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.
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BAR MIDIAN IN OSAKA, OWNED BY FU-KI OF VISUAL KEI BAND BLOOD. HARD ROCK HEAVY METAL GOTHIC BARS IN JAPAN.
Are you a fan of BLOOD, the deathrock/Goth/Visual Kei band that disbanded last year? (Do I even need to ask?) Dravarious and I heard that vocalist Fu-ki opened up a rock bar in Osaka — so we went on a treasure hunt to find Bar Midian. It was quite the adventure, with scandalous boy-on-boy action along the way…
I’m wearing an Alice and the Pirates jacket and Algonquins skirt. I found my cute Takoyaki-chan in an Umeda convenience store (he has a smiling octopus on his forehead!). As for my shirt… it has special significance. Read on for the story…
Listen up, my little vampires: you will get LOST looking for Bar Midian. Even with this map, Doyamacho is mad confusing — we back-tracked and detoured for 40 minutes. So before you set out to hang with Fu-ki, study these photos and instructions carefully…
How to get to Bar Midian
† Walk east from Umeda station. Head towards the Hep Five shopping mall with the red ferris wheel.
† When you see the yellow Tsutaya bookstore sign, you’re getting close.
† Go to that side of street. When you see the red Big Echo and Drug store signs, turn left.
† Welcome to a maze of side-streets and gay bars. When you spot the magic dragon (ahah), you’re going the right way.
† Keep going until you see the BINGO sign on the left, and the red fish sign on the right. You’re almost there. Turn left…
† … and look up at this mess of signs. Do you see 2F, Bar Midian?
† Walk up to the skull entrance. Congrats, you’ve reached the goal!
As soon as I entered the small red room, I knew I’d found my new favorite watering hole. Skulls, axes and dragons… an undead heavy metal wet dream!
Who was behind the bar, mixing drinks and ominously hacking blocks of ice with a pick? None other than Fu-ki himself!
Visual Kei bands are notorious for abusing makeup and Photoshop to look pretty (Blood was no exception). But in real life, vocalist Fu-ki is a looker with long black hair.
You’ll be glad to hear that he’s in great spirits. Fu-ki was smiling and having fun all night, mixing drinks and rocking out to 1980s heavy metal.
The cocktails have names such as Black Rose and Satan. Fu-ki made me special one, which was so strong and citrus-delicious that I ordered another. He’s friendly and chatty; when he heard this was our first time in Osaka, he insisted that the round of drinks was on the house!
The TV screen blasted metal music videos (Poison, Def Leppard). I freaked out when he put on a Black Sabbath tape from the early 1970s — I happed to be wearing a vintage Sabbath shirt that day.
There were about 10 other people on the barstools — tattooed and pierced rocker-types who entertained us with their yaoi antics. Let’s just say in any situation, boy-on-boy action is always a welcome addition.
Although BLOOD disbanded, Fu-ki is still very involved with music. He has an entire wall of CDs and DVDs (left photo) and sings in an Osaka-based Motley Crue cover band. Bar Midian was the perfect enterprise: Fu-ki gets to blast music and hang out with fellow metal-heads every night.
If you’re ever in Osaka, you must visit Fu-ki’s bar. Follow our treasure hunt instructions carefully, and give him the devil-horns from us!
Bar Midian
大阪市北区堂山町10-16 叶第一レジャービル2F
2F, 10-16 Kanai First Leisure building, Doyamacho, Umeda, Osaka
Tel: 06-6312-8281
Are you surprised and pleased to see what Fu-ki’s been up to?
Japanese Word of the Day: Itazura = Playful, mischief
Song of the Day: BLOOD – I Remember You (Because none of us will forget his amazing band.)
LA CARMINA
