We heard ICHI before we saw him – the sound of a faint harmonica approaching the Spiegeltent along with some tambourine percussion. ICHI finally arrived through the audience on little wooden stilts playing his harmonica and dressed in the most wonderfully ostentatious and quirky colourful outfit, laden with various musical instruments, taking the notion of a one-man-band to the absolute limit.

As ICHI took to the stage to begin his first number he blew up a balloon (as part of a percussive instrument) and then attached a small, plastic helicopter style wings to the end and let it fly out into the audience much to everyone’s amazement. We soon got to appreciate that this was just the beginning of ICHI’s joyously quirky performance. ICHI carried on throughout the set making music from not only a steel drum (which was his base for most songs) but other handmade music inventions such as the use of ping-pong balls which he batted up into the air to create rhythm and then batted them out into the audience! He also invented other incredibly quirky ways of creating sounds by; brushing his teeth as a percussive instrument, playing a trumpet using the air from a filled balloon, playing harmonica on a hand made neck brace fashioned out of a tambourine, swinging a wood-block style instrument (which was attached to his hat) around his head and many many more – in fact, the list is pretty much endless as to the amazing things ICHI did to entertain us and create his hilariously funny and wonderfully endearing songs.

 

Each track began with a short introduction with most of his songs about different animals – my favourite being 'the mosquito song' (Go Gagambo) performed with a dead-pan expression and another handmade instrument creating the sound of a mosquito. Although each song only lasted about a minute Ichi still kept the audience engaged and excited, anticipating what he was going to do next!’.

 

ICHI has been described as being ‘playful and unusual' and you definitely feel you are witnessing something entirely new. Which is fun, danceable and exhilarating, while his performance combines a raucous energy of African street music, the pastoral reflectiveness of goat-herders, and the off beat humour of Monty Python, driven with energy, quirkiness and playful manipulation of the audience. If ever you get the chance to see ICHI, BrightonsFinest highly recommends you do as you will not be disappointed by his eccentric performance.

 

SOUNDS:

Brushing teeth as percussion

Foot = bass drum and clap sound

Playing a trumpet with a balloon filled with air

Ended with a party popper attached to the back of his head

Helicopter style wings attached to a balloon that when blown up and let go accelerated the helicopter into the audience.

Got an audience member to hold up in the air a steel drum and part of the show rolled a ball from his double bass into the steel drum and made it ring whilst he left

Made most of his instruments – harmonica neck brace from a tambourine.

Double bass from something mad.