WhirlingBlack

Didn't quite expect this.
I'm going to do my best to try to attend their last live since I'll be in Tokyo at that time, give me a last shot to hopefully see some of those oldies I've always wanted to see.
I must admit I haven't really listened to this band for the last six years, but I am nevertheless a bit shocked. Just one of those bands you expected to always be around.

More bands should consider releasing official recordings of all their shows, it's pretty minimal effort required if they don't have such high quality demands, and with digital distribution channels costs would not have to skyrocket either for fans. Charging ticket price or below for a venue shot video (Most venues film at least one angle, generally center and above the audience for the bands own archives) or even just a plain soundboard mix audio. Fans would have their memories, no one would have to block your precious views, everyone would be happy.
 
Back when things had to be distributed on discs, this wasn't feasible, but today it's really no problem putting out a hundred+ digital releases a year. Potential goldmine for the bands, if revenue is what they want, and just a general win-win situation for everyone.

More bands should consider releasing official recordings of all their shows, it's pretty minimal effort required if they don't have such high quality demands, and with digital distribution channels costs would not have to skyrocket either for fans. Charging ticket price or below for a venue shot video (Most venues film at least one angle, generally center and above the audience for the bands own archives) or even just a plain soundboard mix audio. Fans would have their memories, no one would have to block your precious views, everyone would be happy.
 
Back when things had to be distributed on discs, this wasn't feasible, but today it's really no problem putting out a hundred+ digital releases a year. Potential goldmine for the bands, if revenue is what they want, and just a general win-win situation for everyone.

I recorded video at a MUCC gig back in 2009, and I've watched it every year since at least once.
I think both sides here are just trying to enforce their view without taking the other side into regard "I can't understand why someone would want to do X" or "As a fan I'm entitled to Y", seems to some to be valid arguments for some?
Video recordings are a great memory of a show, not only for yourself but for future preservation and for everyone who unfortunately were unable to attend - you are basically doing a lot of people a service, and I think some (not all) who record and might sacrifice some of their own enjoyment see it this way.
I find a staggering hypocrisy in a lot of people in such as that they hate on people for recording, but then go on Youtube and view the videos themselves when given a chance.
A lot of my all time favorite live videos to watch would not exist if there weren't fans who had taken their time to make them.
 
Most of the annoyance seems to come from letting people just stand around anywhere with their phones etc. and I agree, there needs to be some kind of rules in regards to that, but rather than a total ban just do what a lot of video-friendly bands already do, have a designated area in the back (say, along the wall or the last fourth of the hall or so) where people are allowed to film. Bands are missing out on marketing and often high quality material that are essentially completely free of production costs and does not require any work on their part. Most fans would not use "There are live videos on Youtube" as an excuse of not attending a concert themselves, and it wouldn't compete with CD sales either (although they already form only a small part of an artists revenue).

I don't remember ever doing an introduction here but since I don't expect to be remembered well at all after a lengthy disappearance, I decided now was as fine a time as any. I suppose this is a "I'm back!" announcement too but that seems arrogant. U-um...

I'm SUBLIMINAL. Known to friends as Lorena. I joined the forums when I was a newborn baby and I'm twenty-seven now so thanks for raising me well, Monochrome Heaven-senpai.
 
I mean if anyone remembers me, it would probably be because I never shut up about D'espairsRay. I don't really do that anymore omg. I don't listen to visual kei at all anymore, actually, but I have a big, squishy soft spot for old favourites and still keep up with them. Mostly. Aside from once upon a time being the most annoying D'espairsRay fan to ever live, I love(d?) Plastic Tree equally but that wasn't as noticable. These days I still tend to prefer pop, folk and as usual bizarro metal music.
 
Anyway, I had a habit of vanishing every so often due to real life drama even when I was active here but my last disappearance was the longest, I think. It was very necessary though! I learned a lot about myself and grew as a person. I live in Scotland now, instead of England, with my SO and I'm happier and more active than ever! I wanted to check and come back here because well... to put it pathetically plainly, this was the only forum in my internet lifetime that I ever felt comfortable and welcomed at. It was once one of my regular haunts online and I miss that, so... hello, whoever reads this. Hello. Again. 
 

 
tl;dr I was gone for years for personal reasons, I came creeping back.

I recorded video at a MUCC gig back in 2009, and I've watched it every year since at least once.
I think both sides here are just trying to enforce their view without taking the other side into regard "I can't understand why someone would want to do X" or "As a fan I'm entitled to Y", seems to some to be valid arguments for some?
Video recordings are a great memory of a show, not only for yourself but for future preservation and for everyone who unfortunately were unable to attend - you are basically doing a lot of people a service, and I think some (not all) who record and might sacrifice some of their own enjoyment see it this way.
I find a staggering hypocrisy in a lot of people in such as that they hate on people for recording, but then go on Youtube and view the videos themselves when given a chance.
A lot of my all time favorite live videos to watch would not exist if there weren't fans who had taken their time to make them.
 
Most of the annoyance seems to come from letting people just stand around anywhere with their phones etc. and I agree, there needs to be some kind of rules in regards to that, but rather than a total ban just do what a lot of video-friendly bands already do, have a designated area in the back (say, along the wall or the last fourth of the hall or so) where people are allowed to film. Bands are missing out on marketing and often high quality material that are essentially completely free of production costs and does not require any work on their part. Most fans would not use "There are live videos on Youtube" as an excuse of not attending a concert themselves, and it wouldn't compete with CD sales either (although they already form only a small part of an artists revenue).

I recorded video at a MUCC gig back in 2009, and I've watched it every year since at least once.
I think both sides here are just trying to enforce their view without taking the other side into regard "I can't understand why someone would want to do X" or "As a fan I'm entitled to Y", seems to some to be valid arguments for some?
Video recordings are a great memory of a show, not only for yourself but for future preservation and for everyone who unfortunately were unable to attend - you are basically doing a lot of people a service, and I think some (not all) who record and might sacrifice some of their own enjoyment see it this way.
I find a staggering hypocrisy in a lot of people in such as that they hate on people for recording, but then go on Youtube and view the videos themselves when given a chance.
A lot of my all time favorite live videos to watch would not exist if there weren't fans who had taken their time to make them.
 
Most of the annoyance seems to come from letting people just stand around anywhere with their phones etc. and I agree, there needs to be some kind of rules in regards to that, but rather than a total ban just do what a lot of video-friendly bands already do, have a designated area in the back (say, along the wall or the last fourth of the hall or so) where people are allowed to film. Bands are missing out on marketing and often high quality material that are essentially completely free of production costs and does not require any work on their part. Most fans would not use "There are live videos on Youtube" as an excuse of not attending a concert themselves, and it wouldn't compete with CD sales either (although they already form only a small part of an artists revenue).

I recorded video at a MUCC gig back in 2009, and I've watched it every year since at least once.
I think both sides here are just trying to enforce their view without taking the other side into regard "I can't understand why someone would want to do X" or "As a fan I'm entitled to Y", seems to some to be valid arguments for some?
Video recordings are a great memory of a show, not only for yourself but for future preservation and for everyone who unfortunately were unable to attend - you are basically doing a lot of people a service, and I think some (not all) who record and might sacrifice some of their own enjoyment see it this way.
I find a staggering hypocrisy in a lot of people in such as that they hate on people for recording, but then go on Youtube and view the videos themselves when given a chance.
A lot of my all time favorite live videos to watch would not exist if there weren't fans who had taken their time to make them.
 
Most of the annoyance seems to come from letting people just stand around anywhere with their phones etc. and I agree, there needs to be some kind of rules in regards to that, but rather than a total ban just do what a lot of video-friendly bands already do, have a designated area in the back (say, along the wall or the last fourth of the hall or so) where people are allowed to film. Bands are missing out on marketing and often high quality material that are essentially completely free of production costs and does not require any work on their part. Most fans would not use "There are live videos on Youtube" as an excuse of not attending a concert themselves, and it wouldn't compete with CD sales either (although they already form only a small part of an artists revenue).

I recorded video at a MUCC gig back in 2009, and I've watched it every year since at least once.
I think both sides here are just trying to enforce their view without taking the other side into regard "I can't understand why someone would want to do X" or "As a fan I'm entitled to Y", seems to some to be valid arguments for some?
Video recordings are a great memory of a show, not only for yourself but for future preservation and for everyone who unfortunately were unable to attend - you are basically doing a lot of people a service, and I think some (not all) who record and might sacrifice some of their own enjoyment see it this way.
I find a staggering hypocrisy in a lot of people in such as that they hate on people for recording, but then go on Youtube and view the videos themselves when given a chance.
A lot of my all time favorite live videos to watch would not exist if there weren't fans who had taken their time to make them.
 
Most of the annoyance seems to come from letting people just stand around anywhere with their phones etc. and I agree, there needs to be some kind of rules in regards to that, but rather than a total ban just do what a lot of video-friendly bands already do, have a designated area in the back (say, along the wall or the last fourth of the hall or so) where people are allowed to film. Bands are missing out on marketing and often high quality material that are essentially completely free of production costs and does not require any work on their part. Most fans would not use "There are live videos on Youtube" as an excuse of not attending a concert themselves, and it wouldn't compete with CD sales either (although they already form only a small part of an artists revenue).

I recorded video at a MUCC gig back in 2009, and I've watched it every year since at least once.
I think both sides here are just trying to enforce their view without taking the other side into regard "I can't understand why someone would want to do X" or "As a fan I'm entitled to Y", seems to some to be valid arguments for some?
Video recordings are a great memory of a show, not only for yourself but for future preservation and for everyone who unfortunately were unable to attend - you are basically doing a lot of people a service, and I think some (not all) who record and might sacrifice some of their own enjoyment see it this way.
I find a staggering hypocrisy in a lot of people in such as that they hate on people for recording, but then go on Youtube and view the videos themselves when given a chance.
A lot of my all time favorite live videos to watch would not exist if there weren't fans who had taken their time to make them.
 
Most of the annoyance seems to come from letting people just stand around anywhere with their phones etc. and I agree, there needs to be some kind of rules in regards to that, but rather than a total ban just do what a lot of video-friendly bands already do, have a designated area in the back (say, along the wall or the last fourth of the hall or so) where people are allowed to film. Bands are missing out on marketing and often high quality material that are essentially completely free of production costs and does not require any work on their part. Most fans would not use "There are live videos on Youtube" as an excuse of not attending a concert themselves, and it wouldn't compete with CD sales either (although they already form only a small part of an artists revenue).

( *´艸｀)
More dresses for the dresses god

It's a useless rule made for a different era and very difficult to enforce today - just like a lot of things from Japan.
The reason they don't want you taking pictures is because you might catch them from an unflattering angle, and god forbid they ever look anything less than 100% photoshopped.
Selling photosets could be another reason, but those pictures are generally professional studio shots and not live ones so one would think it's a completely different thing.
 
Either way, I never got the point of taking photos at lives, so that part has never really bothered me much, but banning video is a major annoyance. I know people filming can be a bother but it's easily solved by directing those people to the back or to a balcony if such exists... And nowadays even devices most people have access to like smartphones can record both listenable audio and decent video, so it's never been easier to get some interesting footage from shows.
 
 

wazzuuuup!
 
I've been to Gazette's concert here in Brazil and it was fucking awesome, except for the "no pictures or videos" policy. The staff announced before their perfomance that they would take people caught in the act's phone and erase ALL DATA. I LOLed of course.
 
What do you think of this kind of policy? To me its utter bullshit. I understand that its something from japanese bands culture in general, but that does not apply to the rest of the freaking world. They are doing a concert here, and probably enforcing it by contract, and I can't fathom WHY any contractor would abide to such shitty rule. And that reasoning of bands controlling what media they want to publish is shit, because: No cellphone of any kind can take professional-grade photos or videos and I highly doubt they would try such rule on a huge Coachella-like festival.
 
In the end I took the pictures I wanted as memento (even tho staff tried to bully me once, which I couldn't care less for), Gazette didn't lose any money because of my silly instagram photos afaik and everyone happily went home after a nice concert.
 
It is annoying and nobody cares, why bands still make a fuss about it?

I've attended a show with Eiji and I didn't get any supremacist vibes from him. So I'd like to call bullshit on that. Probably just some foreign fangirl who got rejected and then decided he was a racist.

I've attended a show with Eiji and I didn't get any supremacist vibes from him. So I'd like to call bullshit on that. Probably just some foreign fangirl who got rejected and then decided he was a racist.

My main issue with the visual kei scene isn't really represented in the options here, and it's something you generally get more in touch with once you get to Japan and get to experience the scene.
Firstly, the fact that a large majority of visual kei musicians more or less openly admits they don't have any artistic or personal integrity, they don't care what they produce and they don't care that their sound is exactly like every other band out there, because they know that as long as the members are pretty enough there WILL be fans, and they WILL pay you money for "company" and "favors" so that you can survive comfortably and keep rehashing the same song for a couple of years until you feel like calling it quits and do something more worthwhile with your life, or more likely, go into full time hosting business now that you have a decent circle of clients already.
 
This sort of leads me into my second issue and it's the bangya culture. It's generally really vile, and the way the girls not only talk about the musicians but also each other is quite disgusting. If the bangyas decide that a member has done something they do not approve of, that doesn't live up to their perfect ideals that they hold them all to (because god knows the fangirls don't live up to any of them) they can easily start enough shit to cause a band to break up or force a member out of the band. The issues doesn't end there though, because the few foreign bangya that exists generally adapt to this mentality and lifestyle too. They openly shun other foreigners who dare attend the lives of "their" band and ruin their "specialness", they participate in this completely daft saizen system where a designated person basically decides who gets what spot at a concert so everyone can enjoy playing ten year olds doing the "you're not allowed to play with us"-games... And the obviousness of what really drives people to be fans of these bands become so apparent when they get to this level, and it's certainly not the music.
 
To be honest, in a lot of ways I never realized how bad this was until I got there and could see it all for myself, and that's despite a 13 year stint in the scene by now.

I've attended a show with Eiji and I didn't get any supremacist vibes from him. So I'd like to call bullshit on that. Probably just some foreign fangirl who got rejected and then decided he was a racist.

I'm stuck wanting to be 10 different kinds of people and I hate myself because I'm none of them.

The point is that if the remake sounds too far detached from the original it, at least to me, ends up just feeling like I've lost my chances of seeing the original tracks live as they've been replaced.
I generally make a case in point with Dir en grey, a band who have extensive experience with remakes.
When they remade their track zan, I was very much in favor of it. It was a fresh take on the track but it still resembled the original enough to be seen as the same track, in a touched up way. Then they remade tsumi to batsu which essentially was just a remake in name and a few lines of lyrics. I have only heard one of these tracks so far, and not even completely at that, but I get that kind of vibes from this so far.
And this is coming from a diehard aie fan so please don't dismiss this as hating or anything silly like that, it's alright to have legitimate concerns even with your favorite artists. (Also might be because I was hoping to catch some oldies live in the summer)

Ska svara mer utförligt sen men ville poängtera för att undvika missförstånd (som redan uppstått) att det var på en personlig nivå, alltså en sorg över att inte kunna relatera till människorna även om vi gillar samma genre i grunden. Såklart får de lyssna på vilka band de vill.

I really wish people would stop taking Yasukuni visits as some form of condoning imperialism and/or especially war crimes, there's hundreds of thousands of people not guilty of committing war crimes that are interred and honoured there as well, including family members of a lot of people still alive today. 
But that's what happens when people take sensationalized Korean/Chinese newspaper articles combined with a complete lack of understanding of Japanese religious practices, where paying respect to the dead is an important factor, and uncritically accept their view ostensibly because they were oppressed during a period of this time. The fact that I've heard it being compared to German leaders saluting SS leaders at concentration camps just sort of shows how little people actually know about it.

Missed opportunity to invite some Japanese band along. If they are trying to profile themselves towards fans of Japanese music it would've been a great chance to draw people with the jap band and hope that people would stick around to see theirs too. Now its just going to be another event for Yohios 12 year old fangirls (which I'm sure he doesn't mind)

Remaking Unknown...Despair...a Lost was a crime in every way. One of few things I can't accept when it comes to Dir en grey and I'm generally in favor of most of their remakes.
 
Anyone here planning on hitting the VULGAR tour though? I was planning on joining it from Osaka and onwards and meeting other fans is always fun.
And to speculate a bit, I wonder if the tour will contain other tracks of the era, I'm expecting Fukai but I'm wondering whether they'll go for full on VULGAR era setlists with six Ugly material too or if they'll do it like the GAUZE tour and mix it up with their latest material.

Sounds more sad than anything else from the sound of it, and perhaps a bit whiny. "I'm not sure if the people who are uploading sees this but, please stop doing it..." 
 
I'm surprised why they would think no one would upload their songs and DVDs on youtube though, and why they seemingly haven't cared to notice or comment on it previously. 
 
But at least he's not lashing out and being angry at people left and right like some other VK people were doing a while back, so it's still alright, people aren't going to stop though so he should probably try to save his grief for something more worthwhile.

My main issue with the visual kei scene isn't really represented in the options here, and it's something you generally get more in touch with once you get to Japan and get to experience the scene.
Firstly, the fact that a large majority of visual kei musicians more or less openly admits they don't have any artistic or personal integrity, they don't care what they produce and they don't care that their sound is exactly like every other band out there, because they know that as long as the members are pretty enough there WILL be fans, and they WILL pay you money for "company" and "favors" so that you can survive comfortably and keep rehashing the same song for a couple of years until you feel like calling it quits and do something more worthwhile with your life, or more likely, go into full time hosting business now that you have a decent circle of clients already.
 
This sort of leads me into my second issue and it's the bangya culture. It's generally really vile, and the way the girls not only talk about the musicians but also each other is quite disgusting. If the bangyas decide that a member has done something they do not approve of, that doesn't live up to their perfect ideals that they hold them all to (because god knows the fangirls don't live up to any of them) they can easily start enough shit to cause a band to break up or force a member out of the band. The issues doesn't end there though, because the few foreign bangya that exists generally adapt to this mentality and lifestyle too. They openly shun other foreigners who dare attend the lives of "their" band and ruin their "specialness", they participate in this completely daft saizen system where a designated person basically decides who gets what spot at a concert so everyone can enjoy playing ten year olds doing the "you're not allowed to play with us"-games... And the obviousness of what really drives people to be fans of these bands become so apparent when they get to this level, and it's certainly not the music.
 
To be honest, in a lot of ways I never realized how bad this was until I got there and could see it all for myself, and that's despite a 13 year stint in the scene by now.