that foreign music blog🌎

LONG TIME NO SEE! I’ve been super tired, but now that I can’t SLEEP, I figured I’d finally post about the festival.

Before I go into detail, though, I wanted to first share how amused I was when I found out “Magurock” was a play on ‘Maguro’, which is ‘tuna’ in Japanese. While ‘Tuna Rock” doesn’t make any more sense, during the festival, the bands kept talking about Shizuoka sashimi, so I’m assuming tuna is especially good in Shizuoka. I mean, it was…but….hahaha. I dunno.

ANYWAY, YES. MAGUROCK. First, let me say that the venue was 5/5.

Held in Shimizu Marine Park, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Like most festivals, I worried that it’d be in the middle of nowhere, hours from the main station. I left at about 8, with hopes of being able to catch the first act by 11, but as I sleepily boarded the 9:30 bullet train bound for Shizuoka, I began to lose hope.

“Not again…” I grumbled as I dug into my train bento from the platform kiosk.

I finished the meal, feeling somewhat anxious. It’d be the first time to see Mrs. Green Apple, a band that seemed to only have shows on my work days. I was near tears at the realization that I may miss my chance, but after arriving at Shimizu station, my mood lifted.

As I left the platform, there I saw a blue sign that read: Shimizu Marine Park: 1.5 km.

I couldn’t believe my luck. According to Google Maps, the trip was about 20 minutes by foot, and the road was marked! At the end of the festival, this accessibility was extremely advantageous. Despite the setting sun, we were all able to return to the station safely via the lit walking course. It was just extremely…RELIEVING, especially since I was there by myself.

Now, onto the music:

The festival had been hosted by a famous DJL DJ Dinoji. He was so big that even my Japanese teacher had wanted to go to the festival just to see him, but it was my first time to hear of him. Luckily, all that I’d missed by the time I arrived was his introduction and the first song of the indie band: ヤバイTシャツ (Yabai T-Shirts).

I wouldn’t identify as a big fan of the band, but they put on a really good show. It was so good that I’d decided to go back and listen to some of their songs. While I’m not too keen on the J-pop/heavy rock mix, these guys pull it off well in that, they aren’t trying to appeal to J-pop fans. At all. Simply, the bassist has a high-pitched voice, and it inevitably adds an element of J-pop, but I don’t think the band had ever intended people to see them that way. However, the raspiness of the guitarist paired with the falsetto of the female bassist adds a different kind of flavor to the typical rock band. My favorite song is probably 「あつまれ！パーティーピーポー」

The next artist I saw was more of a comedian than an artist, but this is a popular mix in Japan. In fact, don’t be surprised if some of your favorite Japanese comedians ARE musicians! Anyway, the artist was: Okazaki Taiiku, and he was a lot of fun to watch. I’d seen some of his videos by chance a long time ago, so I was surprised to find that I’d be able to see him live. He stepped onto the stage by himself, holding only his laptop. He started with a fun rap and went on to crack jokes the whole time. He has pretty decent vocals, though, so don’t take his talent lightly. He boasted before the performance that he’d gotten the chance to perform on Music Station, which is a well-known music program in Japan. 感情のピクセル is the song that got everyone the most hyped up, and it IS quite catchy!

After that, I walked around the venue for a bit and returned in time for the third artist, though I had no idea who they were. In fact, I couldn’t even read their name.

打首獄門同好会…..is the band name. In Romanji, it’s read: uchikubigokumon-doukoukai.

Despite their mouthful of a name, they’re a fun band that feel a lot like Maximum the Hormone. Not only do they have those nice female vocals paired with a heavy rock/metal sound, they have the same nonsensical lyrics! Although, I don’t think they’re ACTUALLY nonsense. Japanese people say Maximum the Hormone just speaks jibberish, but I these sorts of bands are just extremely good with wordplay. Although, there are silly songs like 日本の米は世界一 (Japanese rice is the best in the world), it’s hard to believe that ‘nonsensical’ songs are ACTUALLY nonsense.

When I bought their album, “Tengoku”, I showed my Japanese teacher and she told me that one of the listed tracks: ドーナツ歌現家 was a play on the phenomenon: ドーナツ化現象, which is when people move out of an area in masses. While I could be thinking too much into their lyrics, the storytelling-style of their songs was enough to make me a fan. The band members use each song to voice different characters and even to talk to each other with high-pitched screeches or low growls. This is definitely a band that stands out in their musicianship and stage character. The audience had a hard time following the unpredictability of their songs, including me, but I still thoroughly enjoyed their energic performance.

After that, I decided to lunch break and enjoy the funky tunes of BRADIO from the lawn. I did, however, manage to make the last few songs of his set and joined the other darkly clad audience members in that dance step to “Back to the Funk“. It was a lot of fun~!

Up next was a more sensual Nulbarich, which I thought would be a hardcore metal band. Naturally, I was surprised to see this young, artistic guy with his long-haired band-mates and his keyboard. Nonetheless, I enjoyed the eye candy. Hahaha! But seriously, dreamy vocalist aside, it was a good show. They reminded me a bit of…like…if Maroon 5 and John Legend had a baby. One song I really liked was “It’s Who We Are“,  in which the vocalist led the audience to sing “on and on”. Frankly, I’m surprised they aren’t big in the U.S., especially with the vocalists’ English abilities. I can definitely see Western artists getting all up on Nulbarich for some collaborations. One OK Rock opened the door, let’s hope these guys will be the next to walk through it!

Following their set was the girl rock group, SCANDAL. A big name in the punk/indie world, as their name is posted just about any and everywhere…that I go, anyway. Being a fan of the disbanded group, Stereopony, I’d decided to give these girls a try. I wasn’t too crazy about the high-pitched tone of the vocalist, but I remember watching some of their videos and seeing these really hardcore punk chicks with crazy hair. I loved that, and was shocked by their super-cute look during their stage performance. The audience seemed just as shocked, too, as several male voices had suddenly shouted, “SO CUTE!! CUTE!! SO CUTE!!” Hahaha! It was a little gross, but I just brushed it off because…they DID look really cute. One song that I really fell for during their performance was “Take Me Out“, which is a song where the main vocalist takes on a deeper pitch. The guitar is also fantastic!

After SCANDAL was, FINALLY, MRS. GREEN APPLE. This was also the hilarious moment when it started raining, and lead man, Omori, made sure to make note of how unlucky they were. He joked, “What the hell? It was sunny during SCANDAL’s performance!”

Nonetheless, we hardcore fans stood patiently with our bright green Mrs. Green Apple towels over our heads, and I basically lost it the moment they started their set with the crowd favorite “Speaking“. I was a little sad that they didn’t play any of MY favorites, but they did a good job of keeping the energy up. They had the audience sing in a lot of the songs, which was super fun for me…despite my….ishy Japanese. Mrs. Green Apple’s lyrics are just difficult in general, and then with Omori’s ever-changing rhythm, little ol’ foreign me could only manage a few words at a time. Haha! It was also extra fun because it was the bassist’s, Kiyokazu, birthday, so we got to celebrate with him! It was so surreal to see the band live, though. They’re my second favorite band, so it was really too cool! However, I admit that it was weird to see so many OTHER fans—in a good way. Given that no one ever knows who the hell I’m talking about, suddenly I was surrounded by fans—so many that by 1pm, all but Mrs. Green Apple face towels had been sold out at the merch booth. They’ve definitely garnered quite the following after playing the opening for the drama “Bokutachi ga Yarimashita”, and I’m so happy for them!

After that, to be honest, I left the crowd without much motivation to stay, but remembering the steep 7500円 I’d paid, I instead gravitated to the Tower Records booth to bide my time. I perused the selection and found 打首獄門同好会’s album, “Tengoku”, but I didn’t go crazy like I usually would.  I slowly made my way back to the main stage, flashing my bright purple wristband at the gates, but I stayed towards the back. At that time, I’d walked in halfway through クリープハイプ‘s set.

Yes. Creep Hype. The lead singer looked a lot like the lead singer of this electronica band I used to like, so I was instantly drawn to listen more. I was surprised by their mix of funk and indie—like the vocalist definitely has more of voice you’d expect to be paired with a heavier rock sound. Or is it just me? See for yourself in, “鬼”

Last was the highly revered Kyuso nekokami. This band mixes comedy, rock, electronica, all while maintaining that organic sound of indie bands that many groups lose in the midst of their fame. A good friend had heard these guys while waiting in line near a concert venue in Osaka, so I thought it was a funny coincidence to be able to see them live. They played the longest set and spoiled us with full songs even during the sound check. When the performance had officially started, they’d already finished two songs—one of the members dressed as Maguro sushi. One of their most popular songs is about smartphone obsession: ファントムヴァイブレーション

After their performance, I booked it out of there, mostly worried about the crowd that’d soon follow after DJ Dinoji’s outro. I followed a few strangers out of the venue and made it to my hotel, where I giddily looked over the merch I’d bought.

Best festival I’ve been to yet—not only line-up wise but IT WAS THE MOST CONVENIENT VENUE I’VE EVER BEEN TO. As someone who travels alone most of the time, this is something that is extremely important, and I hope it’ll encourage other fans in Japan to take the trip to Shimizu, Shizuoka for Magurock 2018!!