Anyone fortunate enough to catch a Monster Zoku Onsomb! show can attest that trying to describe their onstage antics to the uninitiated verges is near impossible.

Costume changes, choreographed dancing, fake blood and tequila shots all play a small part and, when combined with lasers, visuals and Kiki iLL’s off the wall production, you’d be forgiven for thinking the lunatics had taken over the asylum. You’d think all this would make selling Monster Zoku Onsomb! to interstate promoters a difficult proposition. And so MZO have bypassed the national touring route in favour of a massive world tour!

“It is tricky, because no one can really pigeonhole us,” Miss Penelope Leisure explains after a session with her personal trainer in preparation for the rigours of touring. “We can’t just say that we’re drum’n’bass, or that we’re techno, because we all like so many different sorts of music and the darker side of everything.

Despite these difficulties, MZO have succeeded in putting together an impressive list of shows in places as far flung as Tokyo, Berlin, Amsterdam and Bristol. The first encounter with a Monster Zoku Onsomb! live show is always unforgettable, but capturing a sound that’s so firmly intertwined with their theatrical live performances means their recoded output has been minimal to date. Although a 12” single and EP have already hit the shelves, it may be some time before we get another dose of MZO madness.