Airhorns were ablaze yesterday as residents of Mabase crowded The Airliner’s upstairs venue in search of warmth and sound. There was a call for sci-fi inspired outfits, but we saw mostly dyed hair, pastel colors, and some frill — we spotted at least one well-done cybergoth, though! Screened with geometric visuals and scenes from Doubutsu no Mori, Playing Tourist Forever pummeled the second-floor bar with aggro-boss battle music, followed by bitpop trio Paladin Shield with songs from their 2015 self-titled debut. New York’s Knife City was Famitracker-free, but dished out strong drum & bass remixes for fans to go hard. Bedroom producer Slime Girls ended the night with a two-part set of heavy chiptune from the recent "NO SUMMER NO CRY" and abrasive ska-punk of earlier days, with covers of Undertale‘s "Dating Start" and of Japanese idol group BiS’ "PPCC".
Our ears were busted and the night was cold, but that was a hell of a show to end 2015. More pictures of the night on our Instagram @TheDeliLA. – Ryan Mo, photography by Michelle McCausland