Cult favorite punk band cancels S.F. show after tour van crash

A cult-favorite Japanese punk band canceled its San Francisco show after a serious New Mexico crash injured all three members.

Peelander-Z was scheduled to perform at Bottom of the Hill on Monday, May 25, with UltraBomb and the Freak Accident as part of its U.S. tour. But the Potrero Hill club announced in a social media post that a “horrific accident” had put the band members in the hospital and left them facing “a long recovery ahead.”

Officials said a semi-truck rear-ended the band’s tour van on Monday, May 18, as the band was traveling west on Interstate 40, east of Albuquerque. The group was less than an hour from its destination.

A GoFundMe, organized by Dan Redman, identified the injured members as Peelander Yellow (Kengo Hioki), Peelander Pink (Yumiko Kanazaki) and Peelander Tiger (real name undisclosed).

New Mexico TV news station KOB reported Friday, May 22, that all three members had been treated in intensive care for broken bones, including fractured vertebrae and ribs as well as other trauma. 

Booking agent Brad Raffenaud told the station the crash was “really bad” but that reports from doctors were promising.

“Just lucky that they’re all three alive,” Raffenaud told KOB. “I mean, if you were to drive past an accident like that, you wouldn’t imagine that anyone would survive that.”

The crash forced Peelander-Z to cancel upcoming tour dates. 

The band is based in Austin and has long been a cult favorite among punk fans for its color-coded costumes and theatrical stage antics.

Bottom of the Hill said Peelander-Z had played the San Francisco club in 2005, 2012 and 2019, calling the band “Japanese action punk comic legends.” and urging fans to support the recovery fundraiser.

The GoFundMe had raised more than $139,000 toward a $170,000 goal as of Monday.

“As you know, musicians are among the most vulnerable among us, and we need to band together to help,” Bottom of the Hill said.