Music (228)
Asian Kung Fu Generation to hold first US concert during Anime Expo
Written by Brian Lee
Asian Kung Fu Generation has just announced something big: their first US show. It'll take place in Los Angeles on July 2nd and just a few blocks away from Anime Expo at the Teragram Ballroom.
Love Live! Sunshine!! Aqours tour goods now available for overseas fans
Written by Ken Dubois
Overseas fans of Love Live! Sunshine!! school idol group Aqours can now get access to official goods from the “Love Live! Sunshine!! Aqours 2nd LoveLive! HAPPY PARTY TRAIN TOUR”, available through May 27th — great news for idol fans who want to gear up for the group’s upcoming live concert at Anisong World Matsuri at Anime Expo on June 30.
Live report: Aquors First LoveLive! ~Step! ZERO to ONE!~ Concert Screening
Written by Brian Lee
So I'm in a movie theater surrounding by a bunch of people with glowsticks and penlights and we're watching a concert of girls who portray a group of anime high schoolers who sing and dance that also happens to be on a one-week tape delay. Basically yelling at a TV screen.
Live Report: Asia on Tour Concert Series featuring Miyavi
Written by Brian Lee
San Francisco's historic The Fillmore auditorium on the edge of Japantown played host to three bands this past Thursday. The concert series, officially designated "Asia on Tour" and headed by promoter Live Nation, aims to bring a slice of Asia's best bands to both new and old fans overseas. 2017's inaugural series had South Korea's Kiha and The Faces, Thailand's Slot Machine, and Japan's Miyavi tear things up in progressive fashion as the night went on. Each band added their own flair to the night and eventually resulted in a fever pitch when Miyavi took the stage.
The famous Gothic Lolita unit ALI PROJECT (theme song performer for Rozen Maiden and Code Geass) will be releasing a best album this year in June. They will be performing at the States this year.
Puffy AmiYumi returns to the U.S. Announces “U.S. Tour 2017 Not Lazy”
Written by Ken Dubois
After a 10 year hiatus in the U.S., Puffy AmiYumi is back in the states for a 3 city tour that includes Los Angeles, San Francisco and Dallas, TX. In addition, the duo will make an appearance at New England’s largest anime convention, Anime Boston 2017. Puffy AmiYumi became household names in the states with their popular Cartoon Network show, ‘Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi Show’ along with a national GAP campaign.
ONE OK ROCK announces final details for their North American "Ambitions" tour
Written by Brian Lee
ONE OK ROCK will begin their North American headline tour in support of new album "Ambitions" in just under two weeks. This marks the fourth US tour in two years but the first where they are the main draw. Previous efforts saw them play alongside bands like All Time Low, Sleeping with Sirens, and Crown the Empire for the Back to the Future Hearts tour and Monster Energy Outbreak tour respectively. Their most recent lives had the band tour as the support for 5 Seconds of Summer. This new tour will find the band show up in many major cities including New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, and ends in Seattle.
Voice Actress, Inori Minase releases 3rd single “Starry Wish”
Written by Ken Dubois
Critically acclaimed singer and voice actress Inori Minase has released her 3rd single "Starry Wish." The lead track is the ending theme song of the October 2016-premiered TV anime "ViVid Strike!" where she was also cast as the main character, Fuka Leventon.
Silent Siren, also known as "SaiSai" (taken from the first sound of each of the words) stopped by San Francisco earlier this month, one of their two stops in the States on their S World Tour 2016 . This marks Silent Siren's second time in San Francisco. They were in town only a few months earlier in July for J-Pop Summit (check out our interview coverage here). Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to see them back in July, so it's the first time seeing them for me.
Silent Siren is a 4-piece all-female band formed by Suu (Sumire Yoshida as Vo & Gt.), Hinanchu (Hinako Umemura on Dr.), Ainyan (Aina Yamauchi on Ba.), and Yukarun (Yukako Kurosaka on Key.). They all have backgrounds as reader models for major magazines, though their passion towards their music is authentic. Their first single, “SWEET POP!” was released on November 2012 and since then, they have risen in popularity amongst Harajuku high schoolers, whom endearingly call them “Sai Sai” for short.
Make sure to check out what you're missing from their photos in Jakarta!
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Anime Expo 2016 had yet another US first to its name. The super-franchise Love Live has, til now, never graced American shores to a meaningful degree. July 2 would mark the date that six of the nine members of Aquors (pronounced "aqua") walked the stage and said hello, in person, to America.
This past Anime Expo was a banner year for musical events organized as a joint project between AX and Daisuki/Anime Consortium Japan under the name "Anisong Matsuri." The crown jewel of the event was Saturday night's Japan Super Live which combined the efforts of eight different singers and groups to put on a spectacular show in downtown Los Angeles' Microsoft Theater. This theater has been the Anime Expo home for names like Hatsune Miku, AKB48, and Momoiro Clover Z, among others.
J-Pop Summit has teamed up with Kyary Pamyu Pamyu to start the 2016 event off with a bang! On Friday, July 22, Kyary Pamyu Pamyu will play at the Regency Ballroom in the heart of San Francisco as part of her 5ive Years Monster Tour which celebrates her illustrious five-year career.
Japanese band Babymetal is a polarizing one for metal fans but they still have a die-hard fanbase. They're a combination metal and Japanese idol act; for those of you not familiar with idols it might be easier to think of the group as female-fronted metal. Whatever the case may be, fans do not have too many opportunities to see them in America. That changed this year with the announcement of a proper tour and a slew of dates to go with it. Most recently Seattle, San Francisco, and Los Angeles were announced.