that foreign music blog🌎

Last weekend, I blindly joined my Japanese friend at an event she’d told me about. Although my Japanese is decent enough, I had apparently misunderstood her message for a ‘Girl’s Party’. When we arrived, the room had been constructed like a lecture hall. I was pleasantly surprised by this change, as I had been somewhat dreading meeting people, more talking, and more drinking. I wanted—I NEEDED a bit of a break from talking about weekends and hobbies.  I thought maybe we’d be learning about something. However, when I told my friend about my observation, she just laughed.

“A lecture?? We’re seeing a 劇!”

“A 劇?….oh….” At that time, I hadn’t heard the word before, but when learning a language, you grow accustomed to such situations. Eventually, I researched 劇 (げき), or ‘geh.kee’, and saw that it meant ‘play’. I felt kind of stupid, realizing that my Japanese had failed me once again. Nonetheless, the evening had been extremely enjoyable. It was one of the few times I could simply enjoy

Nonetheless, I really enjoyed myself that night. It was one of the few times I could simply sit back and shut up. Don’t get me wrong, I like being social, but I’m naturally more of a homebody, so I have my limits.

The play wasn’t the only part of the event, either. I asked my friend how she’d heard about the event and she said that her friend was in it. However, it turned out that she wasn’t in the play, but in the band featured afterward!

The band included a piano, a beatbox, a guitarist, two vocalists, and a violin. My friend’s friend had been the main female vocalist, who took center stage with a striped dress and glittering earrings, lending her entire figure a wonderful glow under the stage lights. I was disappointed that, for the picture, she’d decided to hide in the corner, but I didn’t have much time to get picky.

Anyway, the band’s name was “劇団Something Great”. I’m not sure if they put on a play for every performance they do, since ‘Theatre House’ was paired with their name in the event ad, but the beatboxer and guitarist had featured in the play.

Before the play, the two had also come onto the stage to introduce the event through a hilarious skit. The event theme had been ‘Hero’, and the band played songs related to what they thought of when hearing ‘Hero’. They had a nice acoustic sound that reminded me of Ikimonogakari, especially with the female vocals. Paired with the male vocals, each of their songs was like listening to a conversation, which isn’t something I often notice amongst two-vocalist bands. Usually, vocalists share the same voice, but this effect may have been achieved through their opposing genders. That probably wasn’t the intention, though.

The entire band had a chemistry that made the audience feel like they were listening in on a secret. Usually, when I listen to music, I feel like the band or artist is talking to me. Unless the lyrics are explicitly a conversation, songs are usually about connecting with the audience–and although this band connected with the audience, it felt more like they were inviting us into their space, leaving us with a sense of gratitude. “Thank you for letting us hear you.”

It was very intimate, and refreshing from the screams of my punk music.

I believe the band is Nagoya-based, and they’d played 14 live shows from that point, so hopefully that number has increased. If you’re in the area and see 劇団Something Great posted, take note of it and bring a friend! It’s definitely, Something Great!