Atsuko Kamura fu una delle colonne delle strepitose/strepitanti Mizutama Shōbōdan (ovvero Polka Dot Fire Brigade) a fianco di Tenko, Kayo, Manako e Marume Miyamoto, capaci di suscitar clamore sulla scena giapponese dei primissimi anni Ottanta con eccitate esibizioni dal vivo invero poco contenibili nel formato discografico. I loro due unici album - Otome No Inori Wa Da Da Da! (1981) e Manten Ni Akai Hanabira (1985, prodotto con lo zampino di Fred Frith) - vennero pubblicati in modo indipendente e in quantità limitata dall'etichetta istituita da Tenko, Kinniku-Bijo, diventando ben presto introvabili in originale. Shoh li riprese in una compilazione in doppio cd nel 2001, alterandone un po' la scaletta; oggi tornano alla luce individualmente in vinile per lodevole iniziativa della fiorentina Spittle, che ne accompagna la riedizione con accurato apparato iconografico.
Japan's Mizutama Shobodan ("Polka Dot Fire Brigade") was led by the mononymous Tenko who would subsequently enjoy a long career in the avant-garde, rubbing shoulders with such elite members of the downtown NYC experimental scene as Otomo Yoshihide, John Zorn and future husband Fred Frith. In the early '80s, Tenko's experimentation was deployed in the service of Mizutama Shobodan, a group whose white hot No Wave sound would presage similarly uncompromising acts like Bride of No No, The Scissor Girls and Metalux. The band's chaotic intensity can be heard on two LPs, released independently on Tenko's own label, Kinniku-Bijo. 1981's debut, released shortly after the band's formation, was conceptualized as a reaction to the period's homogenous pop music. The response from Mizutama Shobodan’s five decidedly non-schooled members was a caffeinated mutant art rock that was both fierce and melodic, distinguished by the dual vocals of Tenko and Atsuka Kamura. 1985's A Skyfull of Red Petals, mixed by Frith, was an attempt to better capture the visceral energy of the band's theatrical and notoriously savage live performances. While boasting the same anarchic power as the band's debut, the four year break - during which time Tenko and Kamura released an album by their free-improv vocal duo The Honeymoons - provided the group ample time to progress as a unit. As a result, the musicianship is tighter, arrangements more sophisticated, angles even sharper. Mizutama Shobodan’s two albums were poorly distributed and as a result have remained quite rare and heard by very few; finally, these recordings from the Far East's outer regions can be discovered by discerning listeners everywhere.