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Gacharic Spin at Anime Matsuri 2019 (Live Report)

Gacharic Spin
Anime Matsuri (Houston, Texas) – June 14, 2019
Live Report by Todd Nelson

(photo: Judy Escalante/Anime Matsuri)

Gacharic Spin rocked Houston as the headliners for Anime Matsuri 2019 in their only international appearance for their 10th anniversary tour. It was the band’s third appearance as a musical guest at this event, however the lineup was quite different from when they last played the event in 2017.

After Performer #1, Mai, left the band at the end of last year, the band retooled itself, moving Hana from drums to rhythm guitar and bringing in two new members: yuri on drums and Angelina 1/3 as mic performer. Fans from across the US and other countries made the trip to the George R. Brown Convention Center just for Gacharic Spin, eager to see the new lineup.

BRATS brave rainstorm for Wake Up Festival 2019 in Taiwan

Fans of Japanese girls rock band BRATS powered through heavy rain to support the band’s first-ever outdoor concert appearance at Wake Up Festival 2019 in Taiwan on July 6. The 3-day event is Taiwan’s largest outdoor festival, hosting 169 artists in 3 days.

Just as BRATS was scheduled to begin their evening set on the Seven Tigers Stage, the dark clouds opened up over the audience. Vocalist Rei Kuromiya greeted the crowd with a short MC in Chinese, and the band opened with “Anthem” and “Kaihou Seyo” as fans covered in their parkas raised their voices to cheer for BRATS, shouting “don’t lose to the rain!”

Gacharic Spin – Interview (2019)

Gacharic Spin
Interview by Todd Nelson
Translation by Cap Hayes
July 9, 2019

[top: yuri (drums), Hana (vocals and guitar), F-Chopper KOGA (bass), Angelina 1/3 (mic performer); bottom: Oreo Reona (keyboards), TOMO-ZO (guitar)]

Gacharic Spin is an all-female rock band known for their high energy, great technical skill, and entertaining stage theatrics. Formed in 2009, they returned to Houston, Texas, for their only U.S. stop on their 10th anniversary tour.

Congratulations on the band’s 10th year, it’s quite an accomplishment. Gacharic Spin has gone through many lineup changes during this time. What drives you to keep going?

F-Chopper KOGA: We’ve had member changes, which at times has caused some real challenges, but we pull our motivation from that adversity.

Hana: When things like that happen, you can see it as a problem, or you can view it as a chance to create something new. We’ve tried to make these things into opportunities.

URBANGARDE’s Yoko Hamasaki dives into BLIND LOVE with double album release

URBANGARDE lead vocalist Yoko Hamasaki has released a remastered version of her first album Film noir (2010), now titled Film noir ultime. The album contains 3 new tracks, including the new song “FORGIVE ME”, which returns Hamasaki to the smooth synth-pop style of her 2016 album Blue Forest.

The GazettE – “THE NINTH” Phase #04 -99.999- at The Wiltern Los Angeles (Live Report)

The GazettE
The Wiltern (Los Angeles) – April 30, 2019
Concert Review by Nhu Nguyen

(photo: @the_gazette_official)

“Wow, where did all these visual kei kids come from?” I wondered as I watched a near-endless line of people head into the Wiltern Theatre for the GazettE’s THE NINTH world tour kick-off show — fans mobbing the merch table, packing the venue’s floor, all dressed in their goth, industrial, rock and Harajuku-Sunday best to welcome the band back to the U.S. It’s been nearly three years since the visual kei juggernauts’ last show in L.A. and it was clearly the visual kei event of the year. Hell, even Yoshiki was there.

Japan Expo announces surprise appearance by YOSHIKI

YOSHIKI — composer, classically-trained pianist, rock drummer, and leader of the rock group X Japan — will return to Japan Expo in Paris on July 5, 2019, for a special performance in celebration of the event’s 20th anniversary.

Last year, YOSHIKI composed the Attack on Titan theme song “Red Swan”, which debuted at #1 on the iTunes Rock Charts in 10 countries, becoming the first Japanese anime song in history to achieve this rank.

The song “Red Swan” continues to inspire hundreds of cover versions from fans uploaded to YouTube in multiple languages from around the world. “Red Swan” has received international media acclaim, featured on CNN, MSN, and winning Best Japanese Artist and Top Japanese Gold Song in Hong Kong’s 30th International Pop Poll.

URBANGARDE resets for the new era with 2019 Japan Tour REIWA REIJI 0=0=0=0

Japanese rock band URBANGARDE has announced their inaugural tour of the Reiwa era, the band’s first major outing since the departure of their founding guitarist Zeze Shin in March of this year.

“11 years after our debut, URBANGARDE has entered a new adventure following the withdrawal of our guitarist,” said band leader Temma Matsunaga. “We’ve continued to perform as a live band with added support and new elements like programming to create a ‘Techno Pop Set’.”

Japanese rock star Yoshiki to host masterclass in Miami on June 27 at Frost School of Music

Japanese rock star Yoshiki will conduct a masterclass at the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami Thursday, June 27.

Yoshiki was invited to make his first-ever academic presentation in the United States by the music school’s dean, Shelton G. Berg, with whom he has collaborated on many notable projects including the “Golden Globe Awards” theme and Yoshiki’s sold-out Carnegie Hall concerts.

LOVEBITES triumphs over storm at Download Festival 2019

(photo: Nocturna Photography/JPU Records)

Japanese heavy metal group LOVEBITES beat the storm at Download Festival 2019 to grab attention from worldwide media and pound sinister guitar rock into some rain-soaked heads. Dubbed “Drownload” due to heavy rain turning this year’s fest into “one big mud bath“, the concert event was the award-winning, all-female band’s first time performing at Download in the UK. LOVEBITES packed the Dogtooth Stage and blazed through an intense 4-song set while keeping their dazzling white outfits in pristine condition.