantra they live and die by. The music is a bit of an afterthought, but there's no way around the fact that no one walks out of a Peelander Z show frowning. With Birthday Suits, Awesome Snakes and Fuck Knights on the bill, there's simply no excuse for planting your butt anywhere but the Turf Club tonight.

21+. 9:00 P.M. With Birthday Suits, Awesome Snakes, and Fuck Knights. Turf Club, 1601 University Avenue, Saint Paul.