042911 - The Challenge - Shimokitazawa Garage

ouhhhhhhhhhh!!!

My last show before going back to Malaysia (: :)

Actually, I thought I'd have to miss this show, coz we were trying to get flight back on the 28th but couldn't get it. So 29th was the next earliest... But coz I procrastinated, I ended up going back on May 1st earliest!


Anyway, I didn't wanna miss The Challenge. I've been to all their shows since their third show!! So I don't wanna miss any!!!

Plus, I really like their shows and I'm in love with TJ-san.

And I think this was their first show since their UStream broadcast.
Oh and that girl I always see at Tsubaki shows was there too! First time I've seen her at a Challenge show.

Anyways. Yessssss...

Garage is The Challenge's usual trawl.


I don't know who's the first band that played but it was a conglomeration of like lots of people, including the vocalist of DW Nicols (Yes, they're alllllllllllll friends).


In The Challenge's set today, they premiered a NEW SONG!!!!!!!1


AITAI AITAI CHO AITAI (I wanna meet, I wanna meet, I really wanna meet you)

HOLY COW! It's a damnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn catchy song!!!
Once you hear it, damn! The song will be stuck in your head!!!!!!!!
A definite winner!!!!!


I guess that's why I like this band. Even though this is like a side band for 4/5 of all their members, they actually come up with really really good songs! Sometimes songs that are actually better than those new "REAL" bands out there.. Their songs are very catchy guitar rock styled. Awesome to dance and rock out to.. haha!

Aitai Aitai Cho Aitai!


I'm looking forward to their next show when I come back!

Thank you, The Challenge.

Thank you, Japan.

Mata ne!

042311 - セカイイチ (Sekaiichi) Folklore Tour Final One Man Live @ Shibuya O-West

SF- EO

Holycow!!!! This was a totally unexpected find!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


So I went to Shibuya Yaneura today to BUY A TICKET. wth...

YES, because I missed the ticket sales yesterday for the STAn/The Novembers Shibuya LUSH show in June. For some unknown reason, the show sold out. WITHIN 10 hours. I mean what are the chances of that??? For some reason, on their own, neither bands sell out, but put them together, they SOLD OUT!

So I couldn't get the ticket. Lawson, online and in the stores, sold out. I even called Shibuya LUSH to check and the shop tickets are sold out and so was Lawson.

So, in desperation, since The November's HP didn't say anything, I checked STAn's page to see if STAn's page listed another way to get the ticket and LO AND BEHOLD!!! There was ONE LAST option left! Apparently, the tickets will be sold at their shows!

SO YES, my DESPERATE plan, was to try to go to a STAn live and check to see if they sold the tickets for the The Novembers show in June. KINDA roundabout!!! wth.... I want to see The Novembers.... all tickets are SOLD OUT... So I check out the OTHER band that will be playing with them to see if they have tickets.... And apparently they might have, but that requires me to go for the other's band's show, just to check to see if they do... GEEZZZZZZZZZ... Do I even like The Novembers that much???


BUTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT....... LUCKY (Or UNLUCKY) me, STAn had a show the very next day!!!!!!!!!

EXCEPT that it CLASHED with Sekaiichi's show :(


BUTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT Luck has it, for some odd reason, Sekaiichi's show started REALLY early, at 5p.m. and since it was a One Man Live, it would end by 7 or 7:30... probably...

ANDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD Lucky me, fate has it, both shows were in SHIBUYA!!!

STAn's show started at 7, so I would be able to make it to the STAn show to check to see if they really sold the tickets, after the Sekaiichi show.

So that's exactly what I did!!!

Sekaiichi ended at like 7:20, and I got to Yaneura by 7:30ish....


And fate would have it... I was JUST IN TIME for the LAST SONG of the opening act, SF.

THE SONG WAS GREAT!!!!!

It was one of those heavy mellow post-rock kind of sounds, but the last song had very, very catchy English bits, and it was more heavy and rocking than it was mellow and depressing, was like INCREDIBLE!!!!

I really wanted to buy their CD but unfortunately, there were like 3 CDs, and each CD was 2100 yen and above... I wasn't sure which disc to get (based on just ONE song I heard) and as good as they may be, I wasn't ready to shell out 2100yen blindly just based on 1 song..

BUT MOST DEFINITELY WORTH CHECKING OUT!!!!!!!!!!!! TOTALLY AWESOME!!!!!

Which I DID check out!!

Will definitely buy their 2nd album and when they have other live, will definitely go!!!!


AND MOST OF ALL TOO...


THEY SOLD THE THE NOVEMBERS/STAn TICKETS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So I got my tickets!!!!!
3000yen more than the usual.
Coz I had to get into the show.
BUT OH WELL!!! I found a good band!!!! SF!!!!


(Yes, I left right after I got the ticket. I really DID literally go in for the show just to get a ticket... I like STAn, but not enough to stay ANOTHER show just to see them... Plus, I was with my friend! YES! I went to a show (Sekaiichi) with a friend!!! WOAH!!!!!)

042211 - The Novembers - Shindaita FEVER

I'm absolutely in love with The Novembers. nuff said.

haha ok actually no..

It's surprising how many The Novembers songs I actually recognized in their set!! Seriously! I wasn't able to sing to the songs but I actually knew the songs, WOW!

BUTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

what clenched my heart was that... They played AMULET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Actually, I was hoping they play chernobyl (I like this song better, actually) coz they seem to play that song more often, but surprisingly they actually played AMULET!!!!!!!!!!!

ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh BLISS!

Ima go their shows from now on!!


Anyway, I don't know many of The Novembers' song coz... their songs are a quite post rock. Muffled vocals drowned in grungy loud guitars with overflowing bass and crazy drumming... So, basically, not completely my cup of tea.

BUT.

The Novembers were one of those bands that I had been listening to on a continuous loop in the few months before I left Malaysia. I got hooked to their songs Amulet and Chernobyl, which is kick ass awesome. I can still see the road driving to Nilai where I taught in Ichikoh (a company) and listening to Amulet and Chernobyl. So, their songs still color my memories of the time before I left Malaysia.


SHOW:

So anyway, the show... The Novembers were the second band to play after this instrumental guitar band, that was just incredible with their driving guitars and crazy ass riffs.

It's my first time seeing The Novembers. Always failed to go for their shows and ACTUALLLLLLY, I also missed getting the tickets for THIS show and it sold out.. However, actually, this show was originally suppose to be on MARCH 11, YES, the day of the BIG EARTHQUAKE. So, the show was cancelled and postpone. SO, in the postponement, some people canceled their tickets so there were still a few tickets left and HELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL I dragged my lazy ass to Shindaita Fever and lined up for a ticket!

SO there I was!

Anyway, their set was quite short. 7 - 8 songs.

BUTTTTTTTTTTT

oh man... If I thought Riki Kinoshita doesn't talk at live shows, The Novembers beat them hands down.

NONE of the members spoke at all the whole show. They rolled from one song to the next just pausing for "arigatou" and tuning. I think at the END, the vocalist FINALLY introduced the band's name,said his thanks to everyone and to Dip for the invitation to play together in the event and that was it.

AMAZING.

They didn't bother to talk about merch, tours and all those customary subjects bands should cover in their MCs.

WONDERFUL.

I'm smitten!


Anyway, I digress.

I don't know if it was just the composition of the audience or what, since this is a Dip event, but I'm somewhat disappointed by the crowd. Here there was this band playing incredibly intense, heartfelt energy all encompassing song and EVERYONE was just standing there, like sticks.

sigh.

Japan.


Anyway, as mentioned, the highlight of the show for me was when they played Amulet. I couldn't believe that they played it. But it was really surreal to hear it live.
But, as mentioned, I was very very surprised that I actually recognized and knew a lot of the songs they played. Which was nice, because it meant that I was not bored! haha..

But seriously, I am totally smitten.
Gonna try my best to go for every The Novembers show in Tokyo, if possible.

Yes.

So my 2en:

CD-able: most definitely.
Show-able: most definitely..
one-man-live-able: yes, because it probably means they'd probably play BOTH Amulet and Chernobyl! haha..


Setlist: (WOW! I found it!)

Misstopia
New Song
アマレット
New Song
New Song
dysphoria
こわれる
白痴
ガムシロップ

ab initio / Good Morning America / Jimmyhat / Cherry Nade - Shimokitazawa Garage - 04/16/11

killing boy / 曽我部恵一BAND / the telephones - Shibuya O-East - 04/14/11

HMMM... I bought this ticket on Yahoo Auctions... It sold out and I did NOT know that killing boy had a show... Kinoshita really should announce shows in advanced instead of having to suddenly stumbled upon the shows a little too late =_=

Anyway!

I got a nice ticket, though! So I was able to choose a nice spot. I chose to stay at the back, because I was going to leave early, as I do have to wake up at 5am everyday for work, you know!!!


killing boy

HUHU!!!!!!

Well killing boy only has a limited number of songs, so basically they played only the songs on the album ^_^

But they did have a new song today, which was a completely instrumental piece with the band jamming like made! Awesome, awesome!!

It's quite sad no one in the crowd knew killing boy :( Save for 1 or 2 of us... :(


曽我部恵一BAND

It turns out I've actually seen this band before!!!!!
Well not the band, but just the vocalist.
When he played with Sekaiichi at Shinjuku Jam last year.

I remembered he had some really nice songs but there were 4 bands playing that night and a 50 minute acoustic set of ONE GUY on a guitar was wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy too much.

BUT BUT BUT BUT BUT I remembered this guy because that night, he played a really catchy song called "Telephone Love" and got the very bored crowd to actually sing along with him. And tonight with his band, he got the crowd to REALLY, REALLY rock out with the song "Telephone Love" as dedicated to The Telephones!! hahaha..

It's really uncanny and I can't believe that this guy is the same band!

Coz that night, it was really, really slow and mellow.

But it turns out that his band is actually like a PUNK ROCK band.. NOT melodic punk, mind you, but actually PUNK ROCK! And they had a bunch of fans in the pit that were just going crazy moshing.

WOAH!!!!!


the telephones.

what can I say but... "WTF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

It's the FIRSTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT time I've seen, in Japan, the ENTIRE CROWD in the rocking out with a band!!!!

Usually only the front would be moving about but DAMNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!! I think all 1000 people in the pit were just dancing, jumping, moshing and going wild!!!!!

IN FACT!!! This was the FIRST SHOW EVER in Japan that I've actually seen... A CIRCLE PIT!!!

WTH!!!!!!!!

A CIRCLE PIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WOAAAAAAOAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!


The Telephone's songs are like a mix of rock and disco.. Not hare-brained unity type but like rock rock rock and lots and lots and lots of disco beats!!!

They also sing in English.

Very very catchy and I really loved the song they sang to unite the kids in lights of earthquake...

But...

Hmm..

I doubt kids there think much about changing this world. And probably more about clothing and fashion or something...

Why do I always think that Japanese kids are so shallow?

sigh.

sorry.

ha!

Freenote / Uranino (ウラニーノ) / Guest: Tsubaki's 小川博永（つばき）- Shimokitazawa Club Que - 04/07/11

SO! I went for my first ACTUAL Freenote Live! ^_^


Actually I went for this show coz Ogawa-san was making a guest appearance and with Okamoto-san supporting on drums for Freenote, well... this was the closest I could come to to seeing Tsubaki (; ;) How sad it is, how sad it is indeed...


ANYWAY!

Yes.

SO! Uranino played and FINALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLY I figured out where that guy who sometimes appears with Tsubaki Friend's was from... He's the vocalist of Uranino.

ANDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD FINALLYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY I figured out where that CRAZYYYYYYYYYYY guy Piston was from. He's the bassist of Uranino. WTH. He's ACTUALLY a bassist. woah.

OverTheDogs - Shibuya WWW - 04/03/11

cathy lost one's apricot / shepherd / nano sound museum - Shimokitazawa club251 - 04/01/11

This is my second time at club251. The first time was during shimokita roundup3 for セカイイチ show. It seemed bigger back then! I didn't know it was so small. Seriously.

And actually tonight's show's headlining band was ROSARYHILL but I did not stay for their set. If I remember my checking them out years ago correctly, I think they're a punk rock band (but I might be wrong). They had their group of groupies tho. Seriously. Really cutely dressed group of girls who rushed over to the merch guy as soon as he showed up. Yes, every scene has its groupies.

Anyways, I found out about this show through cathy's lost's flyer (don't they have an abbreviation for their name?!) and I decided to check it out because they were playing with nano sound museum!! Which is Ogawa-san's side project!!! I had always wanted to check nano sound museum out because of Ogawa-san, ANDDDDDDDDDD if I remember correctly, I had wanted to check them out when I came here in 2009 because nano sound museum, if memory serves me well, is the band of the lead singer of the now defunct band, coin (pronounced co-in), which I really liked.


Anyway, Club251 has been having a 音Power (sound power) events kinda thing since the earthquake. Also, that day was April 1st. Which is not just April's Fools day but also, in Japan, it's the first day of the fiscal year and the first day where all the new graduates and freshies enter the great big scary world of WORKING.
Anyway I was thinking, while I was watching cathy lost's set and the lead was singing. He blogged a couple of days ago about graduating and how it was the end of 22 years of education. Seeing him sing there, so young, I can't help but feel "kudos" to these bands and to these kids... Here they were, on the first day of what was suppose to be for them and for kids their age, the first day of responsibility/adulthood/growing up/surrendering dreams... there they were, not joining the rest of the workforce, not following along the path that Japanese society has set out for the... But instead there they were, playing to a crowd of 20 people of which probably 5 people knew who the hell they were, but there they were, following their hearts, following their love, following their passion, doing what they love, carving out their own paths, following their own ways and not betraying nor giving up on that which they love.

I am really glad there are kids like that in this world.

And I am glad to be there to see them and to give them whatever support that I can.


Anyway! To the bands!



1) cathy lost one's apricot yesterday

This is the second time seeing cathy lost. Like their previous set during the wild gun crazy release show at ReG, they barreled through the songs one after another, without stopping much. I guess the whole band is not fond of MC. I guess this is one guy who actually talks LESS than kinoshita. HM! I think while the other bands got to cover like 5 - 6 songs, cathy lost bulldozed through 8 - 10 songs... INCREDIBLE. Coz they didn't stop playing, I suppose!
Anyway, I didn't think that their performance was as powerful today, as in the wild gun crazy set. But I really like it when I was able to recognize their song "annonymous", the title track off their most recent EP.

つばきラブScale: probably around a 4


2) shepherd

WOW. HMMM! I found a band I liked!
They played 5 songs, if I'm not mistaken. Their first song was the type of upbeat dancey rockish song which I like very much. And it didn't sound like those typical bands these days either, so I was really, really impressed!
The second song was more mellow though and so were the rest of their set. The slower songs were also those type of slow, mellow yet catchy and hauntings songs that I like too, but recently, I really do prefer a band that I can tap my feet to!

So they turned out to be quite a mellow songs kind of band instead of the upbeat rockish band I had innitially thought they were.
And although, I don't think I would normailly pay 2000円 for 12 songs on 2 CDs... I think this band definitely has potential.. And I took a chance and bought their 2 CDs anyway... Cause judging from their performance, I think this is definitely a band with the type of sounds that I like, so definitely, I think it'd be more of a hit than a miss.
Of all the bands, I definitely think this band has a great potential to make it, to hone their skills, to create further deeper sounds in the future. They can definitely come up with something I would most definitely love in the future. Yes, I totally believe that!!

So it's great! I found a new band :)


つばきラブScale: Around a 5.5 probably... or maybe a 6 (depends of if the albums are good!)



3) nano sound museum

hey whattttt Ogawa-sannnn!! Why are you sooooooooooooooooooo rocking out and enthusiastic with this band??? Seems like you were rocking out like a 20 year old!!!! With Tsubaki, hmmm you're like the wise one, controlled and cool! whaatttttt!
Anyway, the lead singer is REALLY SUPERBLY cute. He had his hoodie on so he looked WAYYYYYYYYYYY younger and INCREDIBLYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY cute and cool. Woah!! TOTALLLLLLYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY cuter than Johnny's boys!!! WTH how come these people don't get to bank on their looks! PLUS, they have WAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY MOREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE talent than the whole of damn Johnny's groups combined!

Anyways, enough ranting. nano sound museum.

Holycow! HMMMMMMMMMM... I can only describe their songs in relations to hare-brained unity, because both bands are disco/electronic/rock.

Actually, if you take the two bands as they are, seems really like their songs are interchangable with one another. They really have very very similar compositions.

HOWEVER, there is ONE major difference between the two bands though is that, while hare-brained unity is disco/electronic infused with rock, nano sound museum is rock infused with some disco/electronic.

nano sound museum has CRAZY HEAVY guitars!!!!! Even the effect of the guitar is of that typical HEAVY ELECTRIC ROCK GUITAR sound. So infused into this is a disco beat and some electronics.
hare-brained unity, I think, for me, starts with disco and electronics, and work the rock into it.

Their album was a little pricey 1700円, wasn't sure if I wanted to get it for 1700円 but, well Ogawa is in there, overall their sounds are VERY CATCHY, so most definitely somewhere in time I'd probably see them again... So it would be nice to know one or two of their songs.

Oh, and they had a few fans in the crowd too, cheering with their well memories hands movements, and one DAMNNNN HEADBANGING hellokitty kind of girl right in front! (ahh every band has its groupies)...


つばきラブScale: well since Ogawa is in there, technically, it HAS TO BE at least a 3.3 rig5ht???? haha... Hmmm... Probably around a 5.5 maybe but with potential to rise?

killing boy - Liquidroom Ebisu - 03/30/11

No thanks to my iPhone calendar notification, I almost missed this show. Fail.

BUT I DID NOT AND THAT'S GREAT!!!!!!!!

But if it wasn't for Riki, I think I would have most definitely skipped this show for being tooooooo lazy...

HOWEVER, I AM SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO SUPER GLAD I didn't miss it!!!!!


So this was the second time I've seen Riki perform at Liquidroom in 2 months. The layout of Liquidroom this time was more like what I remembered it to be when I came to see Lunkhead here 3 years ago. They closed off the side of the hall with black curtains, so there was just the mosh pit in the middle.
However, a few minutes before the show started, they opened up the black curtains by the side so people could stand on the steps, thus widening the pit.
I wonder if this is why they call it Liquidroom ahahaha... Coz the layout changes as the crowd size changes!

Anyway!


killing boy

Hmmm... I thought it was very cool that Riki came out FIRST on stage, which I thought was very, very cool and like "whatever I don't need a ceremony" for him. I don't like how vocalists are always the last to come out, as if the other band members are less important and just supporting this one dude. So I liked that Riki came out FIRST and everyone cheered for him one and the same as for everyone else in the band. That was really cool of him or he probably just didn't give a damn, really.

So anywa, Riki, as ALWAYS, was very, very, very quiet. He didn't say anything except "arigatou" at the end of each song. The highlight of the show was probably when he asked the technicians to set up another mic, but for the guitarist to speak and do the usual "thank you everyone for coming" MC. hahaahah.... And it was so Riki when the technician was going to give him the mic when he went " X " no. ahahahahaha... Riki, Riki....

Anyway, they came back on for an instrumental encore and then Call 4 U... Which was brilliant!! ANDDDDDDDDDDD... BEFORE Call 4 U, Riki FINALLY spoke and thanked all the bands that played that night. I thought he was eating his words again, and perhaps a little stuttering. HA! Oh... Riki!!

Oh... by the way I mentioned the killing boy show to a client who works at a UK Label the next day. He didn't know killing boy so I asked if he knew art-school. Then he said "Yeah, I know Riki-kun." ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!! Then he said that Riki is very good but "he's a very nervous guy." and went on to stress, good but "very nervous" again!! ahahahahaha... WOAH!!! He said Riki is very nervous when he talks... HMMMM.... I guess that explains the whole no MC thing.. I guess if he's nervous around a closed group of people, what more an audience of a thousand!! What a TOTALLY UNLIKELY candidate for a lead vocalist!!!!


ANYWAY. Killing Boy live is AWESOME. Actually, their SONGS are AWESOME live.

I don't particularly pay attention to instruments because I know jack shit about them. HA! But, this band really caught me. The lead guitarist, to me, is just plain awesome. Wonderful riffs weaving so seemlessly to join in with incredible bass, coupled with spot on drumming. With such awesome parts, actually, sadly, sorry Riki, but I really thought that perhaps the most ordinary member of this band was Riki. I think the pure talent of the other members just shines through in their parts and their composition and performance. I am usually, totally not a bass person, but seriously, I was very, very impressed by Hinata's bass. His playing makes you NOTICE the bass lines, not just the way bass is usually drowned out and over-spotlighted by the rest. He made his bass STAND OUT. Jumps out out you. Makes you notice it. Makes you go "woah! wow...". The guitarist just blew me away with his parts, so silently playing in his corner of the stage, but his parts just flowed in like water washing over the songs giving them its waves and texture. And why I say perhaps HINTO has a better guitarist is because he his riffs courses through the song, carving it's lines in and out through the flow of the song and melody. And he plays it so well, so well composed, so well performed, silently but its presence felt. sears an impression through the skin of the song. And then there's the drumming. Ah... I think I am a closet drummer lover. haha! Srsly. Plain COOL, in his world, drumming so effortlessly, where every beat followed the next, rolling the band onwards, onwards. Damn. He was cool. Cool. So seriously, of all, sorry Riki, seems like his part was the simplest. His guitar parts seem simple too. I swear he held on to ONE CHORD throughout the entire verse. ONE! But to his credit, I think Riki's part is the base on which all the rest build their sounds upon. While everyone's parts stood out, Riki's stayed in the background, unnoticed in its presence but perhaps, definitely incomplete without.

I feel as if killing boy is where all these members that are usually buried in other's compositions in their own main bands actually come out in these songs to strut their feathers, spread their wings, and show the world, show their fans, their actual, own stark talent and brilliance. This is where they shine from their own.


andymori

Oh yeah, killing boy played with andymori today too...

Kinda weird... The first time killing boy played in Liquidroom, they opened for Andymori... Second time they played, andymori opened for them...

Oh well, maybe in Japan it doesn't matter.

Andymori has some very rocking out songs! And damn, their vocalist is INCREDIBLY CUTE. INCREDIBLY.INCREDIBLY.

lol.

Anyway, it was cool to see like a 50-year-old obaasan rocking out to this cute young boy's rock tunes! Hell yeah, rock on!