We are almost to the beginning of Lovebites' US tour. This is a long-awaited series of performances, and in a way, it's surprising that it took this long. One of my good friends saw them when they were just starting out and told me they would be big. They've traveled across the world and played at many places in Europe, but never quite made it to the States. It is finally time to fix that.
In just a few days, they'll be making their American debut at the ProgPower USA festival in Atlanta, GA. As the name might suggest, there is a lot of power metal contained within those walls. I flew to Atlanta back in 2019 to see fellow Japanese power metal masters in GALNERYUS but was unable to make it this year. Thankfully for me, Lovebites will be traveling across the United States, making stops in Dallas, Los Angeles, and of course, San Francisco.
Just this past weekend, the band played at Tokyo Garden Theater, which I was unfortunately unable to attend due to being double-booked with Ado. So close, yet so far.
Lovebites plays power metal, and in particular speed metal. The band consists of vocalist Asami, guitarists Midori and Miyako, and drummer Haruna. Last but not least is the newest member of the band, Fami, who replaced founding bassist Miho after her departure from the group in 2021. Her slot went empty as the band began a year-long search for a new bassist, eventually culminating in the revelation of Fami.
The band's fourth album, Judgement Day, was released in February 2023 under Victor Records. Their latest releases are the Lovebites EP II and live album Memorial for the Warrior Souls, both released just a couple of weeks ago in August.
Here are the dates for the tour:
9/6 Atlanta, GA - ProgPower USA
9/8 Dallas, TX - The Echo
9/10 Los Angeles, CA - Echoplex
9/12 San Francisco, CA - Cafe du Nord
The venues are on the smaller side (Cafe du Nord holds 300 at max, and prior to the switch to the Echoplex, LA's The Echo holds 350) but consider this a scouting mission of sorts. Hopefully, we'll be seeing them in America again soon.