Category Archive for Visual Kei + Music
SUICIDE ALI & LUZMELT: VISUAL KEI CONCERT AT EAST COAST ANIME CONVENTION, TEKKOSHOCON. J-ROCK BAND INTERVIEW, JAPAN MUSIC IN AMERICA.
I promised you J-rock eye candy… and here’s the delivery. Young Visual Kei band Luzmelt wearing what can only be described as training bras! And shorty-shorts. And a butt bustle? Regi and photographer Shiori Saito continue their epic Tekkoshocon journey by interviewing Suicide Ali about Pikachu pijamas and headbanging to their music. Read on…
Tekkoshocon brought in one of my favorite bands for the convention this year: Suicide Ali. I anticipated only interviewing them, but was also scheduled for an interview with Luzmelt, a new Visual Kei band I had never heard of before. Fortunately, prior to each interview, I managed to see the Q&A panels and performances from both bands.
Luzmelt’s interpreter knew ahead of time that she would be on break, as I speak Japanese. Unfortunately, the band seemed to have forgotten… and the result was rather comical (one almost fell off his chair and there was quite a bit of nervous laughter going on). The vocalist, Yuhma, was extremely polite, and the drummer, Miu, was absolutely adorable, always smiling. It was harder to get the other members (guitars Asuka and Kaie and bass Zig) to speak, and when they did I was never 100% certain of where their minds were. My favorite question was: “What country do you want to go to?” and the answer was immediately “London.” They also had gone to Walmart, and were fascinated by it, enough so that they took tons of pictures.
The Suicide Ali interview was extremely enjoyable, with lots of laughs and random comments from both sides. Kozi (bass) started the comedic ball rolling when he sounded out his name incredibly slowly. Apparently Hiroshi (guitar) sleeps in Pikachu kigurumi, and Goshi (vocals) swore that he saw it. Hisashi (drums) didn’t say much. At one point I accidentally skipped Goshi on a question (I thought he had answered it already)… I apologized but he had answered the question (“Favorite brand?” “I don’t have any, actually…”) the same way I’d written it on my notepad a few moments earlier. Awkward…
Time to rock out. Luzmelt opened with an energetic rock vibe, and Suicide Ali sealed the deal with their twisted “industrial metal,” for lack of a better term. Both performances were outstanding and the crowd was very involved, even trying to mimic the para-para-style motions.
Suicide Ali’s live act never ceased to impress. Goshi’s vocals were spot on and every attempt to speak English was adorable (Hiroshi forgot the word “happy”). They’re not quite as gimmicky as Mix Speaker’s Inc, but the sight of Goshi spreading his arms as though they were wings during the song “Revendish Ring” made me scream and jump around like an idiot.
Though there were some sound problems, the shows were executed nicely and the bands treated fans who lined up for autographs with respect and a touch of humor. Though I am partial to Suicide Ali, I highly recommend seeing both groups live.
Also: buy their new singles! You can get Luzmelt’s “Sacrifice” from HearJapan. Suicide Ali’s “Stitch Doll” (which is AWESOME) and the best-of album of Variable Messiah (Goshi and Hiroshi’s former band) are available from Darkest Labyrinth. What are you waiting for? Go for it!
Any fans of Suicide Ali in the house? Which Visual Kei band would you most like to see perform in America?
Japanese Word of the Day: Mijuku = Immature
Song of the Day: Suicide Ali – Revendish Ring (from the DVD)
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BLACK VEIL OSAKA, DJ TAIKI'S GOTH CLUB NIGHT. KOZI OF MALICE MIZER, FU-KI OF BLOOD, DARK MARCHEN AT GOTHIC INDUSTRIAL EBM PARTY.
I’ve covered Tokyo’s Goth parties, but what’s the Osaka scene like? Four words: DJ Taiki’s Black Veil. A phenomenal deejay, Taiki’s monthly party is known as one of the best Goth/EBM gatherings in Japan, if not the world.
Our trip to Osaka coincided with Black Veil’s 10th anniversary ball, so we plastered on the makeup for a nightcrawl. Who else was there? Kozi (Malice Mizer) and Fuki (ex-BLOOD)… Read on to find out why he’s officially my soulmate!
At the very last minute, I was inspired to do KISS makeup. I used the same zig-zag shape as glam metal guitarist Ace Frehley, but instead of all-black, I mixed in red and blue.
Goth dress: h.NAOTO, from Closet Child
White Rabbit purse: Innocent World, from Marui One Shinjuku
Spider and flower rings: from Closet Child. The purple one reminds me of Jasmine You, sigh.
Red knee high socks: from LA’s 99 cent store! Amazing what you can find in there.
Mary Jane shoes: Yosuke, my favorite brand. Well made and comfortable. From EST, a young women’s department store in Osaka.
Osaka’s Black Veil always takes place at Club Neo in Shinsaibashi (the shopping district with all the Gothic Lolita Cyber Punk stores). Guess who we immediately ran into? Fu-ki, vocalist of now-defunct Vampire Visual band BLOOD. You may recall that when we visited his Bar Midian, I was wearing a Black Sabbath shirt and he was blasting Paranoid. Do you see what he’s wearing now? A KISS tie! (That’s proof that we’re soulmates, right?)
DJ Taiki also runs an occult store, Territory, and had some goods for sale at the party. In general, the fashion at Osaka’s Black Veil is more Goth-fetish-sexy than in Tokyo…
And I was impressed by the level of flamboyance. Theatrical eye makeup, undead aristocrat outfits, elaborate hairstyles.
We saw our ridiculous new buddy from the Ridiculous store (I’ll tell you about that adventure in an upcoming post). He had a subdermal implant in his hand — pretty ridiculous, eh?
DJ Taiki spun one of the best sets I’ve heard in a while. He’s not afraid to mix obscure cyber-rave with Abba, 80s Goth and Mylene Farmer. No matter how much your feet hurt, his music will grab you by the neck and drag you to the dance floor.
*** VIDEO SHOULD BE EMBEDDED HERE but YouTube removed it for violating “community guidelines.” Hold on, I’ll put it back up and discuss censorship in the next post… ***
A pretty boy with a brown emo haircut joined Taiki… who introduced him as Kozi! The ex-Malice Mizer guitarist was adorably shy and ran to the back, but not before I caught him on video. You can watch Taiki and Kozi in the video… that got REMOVED so I will put it in the next post.
(For now, check out footage of Kozi and Mana from the Moi dix Mois concert last summer here.)
If you’re seeking a killer Goth/industrial nightclub in Osaka, there are only four words you need to know: DJ Taiki’s Black Veil. You can find upcoming event dates and RSVP for a discount on the website. I have much more Gothic and Lolita coverage from Osaka around the corner, and don’t forget to check out my Tokyo Cyber Gothic club guide.
Have you been to DJ Taiki’s Territory store or Black Veil ball?
Japanese Word of the Day: Monozukuri = Producing things with skill and precision
Song of the Day: Desireless – Voyage Voyage and Tainted Love from DJ Taiki’s fabulous set.
LA CARMINA
