Duwang

Livehouse capacity for onemans can be a good indicator of a band's popularity at times, especially if the band consistently plays at larger venues, but some bands also play at venues they can't fill just because they can whether it's due to connections, the guys having money, having fans who give them a lot of money, or whatever. Some popular bands also like playing smaller venues because of the intimate atmosphere.

Also keep in mind that bands of all sizes play at AREA because it's a famous/popular vk venue. 
 

Number of tanuki threads is irrelevant. Sometimes bands have a lot of net gya who constantly like to shit on girls who go to lives, sometimes there's a lot of drama surrounding the members. XAA-XAA has had 95 tanuki threads in 3 1/2 years but they still have onemans at venues with a 200 person [or less] cap both in Osaka (where they started) and in Tokyo (where they're based now).
 

Being featured in magazines, it really depends, but many times it's really a matter of having a good label/management. XAA-XAA and Grimoire are not very popular but get featured in a lot of magazines because they're signed to Timely Records which is connected to little Hearts.
 

I remember seeing a similar thread or some posts on here regarding Youtube views and popularity but that's also not a good way to judge. DIMLIM's PV for vanitas has had over 71K views on Youtube in just 4 weeks (which is really good for a vk band) but I saw them again at EDGE on Friday and there were only maybe 15 people there for them (out of a crowd of maybe 40 people total)
 

Tbh the only way to know for sure how popular a band is is to go see them or ask someone who has seen them before.

3 minutes ago, cvltic said:

the Kiryu/Royz/Codomo Dragon sales are nuts. i might be totally wrong, but i think their instore fanservice/skills are what leads to these sales? Kiryu and Royz in particular are associated with "extreme eigyou" -- the kind of fanservice where you get "kisses" and hugs/sit in each other's laps for your photos with the members. and even just looking at their schedules, they do like 2-3 instores a week and each requires at minimum a CD purchase for a ticket.

Not just that, but you need to buy THREE copies of a single to attend their the instores and sometimes they make more than three types of a single to get dedicated fans to buy even more.

Notice their singles sell significantly more than their albums. For albums you only need to buy one copy. 

I'm not surprised about them going full blown k-pop tbh. There were some pretty big hints.

Definitely not for me.

I saw Dimlim yesterday and he did do the scream. Very well, actually. 

11 minutes ago, Lily said:

The fuck... I'm shocked...

Honestly, I'm not. They have like 10 fans (in Tokyo at least)

1 hour ago, jaymee said:

If you're short it's to your benefit that you can probably sneak further up front during the harder/dive songs.  I have a friend who is tiny and I swear she's always at least third row when the harder songs hit no matter where her numbers originally were, lol

I strongly recommend NOT doing this at smaller lives. Maybe it's okay at larger shows or certain smaller/medium-sized bands oneman shows, but that is called 割り込み (warikomi) and it's against vk live etiquette. You WILL get shat on for doing that. At indie vk lives, where you choose to stand is your spot and you shouldn't try to take someone else's spot when they got there before you. If you go up for gyakudai return to your spot after it's finished.

Have a bad ticket but want to get closer?

- If you're going to a multi-band event and only want to watch a band or two up front, talk to the people in the second, third and fourth rows. They might not want to see the same band/s as you and will happy let you switch with them. Be polite and be sure to thank them when they come back to take their spots.

- See a spot towards the front that looks empty? Sometimes it isn't (maybe they went to the bathroom and someone is watching their spot for them) but sometimes it really is unoccupied. Ask the people near the spot if it's open before taking it.

Who called it lmfao.

Although this one's coming out earlier than I expected.

I like 頭がハッピーちゃん and 首絞めマアチ so I'm looking forward to it. 

On 5/7/2018 at 6:03 PM, suji said:

@sakurakurakura @Kakuyakuseruroido I'm wondering the same thing; when did D[ab]e ever perform at Chop? I've seen their past flyers of performing bands all the time, including my personal faves, but I've never once seen Dab.

You can actually check Chop's schedule from the past few years if you change the month and year in the link.

I skimmed through every month in 2015 and saw not even one mention of D[ab]e.

They've been playing 5 new songs recently (首絞めマアチ, 頭がハッピーちゃん, ブスの光, 東京心中, かくしごと) so I sense another EP coming at their next oneman on 6/22.

Also they just finished the beauty tricker tour yesterday which was super lit. Photos below.

New artist photos

And from today's Stylish Wave live at Area

As far as I know, yes they are brothers.

5 hours ago, The Piass said:

I do not think so. 

 

I also found this picture of their new look and the person with the pigtails is not here so I guess she/he is not a member.

 

You are correct. She is not a member, just a model for the photoshoot and PV. They have a support drummer who does also support for a million other bands and has no desire to join.

On 12/25/2017 at 6:44 AM, patientZERO said:

The parka does tempt me, but I'm a lanky dude and don't know if they would fit/look super baggy on me. 6000Y is a bit pricey for that gamble.

I have the parka. I'm 162cm tall and weigh 48kg and the L size fits me very well.

If you like it more fitted, I recommend the L. If you like it looser or if you're taller then I recommend the XL. 

It's a very well made parka btw. I've had mine for a year and pretty much live in it and it hasn't pilled at all.

1 hour ago, Komorebi said:

Live limited... again.

They advertise themselves as a live limited band so I really don't think they plan on having nation wide releases any time soon, unfortunately.

I'm not seeing them until the end of January so I can't get my hands on it for a while myself. 

My guess is the new songs they played yesterday (らぶみ, 首絞めマアチ, ヒス症 which I'm sure is the hysteric song they've been playing the past two months) will be on another live limited release that'll be sold from their onemans in February. 

I second @qotkare: XAA-XAA disbanding. I don't want them to but I  see it happening in the second half of the year, unfortunately. 

Also:
- If XAA-XAA doesn't disband before September: XAA-XAA/DADAROMA twoman tour #3.
- Whenever XAA-XAA disbands: Kazuki and Reiya will form a new band.

- DEZERT will continue to suck MUCC dick and release crap.
- Kizu will have a oneman either at Akasaka Blitz or Tsutaya O-EAST.

- JILUKA will have their 6th official oneman become their 11th or 12th actual oneman.

- DADAROMA will continue to pump out releases of varying quality in short intervals.

- There will be some sort of drama related to 0.1g no Gosan. 

- Mejibray will be done for good as of the 22nd.  Maybe not next year but in 2019 Tsuzuku and Koichi will form a new band.
- Some ex-bandman will open a cat cafe.

13 hours ago, Laris said:

the thing with eplus is that they are asking for a japanese adress and phone number, which, i have neither. may ask a friend of mine to book it  for me then... 

You can buy tickets from eplus via the Famiport machine at any Family Mart without registering. You have to enter a phone number at one step but there isn't any sort of confirmation they send via text messaging or email so you can probably just put 080-1111-1111 or something like that and it'll be ok. 

9 hours ago, Laris said:

what are the best ways to buy tickets? one of my friend offered to help if needed, but im an anxious human being who wants to make sure all goes right.

also, how far in advanced are most lives announced?
I'm going in april and whilst some bands have already have some concerts planned in march, others aren't even past january.

Re: buying tickets, depends on the band and the live. Check the OHP of the band you're seeing and they'll have it listed in their live schedule.

Most of the time tickets are on eplus though, so it might just be easiest to get them off eplus.
If you or your friend know some Japanese and the tickets are already on sale you can also look around on Twitter. Just search "[band name] お譲り". Many times people want money transferred to their bank account and then they'll send you the ticket via post but sometimes they might be ok with handing you the ticket on the day of of the live (当日手渡し toujitsu tewatashi) if they're also attending.
You can also check auction sites like mbok if the tickets are already on sale.  
If you're going to a smaller show sometimes there's バンド予約 (band yoyaku), where you email the band your name, the date of the live, and how many tickets you want and on the day of the live you can tell the livehouse staff your name and pay at the door. You will be going in after people who already have tickets, though. If being stuck in the back is an issue for you I don't really recommend it, but if you're thinking about attending a live and won't decide until the day of it's great. Band yoyaku tickets usually cost the same as a ticket obtained in advance.

You can also get a day of ticket (当日券 toujitsuken) at the door. They're usually 500 yen or so more expensive than buying a ticket in advance. However, like band yoyaku, you go in after all the people who already have tickets, and if there's band yoyaku, you will go in after those who did band yoyaku. If a live is sold out, however, you might not be able to buy a day of ticket so be sure to check Twitter/the bands website before heading to the venue.

As for when lives are announced, it depends on the band. Some of the bands I follow have their schedule up to February, some have it until March with one live in April. Sometimes bands announce lives 2-3 months in advance, sometimes they announce it 1 month or even a couple of weeks in advance. Just keep an eye out on the band's Twitter/OHP.

13 hours ago, BrenGun said:

But  I doubt that they only have like 10-15 fans who follow them. seeing those live videos, I guess they have at least 30-100. (depends on type of event)
Also recently they also play more on a 2man and 3man events.  

Their upcoming oneman is also in Tokyo.  So maybe their Nagoya fanbase is stagnated? but their tokyo fanbase is growing?

Actually I've seen them a few times at various events in Tokyo and I never saw more than 10-15 or so people participating for them.

I'm of a similar opinion as ricchubunny. They're kinda fun to watch because they're different but they're not particularly good at playing their instruments.  Most of their guitar is prerecorded and that turns me off.

8 hours ago, frayed said:

Also haven’t seen any stigmas against writing names on the bag - if anything it’s more encouraged since tags and catch and tear, but that could just be my own experience.

I write and draw on gift bags all the time for the very same reason. I see Japanese fans do it, too. 

2 hours ago, Wakarimashita said:

How comes? They seem to be doing pretty good, aren't they...?

They are doing pretty well. Not just their oneman crowd but the amount of fans who go to event lives have increased a lot since I first started going (there used to be only about 10 or so people for them at event lives, sometimes less) . They also often play last or second to last at event lives now.

What I mean is some of my friends and acquaintances who have been going to see them since the first oneman, like me, or before that have been going less or just have stopped going altogether so you might see the DVD or other rares pop up on Twitter or auction sites.

People stop following bands at any time for any reason they may have. There isn't any sort of mass exodus going on. Some people are just conflicted about where the band is going and that happens with all bands.

2 hours ago, Wakarimashita said:

Hopefully! I'd be disappointed to see them disband for the lack of support :/

Nah they're not breaking up any time soon. They members are all super close friends, their manager is like the chillest person on the planet and they have plenty of dedicated fans who throw money at them. 

33 minutes ago, Mamo said:

Damn that sounds awesome. Wish there was a way I could get it 

You might see it pop up on auction sites or Twitter one of these days. Some people I know have been jumping ship recently (myself included but I'm still a fan of Sena so I'm keeping my copy) 

It's been a while since anyone has posted here so I thought I'd do some updates about the band.

Since August they've been playing a new song called 現実逃避癖 (genjitsu touhi kuse). You can see it in the first video Mihi posted on 8/20. It's a mosh song. Lots of fun.

They've also been playing a song called 最低最悪だ since October and last week they introduced another new song. No one is really sure about the title except that it has ヒステリック (hysteric) in it. 

They announced two Valentines' Day onemans in February - one in Tokyo (2/8 at Shibuya Rex) and one in Osaka (2/14 at Osaka Ruido). They've only had one Tokyo oneman since they started so I'm pretty excited about that.
They also have a oneman at Osaka Rudio coming up on 12/21. My guess is that there will be another CD release then based on their release pattern thus far.

They're selling t-shirts and can badges at buppan now. 

They also made a short promo video for ガチメンヘラ (gachi menhera)

Also unrelated but I'm downsizing my cheki collection. If anyone wants cheki (all members) send me a PM. 

On 11/13/2017 at 10:15 AM, Komorebi said:

Does anyone knows how well their last one man sold?

There was a decent crowd but I think there were more people at WWW in July. I'm not surprised they're doing O-West again. I don't think they can fill a bigger venue yet.

Also re: the Sena DVD, it was sold only at Sena's birthday oneman in August so it's quite rare. It says "Vol. 0 - prologue edition" on the DVD so there might be more in the future.
On the DVD Sena shows how to play the main riff for Necropolis, Twisted Pain, Bloodshot, and Omelas, the solo for Helix and Omelas, and the intro to Bloodshot. It's about 28 minutes long.

@desertflower304You can give your gift to a staff member at buppan during a live but I usually give them directly to the guys at instores. The bands I follow are probably much smaller than the band you're seeing though. 
At instores, just like oneman lives, there are usually baskets set up on the side so they can just put them in once you hand your gift over. If you want to do something special you can talk to shop staff a week or two in advance and see if they're ok with what you have in mind. I've done that a few times in the past for a semi-popular band (who is now really popular) with great success. 

Just because a band has 300+ fans doesn't mean you should just give up.
Also just because a bandman hasn't posted your gift on social media doesn't mean he didn't receive your gift. If you have the opportunity you can ask him if he liked it the next time you go to an instore.

1 hour ago, cvltic said:

Not sure about flowers, though. Usually the big stands get delivered to the livehouse and the livehouse presumably displays and then disposes of them.

I haven't personally arranged them myself but I have helped/contributed a few times so I have a general idea of how the process is. For stands you have to contact the venue and make sure it's okay/there's space before arranging the flowers through a flower shop. The venue doesn't get rid of the flowers after, the flower shop does, so you have to find a flower shop that is open late that will have staff come pick up the stand after the live. There are actually some flower shops that specialize in flowers for VK who are familiar with how things work.

3 hours ago, Shmilly said:

I wonder if パニッシュ！！ became パナシェ since the titles are so similar? It's a while since I've watched any live footage so I can't remember if any of the other unreleased songs sounded alike.

They're actually two very different songs.  パニッシュ！！ is one of their oldest songs. You can see it in this video from 2011 (7:38~) 

Watching that video now, there are two songs they played that I don't think I've ever heard (チルドレン and Dot.) . I guess they must'ved scrapped them early on.

2 hours ago, Seelentau said:

Have you tried checking mercari, @Duwang? https://www.mercari.com/jp/search/?keyword=Crazy+Shampoo

I have, but not recently. I gave up years ago to be honest. Pretty much no one has it because Crazy Shampoo had almost no fans back then and of those few who might have it I'm sure still have it or sold it while they were still active or around the time of their disbandment. Same goes for 抜刀.