So I just got back from a successful business trip to my favorite country ;D JAPAN. I kicked all kinds of ass, met lots of people and networked my little ass off.
Not much news on the music front, as apparently even being a few weeks behind on whats really going on in the Jrock scene, I was still way ahead of everyone over there haha.. Towards the end of my trip I went to see a show in Saitama at HEAVENS ROCK, which is a nice little livehouse near one of the Saitama-city stations (not sure exactly which one >_>;) I was speaking to the manager about my endeavors and he was extremely impressed with my knowledge but he also told me I was crazy because I knew more than pretty much anyone he knows.
At this live show, which lasted close to 5 hours, we saw bis, MaveRick, meth., Scar., Sel'm, Like absolute myself, Wednesday and heidi. The only 2 bands I was previously familiar with their music were bis and Sel'm, but I had heard of all of the others except Like absolute myself. It was really full of oldschool visual-kei goodness, which is exactly what the doctor ordered ;D
bis- was pretty crappy live, they sounded like they were trying to be extra punky, but the band members were making all kinds of mistakes, and they only played one song I knew hah.
MaveRick- kicked probably the most ass out of all the performers, they were obviously a very small/new/super indie band that I found out later is from Nagoya <3 But these guys honestly had their act together REALLY well, every band member did their part, none tried to steal the show and it was just really fun and pleasant to listen to, I didnt want it to end ;_;
meth.- we got to the show right as meth. (which was the first band up) was starting their set, and let me tell you, GOOD first impression, if they had fucked up or been crappy, I probably would have enjoyed the entire show much less than I did. meth.'s music is good, hard, fast and no bullshit, just enjoyable VK awesomeness.
Scar. - didnt leave much of an impression on me.. but I can say it was enjoyable, but unfortunately there was nothing that really stuck out for me.
Sel'm - was definitely the most popular band that played at the show, I knew a few of the songs, but again there is nothing about Sel'm that really stands out for me... The drummer looked like he belonged in Girugamesh though.. There was a high amount of talent present from these guys, everyone doing their job well, and a large amount of presence. Both meth. and Like absolute myself came into the venue to watch when Sel'm came on.. but again, I really wasn't that impressed.
Like absolute myself - these guys put on the weakest set in the show.. I really didnt enjoy the music very much. I have a feeling that this was one of their first live events and they are pretty much super indies n00b band, however the band members approached me and we talked about music a little bit, they were really nice so I have nothing bad to say about the band itself, I really hope they continue making music, growing as a band and get a large fanbase :D
Wednesday - This band was so cracked out, I really had no idea what was going on, everyone was dressed up in Psycho le Cemu-esque outfits doing really strange crap and confusing the hell out of me, honestly though, I can say I completely enjoyed it, they were so bizarre and crowd surfing and the drummer looked like a cross between a dog and boy george. Everyone in the band, despite the massive costumes they were wearing, performed very well with music that I enjoyed quite a bit.
heidi. - wow.. heidi. was probably the best performance of the night, with meth., MaveRick and Wednesday just slightly behind, but in no particular order hah. There were more males that came to see heidi. than any of the other bands, besides the band members who were watching Sel'm (it was like 95% girls 5% boys for basically the whole show) Now, I was impressed like hell by heidi.'s guitarrist (Nao) who i would say is on par with Aie from Deadman and Miya from MUCC, which is saying something, I was mesmerized by his playing. heidi. is 2 ex-members from Kalimero (one of them being Nao) But in any case, heidi.'s live was even better than their recorded material, which impresses the hell out of me.
I highly recommend giving heidi., MaveRick, meth., and Wednesday a try if you havent already, in the oldschool visual rock tradition, these bands kicked some MAJOR ass, leaving me with a greater appreciation for the current generation of musicians. <3
