Summer Fun: Tonight, Cibo Matto at Neumos

Cibo Matto

When Cibo Matto called it quits in 2001, there wasn’t necessarily reason to expect the band would reassemble. Yuko Honda and Miho Hatori, the group’s founders and primary members, moved on to solo careers while also working with wide variety of other artists. Fans hoping for a reunion were dealt a blow by a 2006 interview in which Honda, confronted with the possibility of resurrecting the band, said: “It's over. It's all over. Nobody is left in the band. Cibo Matto broke up, because it was time. We felt the need to move to the next step.”

Surprising many, Cibo Matto played two shows earlier this year to raise money for Japanese earthquake and tsunami disaster relief. Few read into these events anything more than Honda and Hatori supporting aid efforts in their native country. The two must have enjoyed playing together again, though, because in May it was announced that Cibo Matto would embark on a short summer tour, including five dates on the West Coast. That tour starts tonight, appropriately, on the first day of summer in a city reveling in the warmest temperatures of the year.

It remains to be seen whether Sean Lennon, Timo Ellis, or Duma Love—all one-time members of the band—will join Honda and Hatori. The pair have revealed that fans can expect a mix of old songs and new, including material they’re preparing for an 2012 release.

Cap off this longest day of the year by heading over to Neumos for a comeback show that won't disappoint.

Tonight @ Neumos // Doors 8:00pm // tix $18 at the door