Melt-Banana and Twenty One Children to Oslo World 2026
A cult phenomenon from Japan and a punk sensation from South Africa visits Kafé Hærverk.
Melt-Banana - Kafé Hærverk - October 31
Melt-Banana from Tokyo, Japan will play at Kafé Hærverk during Oslo World this year. Founded in 1992, the band has become a cult phenomenon and an institution in the world of alternative music. Throughout countless concerts and recordings, they have explored noise and musical complexity from several angles, teaming up with other luminaires of experimental music, such as Lou Reed, John Zorn, Mike Patton, Wire, Tool and Underworld. Melt Banana consists of Yasuko Onuki (“Yako”) and guitarist Ichiro Agata (“Agata”). Agatas guitar sound is often described as a battery of turntables, synths and sampler, hidden between the six guitar strings to create this “Hypertension sound". A Melt-Banana concert will overwhelm you through the sheer physicality and unpredictability of their music. But it will also create space for associations - to art, punk, noise, grindcore, free jazz - allowing the listener’s mind to wander freely.
In 2024 Melt-Banana released their new album “3+5”. Their 8th studio album picks up where Fetch from 2013 left and maintains the aggressive and violent pop sensibility along with playful musicality while also showing their eagerness to open new doors once again. They never hold back, and in 2026 they return to Europe. Hærverk is the perfect venue for them - get your tickets early!
Twenty One Children - Kafé Hærverk - October 30
Twenty One Children are the new riotous punk sensation of South Africa — a fearless trio rewriting the alt-music playbook. Born from the bond between friends Thula and Abdula completed by drummer Biko, the group has common roots in gospel, kwaito, hip-hop, R&B and South Africa’s underground alternative music tradition. But when they play, Twenty One Children fuses the grit of U.S. punk with the heartbeat of Soweto, erupting in a whirlwind of noise, soul, and subversion.
Just listen to their latest album, After the Storm, from 2025 – an irresistible mix of catchy riffs, raw vocals and irreverent skits – clocking in at under 20 minutes of pure joyous energy. With sharp wit and an unshakable DIY ethos, they’re part of a grass roots movement, building a local skate park and throwing benefit shows for schoolbooks. Twenty One Children lives for the community, and shows us that at a moment where rock music in all its forms is once again capturing the zeitgeist, the most interesting music is the stuff that grows in the underground. What better place to make their Oslo debut than Kafé Hærverk, then – the band has been on Hærverk’s wish list for years, and this Oslo World, it finally happens.
