Live Report – Tokyo Dark Castle (2010-03-06)

So after our trip to the metal university, David and I headed to Tokyo’s den of vice and fetish… Kabuki Cho.
The mission was Tokyo Dark Castle. A monthly Goth industrial event with both live bands and DJs… Think of it as a Japanese Omega. This was the second time I made it to a TDC and like most Goth/industrial events it was not any better or worse than the previous one. It was awesome, don’t get me wrong. It just seems that Goffs in Japan have the same problems as Goffs in SA but without The Henkie to make things interesting… It bothers me less at home because I am part of the ‘scene’ to some degree. I don’t need to make a name for myself. In Japan I do. and you know how annoyingly elitist Goffs are if you are not part of the clique. To be honest… I couldn’t be bothered.
Politics Aside… Its fun this side!

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These guys are the residents… I think the whole TDC thing is their idea. Their sound is not my thing… very over the top, and their Dancer and fans (especially the gaijin ones) are a bunch of CUNTS. Not a good experience to be honest, even if I was keen on their sound. They do make great photos though, and their female vocalist is really hot… but not hot enough for me to keep watching. Give them a look however… Many of you will like them.

Ken Morioka

WOW! EE BEE EM from Japan. well not quite full on EBM but say a mix of EBM and Muse like rock and roll. It was most interesting. It got my head bopping and my feet stomping which was the important thing. The sound was win!

Destruct System

I swear these guys are a VK band that didn’t make it into the VK scene for whatever reason. Good hard rock. Reminiscent of older D’espa. However with their sound and look more appropriate in another alternative scene they felt a little out of place. They were popular however and their fans were not arseholes which is a winner. I would reckoned them, but due to their circumstances, I seriously doubt they will rise much further than where they are.

Despair

HARDCORE VIOLENCE TECHNOLOGY SONIC ADDICTS… took that straight off their website. It is appropriate! AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Best industrial band in Japan and My favourite industrial band EVAR!!!! Yes. The reason I went to TDC was to see Despair. Much to my dismay, Ana was not present. Only Riu and Jude were there but since Riu IS the man behind everything he is what counts.
They headlined the event at some ungodly hour of the morning and  blew my mind. Which is amazing because they were nowhere near 100%. Riu was not feeling the crowd at all, and I cannot blame him. It had thinned out by the time they went on. and there seemed to be a distinct lack of energy save for but a few of us who saved it. Riu was tossing the mic around and his body language said how he felt. It was not all bad though. There were few enough big fans that he could visually acknowledge all of us when we went berserk which is always a great feeling. It was like when I had that short word exchange with Karyu at the D’espa live In Takasaki.
I was screaming out bits from Jarring God that were missing with Ana. Riu looked at me, pointed and nodded. that just sent my neck into overdrive and I feel that that's probably where I pressed the buttons on my camera that deleted all the footage. Who the hell cares… I SAW DESPAIR!!!!!!!

Random Pussy

 

A few weeks back on a bitter morning I took a train. On the way to the station, I was followed by this bedraggled bath mat of a cat. It followed me a god 600m right into the station. I sat down and it hopped onto my lap, so I relocated it to the neighbouring seat… and shot it.

What can I say… I am a pussy magnet!

Japan and I

So I posted this as a reply to this post on PetSugar’s Dropdead Kawaii Blog (good blog… of often too sugary sweet for my tastes, but still good) Anyways I felt it was more appropriate here than there… Enjoy!

“Nothing bursts your bubble about Japan,

like Japan itself.”

 

Spend a long time (more time if you are already here) and you may not love it here so much...

well you may still love it (as I do) but I have no more delusions about this place. When you see what happens to people who are not blessed with the fortune of being a freeter JET programme ALT (like me) and not just foreigners by the way… Just the way Japan treats their 'own' is horrific. How they treat the 'other' is ghastly.

Nothing bursts your bubble about Japan, like Japan itself.
I do still love it here though. I just know about the shit and can accept it because I have it easy.

 
Japan turned me off most anime, TV Dramas, Japanese Music and My perceptions of Japanese fashion and urban culture. (some the bigger reasons I came here in the first place)

Japan is like Visual Kei…
The band's glossy image is nothing more than a thin manufactured veneer to keep the masses oblivious. The fans are shallow, hyenas who see the band as a piece of meat. They headbang stupidly because its the required dance move and they all do the same thing because nobody likes to be the odd one out... They couldn't spot a 10th of the musical influences in the band's music because they don't know anything outside their blinkered community. It is a sick and disgusting cesspool but despite all the varnish and hyenas and shit...

The music is SO DAMN GOOD.

 

So what am I saying?

Japan is everything I imagined, but nothing like it. Don’t take it at face value… come here and live it for real and come to terms with it. See if it is really all that. 

I like to see my dreams of Japan as high school romance… Living here is more like a marriage… but with a nice car ;)

Live Report – HAMMER CRUSHED FES! (2010-03-06)

 
The truth is after the opening picture you honestly don’t need any report do you… I mean… You know where this is going right? It is ME after all.
I don’t know if you remember me mentioning a guy called Brian in the Deluhi Live Report?

This is Brian. He is Legend!

Well I got a text from him about a Metal cover gig going down at his university. Essentially the Metal club puts together a live show every now and then where the bands within the club do covers of big names. It actually sounds like a bit of a joke actually… I mean university ‘metal club’ and ‘cover bands’ you wouldn’t honestly expect me to take that shit seriously right?

If I didn’t rate Brian so highly I probably wouldn’t have taken it so seriously. but he is a really awesome guy and I doubted that he would be punting complete bullshit so I went along and reserved my judgement.

HOLY MARY BOUND TO A BED!!!!!

IT WAS AWESOME!!!!!

I will admit that it may have had something to do with the sever shortage of actual metal in Japan but it did help that the bands were hot shit! The fact that they had a room about the size of a small live house and sound that could rival the Meguro Rockmaykan definitely helped even more. It was a top quality show (better than any club venue in SA)… and it was FREE!

I didn’t go alone. David Joined me. Our task was to shoot for a new ep. of Shin Yamato Damacy with my new camera… but due to my overzealous headbanging later that night (there is another Live Report coming :3 ) I managed to lose all of the footage and half of the photos!!!!!!!!! Yes I know. Shit happens. They make Hello Kitty Toilet paper for that!
So due to Shin Yamato Damacying… I didn’t do too much band watching/moshing… but I did more moshing than I have ever done at a VK show, so IT WAS THE WIN!!!!

All the musicians were extremely skilled, The vocalists were not the best on earth with the exception of one. The front man for Dimension Zero… HE WAS AWESOME!… in fact the entire band was really phenomenal… Especially the Drummer, Shuhei, he was BRUTAL! it gets better though…

THEY HAD THE WALL OF DEATH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I came!

twice

in quick succession.

The best was still yet to come… We were invited to the after party, which was the best part of the show… I finally got to meet, talk to make friends with my people in Japan. It has been so hard finding kindred spirits here. I thought I would never, but I did… Each and Every one of them were great. We connected instantly and were brought together by our passion for music. Many of us had different tastes in metal… many liked other music as well! but we all came together, helped by a little beer admittedly, but we still got along swimmingly. I cannot remember when last I had that much fun in a social party environment! It was such a welcome change from all the ALT parties. I could talk about the things that really mattered in the world with people who truly understood what life is about.

It was like being back home.

It was fun… a crapload of fun… and it was only the start of what turned out to be an epic day!
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Just an additional note… Their university is soooo cooool!!!!!! (but I forget what its called :p )

Straight out of cyberpunk!

Ice Ice Baby!

I get to school and the field is frozen over… no not frost. Frost is for pussies…
IT WAS AN ICERINK!!!! and it could sustain my weight with minimal cracking… needless to say I had fun sliding around on it… my skill on skates shone, even though i was wearing skate shoes :p Students were suitably impressed and that’s all that really matters in the end :p

Hubbly Upgrades ~ The Daiso is LIFE!

By far one of the best things that happened to me since I got here was the arrival of my hubbly. My dad and cousin back home hooked it up and sent it over via some seriously high level channels and it has been the centre of every party I have been to here. It did have ONE serious flaw (as my Tatami will testify to): It fell Over really easily.
The Daiso (100円 shop) came to my rescue.


I Gut me a rubber based Dogfood bowl… stuck it on wit valcro and faster than yoou can say ‘JAMES!!! HUBBLY!!!!’ the problem was solved.
Also while browsing the Daiso on another day I came across the ultimate tool… I don’t know what it’s original purpose was but It sure as sex makes hubbly hole poking a breeze!

I LOVE the Daiso!

書道 (Shodo ~ The Way of Writing)

I have wanted to give this a go for a while now and thanks to Sato-san, My Japanese teacher, I was able to try my hand at it.

Black ink is Black

 

Apparently I was very good for my first go. It took phenomenal concentration. 2 and a bit hours of writing burnt me out. Which was a surprise. Its just calligraphy after all right? Still it was worth the extreme effort to get my strokes right…ish.

I seriously recommend this to anyone who wants to give it a go… and has the stamina. It is un believably fulfilling.