Jiluka is a Japanese visual kei band that is quickly making inroads in America.

This is their second tour in the country with the first having had them as an opener. This time, the band are the headliners. I was unable to attend their 2025 tour due to being in Japan, go figure, but this time their California dates put them right after FanimeCon, normally a dead period used for recovery from Fanime itself and preparation for Anime Expo in July. They'll be at Harlow's in Sacramento and Cornerstone in Berkeley for their two Northern California dates. The final show of the first leg will be at Pomona's Glass House in Southern California.

I was able to see them in late 2025 alongside fellow Japanese band Nemophila, who also happen to be touring America soon.

The band was initially formed in 2013 but took a break after drummer JaiL left the band. He was replaced in 2015 with Zyean. The band has maintained their lineup ever since with vocalist Ricko accompanied by guitarist Sena and bassist Boogie.

Musically, they describe themselves as "electro gothic metal." If I had to describe it myself, aggressive guitar riffing with a lot of blast beats and electronica elements mixed in for good measure. If you know what djent is, it's that kind of guitar sound.

We've had a dearth of visual kei in America and Jiluka is very welcome to help fill that gap. Their most recent release is the tour namesake single "DeViLs" which showcases the modern visual kei flavor of the band.

The tour itself is a two parter with the first half taking place in May and the second half being in July. The first half of the tour has Jiluka accompanied by VCTMS and TSS. They'll be crossing the country for this one.

The second half of the tour will have new supports in the form of What Lies Below and Mirrorcell. They'll be focusing on Texas and California.

Dates as follows:

5/8 Greenville, SC - Radio Room
5/9 Atlanta, GA - Masquerade (Purgatory)
5/10 Daytona Beach, FL- Welcome to Rockville (Festival)
5/12 Greensboro, NC - Hangar 1819
5/13 New York, NY - Brooklyn Monarch
5/15 Columbus, OH - Sonic Temple (Festival)
5/16 Cudahy, WI - X-Ray Arcade
5/17 Chicago, IL - Bottom Lounge
5/19 Oklahoma City, OK - 89th Street Collective
5/20 Dallas, TX - Puzzles
5/22 Colorado Springs, CO - Black Sheep
5/23 Denver, CO - Marquis Theater
5/25 Mesa, AZ - Nile Theater
5/26 Las Vegas, NV - Grey Witch
5/28 Sacramento, CA - Harlow’s
5/29 Berkeley, CA - Cornerstone
5/30 Pomona, CA - The Glass House

7/16 Houston, TX - Scout Bar
7/17 Austin, TX - Come and Take It Live
7/18 Lubbock, TX - Jake's Backroom
7/20 El Paso, TX - Lowbrow Palace
7/22 Fresno, CA - Strummers
7/23 San Diego, CA - Brick by Brick
7/24 Ventura, CA - Ventura Music Hall
7/26 Long Beach, CA - Warped Tour (Festival)