Comanechi

Comanechi are a London, United Kingdom punk rock group associated with garage punk, lo-fi, noise rock, indie and garage. The band forms in Hackney, London, in the late 2000s and centres on Akiko Matsuura and Simon Petrovitch; the verified membership also includes Charlie Heaton.

Formation and line-up

The group starts as a loud punk project in Hackney, London. Akiko Matsuura, also known as Akiko “Keex” Matsuura, is one of the founders and also works with The Big Pink and Pre. Simon Petrovitch is the other original member mentioned. In live performance, the band later adds an extra drummer, with Akiko moving to the role of singer while Simon remains on guitar.

Releases and activity

Comanechi release a series of 7-inch singles on the indie labels Merok and White Heat. They also appear on Rough Trade’s Counter Culture. Their debut album, Crime of Love, is released on Merok and draws strong critical notice. The band also issues a split 10-inch, Let Me Bloom, with Glasgow band Divorce.

Live work

The group builds a reputation through club shows in London and through festival appearances in several countries, including Primavera, Offset, Camden Crawl, 1234 and Canada’s NXNE. They also play sold-out tours in the UK, Europe and Japan.

Later work

After the debut album, Comanechi continue working on new material for a follow-up release. Their activity is marked by the same harsh, high-volume punk sound that defines their early recordings and live performances.