Post your "UNPOPULAR" music opinions!

[evilcoconut 109]

"Old-school/90's VK wasn't really much better" With so many people parading around old-school superiority, I'd say I'm in the minority with this opinion. As someone who has been in VK for ~10 years and collects tons of old-school stuff, I can certainly say without a bit of doubt that there were a TON of really shitty bands back then. Anyone who would say otherwise is looking through some pretty rose-tinted glasses. That being said, I certainly do miss some of sub-scenes in VK that no longer exist(soft visual/white-kei/proto-oshare) and don't exactly like all of the "sounds" that bands tend to get grouped into nowadays, but I definitely can't say that one era was better or worse than the other as they all have their ups and downs.

 

Lmao, yes, I totally agree with this one too.  There aren't any more crap bands now than there were then.  People just tend to always be nostalgic for the ~old days~

[hyura 465]

 

i think you mean there are not enough old school visual kei in sound. most turn to neo rock/alternative/metal something that you don't like.

but that's too personal taste/opinion. i miss old deg sound too sometimes so i get it. but i like that "nu metal" stuff too.

 

Of course it's a personal opinion, but that's why I'm posting it here in the thread for unpopular personal opinions. XD

And of course those bands aren't metal bands, but the influence is very strong!

This goes for almost every 'darker' visual kei band in the scene at the moment and it simply gets old. The brighter bands still get to show every colour of pop but the darker ones get more and more one-dimensional.

That's not a I want every band to sound like kuroyume in '92-problem either. You don't have to go 20 years back in time to see a more interesting palette, 5 years are enough.

[rebelstrik 111]

I don't care about the visuals in VK:  I say this is an unpopular opinion because I've been told countless times that it's impossible not to care about the visuals and anyone that says that is lying and on and on.  But I don't and I never have. I have some kind of sick attraction to the music itself, but I don't give a flying fuck about the band's appearance and would prefer they didn't look so ridiculous if I had a choice, just so it'd be less embarrassing to point them out to people.

^ this, just for me its not important anymore to tell others what you listen. its like a fight vs windmill when so many gangsters are around

[Sakura Seven 593]

VK owns and has continued to own. 

 

But it seems like if it isn't ~heavy or ~dark then nobody will take an interest, even if the bands are great. Frustrating. 

 

PS: Metal fans smell like cabbage. 

[seikun 317]

I was watching and listening to Visual Kei bands from around 2001 to 2004 and then I thought "what has happened to Visual Kei?" I was shocked by the fact that Visual Kei is almost nothing like the old one that I can hardly call this new era of Visual Kei "Visual Kei".

 

I am not the kind of person who is looking for masterpieces (to boast about) when it comes to music (pretentious people). I just like the Visual Kei I bumped into about 10 yeras ago, when it had a soul, a distinctive sound, something that attracted me so much.

 

Visual Kei has almost completely lost that theatrical and very artistic side that once had.

 

I just hate the fact that bands who want to revive the old (ONLY) Visual Kei just can't do it and last too short. ò.ó

[nullmoon 784]

Grieva are doing a good job so far ;D

[miyuu 40]

Of course it's a personal opinion, but that's why I'm posting it here in the thread for unpopular personal opinions. XD

And of course those bands aren't metal bands, but the influence is very strong!

This goes for almost every 'darker' visual kei band in the scene at the moment and it simply gets old. The brighter bands still get to show every colour of pop but the darker ones get more and more one-dimensional.

That's not a I want every band to sound like kuroyume in '92-problem either. You don't have to go 20 years back in time to see a more interesting palette, 5 years are enough.

i know i know xD that's why i wrote my personal opinion too before. xD. i agree though i think i have wrote a lot of times  that i am not so satisfied with last years majority of new bands. i only like  few. even if i like the nu metal/alternative stuff. but maybe that's just me

 

*

strange btw i always thought bright bands had more audience ?! because their whole theme seem to be for more people. less underground feeling.

like which happy/bright band is so great and people don't care because it's not dark?probably it's because of the music

[Ikna 1225]

It seems like that opinion isn't as unpopular as I thought but I hate VK bands playing Metal.

It's not even that I dislike Metal as a genre or influence but the fact that every band does it just destroys most things I like about VK.

It takes aways the simplicity and elegance of the genre.

[...]

Metal as a music genre is just as cheesy and poseurish as VK as a style and together it's too much pathos.

 

Hm... I have to disagree. Now I am not really a big Metal fan (despite I have been one of those silly mallgoth kids who listened to Dimmu Borgir and so on... but lost interest into it) and I am not very happy with the evolution of visual kei. My problem with neo visual these days aren't really that bands have drastically changed, but their sound doesn't attract me. Of course we could argue how many bands today really play Metal and I bet there aren't that much left. Most vk bands play just simply harder rock or Metalcore, but not straight Metal. Or their Metal compositions are pretty weak and technically bad compared to "real" Metal bands and that would also explain why most Metalheads avoid VK like the plague or see it as a kind of a joke.

So I'd rather blame Metalcore and that whole Badass Indie Rock fad (also Electro/Technorock...).

 

Isn't it pretty logical that Metal is as poseurish as VK when Visual kei was an offspring of the japanese (Hair) Metal scene? Despite all the post-punk and goth influences old school visual kei too had a big amount of Metal influences. Probably not as strong or obvious than the fathers of visual kei (X, Aion and friends) or modern visual bands, but it was there. You can't really explain all that "br00tal" guitar slamming and growling in faster old school songs with "that's the post-punk influence". Goth normally isn't that aggressive (except maybe deathrock, which also had some influence on 90s visual kei. But a deathrocker would turn your neck for comparing it with Metal).

 

And to the old school topic: I  sadly am one of your elitist Goth fuckers. Seriously, I enjoy New Wave and post-punk songs more than modern gawfick music and Metal. That already makes me ignorant towards new visual kei. Though I am not sure if we can really consider old school vk to be that full of gothic influences. There are definitely metal influences too and there have been groups like Velladonna and Vasalla, which I can't really put under the goth-wave tag. I guess our very perception about what old visual kei is, is distorted by our favour for labels like Matina or Soleil. But old visual kei was much more than those amateurish indie bands. There were so many bands who played a mix of all kinds of musical styles that once upon a time were really popular in both Great Britain, the US and Japan. Old school visual kei even had electronic or "industrial" bands (Dune xxx? Blame Honey?)

 

I still have the same opinion I had in the last threads i discussed this topic. I will always favour old school visual kei bands more, because they just have the sound i like and I am honest about my intolerance. And I pretty much entered the whole visual thing with groups like old Dir en grey, Malice Mizer, Moi dix Mois and Coll:Set era D'espairsRay. Visual kei has changed, I can understand that. Like I have said in another thread, visual kei was always doomed to adapt to current trends and transforming into something else in order to survive. The scene still has some pearls to offer in the big pile of shit (which isn't a mere neo visual problem, as the flood of terrible bands already started 1996 and probably before). There are some pearls even I like. But visual kei today has become something entirely different, musically and visually. And yeah, I also tend to look after great visuals. I don't do that in other genres (seriously... there aren't that many well dressed or beautiful people in most alternative genres, including post-punk) but I do that when I search for new vk bands. Why? Because it's called visual kei and therefore I can consider their looks to be an important part of the band. When I see agroup which has interesting looks I kinda start to wonder if they also sound good. Mostly, I am going to be disapoointed, but hey... I tried

 

The only thing that pisses me off as an old school lover is the fact, that the scene doesn't offer good kote kei bands. Most people nowadays just don't give a shit about the 90s bands and the possible target audience is little and small- which means that there will always be only a few bands playing this style. I can accept that, as there will only be as much groups as ther is demand for them. But unfortunately (or sadly?) all of these bands have potential but don't use it; instead they just copy and play the same shit we have heard 10 years ago over and over again. I really like Grieva and Ru:natic... but i just wish they could create something I have never heard.

 

I can't agree with the notion of darker bands getting more exposure though... Most "darker" visual kei bands today re just sounding heavier but that doesn't mean they are edgier and gloomier. They just play "heavier" music (I know the term is pretty subjective and debatable itself). And yeah, they may have angsty lyrics. But heavy/hard/Metal/brutal/whatever music + angsty lyrics don't make a band dark. Hell, I would even agree when someone says that 80% of all gothic rock music is, in fact, not dark. Now it is really hard to define what makes a band truly dark, gloomy or melancholic... I think that's truly subjective. But I personally don't perceive most visual kei groups today to be dark. Especially not when we are talking about groups like Gazette, Mejibray or Versailles (especially the last... they are not edgy just because they wear frilly clothes and like vampire stories).

And the scene has many, several, melancholic or "darker" bands who don't get that much recognition. Like, I am still surprised how a group like emmurée who make such awesome post-punky music don't have that many fans and are heavily underrated. I'd say the same for 9GOATS BLACKOUT (though I don't really dig their stuff), cocklobin, Dish an others. I could say this for most visual and visual kei leaning bands who are coming from the Nagoya kei or Angura kei "scene". Those bands are also the ones that convince me, that visual kei isn't completely dead and that the scene can still serve some great bands. But the fans just don't care about them that much.

 

And I don't think bands are imitating old Nagoya kei á la Kuroyume either. Most bands are rather fascinated with Kiyoharu's later works or Dir en grey after their Vulgar era.

And weren't we all complaining just a few years ago, that the scene was overfilled with colourful, one dimensional oshare kei and "nyappi, everything is cool and the world is great" bands? Guess that hate for either colourful or dark bands change every new year...

And I am afraid visual kei was always full of pop rock bands. They sure are pretty one dimensional and sound like any other pop band, but it's not like the problem of softie visual rock was new. In the 90s there were many poppish bands as well. I'd even go as far to say soft visual was it's direct ancestor. I think visual kei already changed into a mass phenomenom that became a part of the fashion industry when the "genre" reached it's highest peak of popularity between 1993 and 1996. That was the time when once oh so punky, rebellish bands dropped their big hair and new wave facemask and changed into bright, casual clothes, normal hair and less make up (see Kuroyume, Shazna, L'arc~en~ciel). It seems you just can't survive or exist as a visual band without either changig into a pop group, doing the same shit until eternity or disbanding.

 

(okay, i'm gonna stop now or i will write the next deep analysis of visual kei culture...)

[fitear1590 2414]

I have some issues with 摩天楼オペラ (Matenrou Opera)

I've expressed this before in reviews and stuff, but in my opinion, vocalist Sono and keyboardist Ayame are dragging down the band.  Starting with Sono... when the band first debuted, I was very excited for them.  He had a unique and capable voice and a "high pitched" one at that (something I tend to lean toward in male vocals).  There was the occasional hiccup (I didn't like his performance in songs like "悲哀とメランコリー" or "Last Game"), but overall his voice held out for me, that is UNTIL the release of the Murder Scope single.  Ever since then, I've noticed he has the tendency to affect his voice in a very nasal, obnoxious "squeaky" way and he also applies some of the most exaggerated VK-brato I've ever heard (see "ニューシネマパラダイス" among many others).  There's also other instance of just plain "WTF?!"-inducing filth (see the "Hoooooooooooo-ohhhhhhhhhhhhh!" session at the end of the song "Justice"). Not that I don't enjoy his vocals every once in a while, but before Murder Scope, it seemed like his singing was maybe 90% hit and 10% miss and now it's just the opposite.  I want to like Sono's voice, but with each and every release, it seems like he's going further down a path that just isn't for me.  Now for Ayame, I'm going to copy/paste something I wrote in a previous review. "This has been something I've felt for a while with this band. I find myself rarely complaining about the guitarist, the bassist or the drummer so much. It always comes back to Ayame. Tbh, I don't know how much he actually plays himself, and how much is just the studio arrangement, but man does this band overuse the "hah" choir thing. And cheap synthy strings. The fact that the album opens up with midi-sounding keyboards in Justice is already a bad sign. Maybe I'm just bitter since "風の鳥" by the first keyboardist is one of my favorite MO songs... I think Ayame's probably the weakest member of the band. His keyboards hardly bring anything special to their sound and they'd probably just be better off with a second guitarist (since they could add extra synths and stuff in the studio arrangement anyway, to maintain their "symphonic" quality)."  I still feel this way.  At best, he's adequate and at worst, he's a song-ruiner.

Liphlich and A (エース) are not the greatest/most creative "new" VK bands
I'm going to preface this by saying, I don't "dislike" either of these bands, AT ALL.  I'm thankful they are part of the new VK scene as they do bring something that is fairly new and refreshing.  The bands just haven't "clicked" for me personally.  I find Liphlich's sound a bit repetitive and the vocalist is a little too exaggerated for me.  Rookie Fiddler from "A (エース)" deserves a medal, cause that guy can play!  He really is the core of their sound.  Unfortunately, I feel like the guitarist falls short (at least from what I've heard; I still need to check out their most recent stuff).  His playing hasn't really wowed me ever.  And the vocalist is also just decent; I don't think he's "epic" enough to take the band to the next level that Rookie Fiddler is obviously ready to go to.  But like I said, I'm still very excited for these bands and I hope I'll eventually become a bigger fan of them.

Love this thread idea!  I'll try to think of some more...

[seikun 317]

Those of us who love old school Visual Kei don't think all bands from the past were superior. As a matter of fact, I think Cynthia was quite crappy.

[Zeus 7997]

I have some issues with 摩天楼オペラ (Matenrou Opera)

I've expressed this before in reviews and stuff, but in my opinion, vocalist Sono and keyboardist Ayame are dragging down the band.  Starting with Sono... when the band first debuted, I was very excited for them.  He had a unique and capable voice and a "high pitched" one at that (something I tend to lean toward in male vocals).  There was the occasional hiccup (I didn't like his performance in songs like "悲哀とメランコリー" or "Last Game"), but overall his voice held out for me, that is UNTIL the release of the Murder Scope single.  Ever since then, I've noticed he has the tendency to affect his voice in a very nasal, obnoxious "squeaky" way and he also applies some of the most exaggerated VK-brato I've ever heard (see "ニューシネマパラダイス" among many others).  There's also other instance of just plain "WTF?!"-inducing filth (see the "Hoooooooooooo-ohhhhhhhhhhhhh!" session at the end of the song "Justice"). Not that I don't enjoy his vocals every once in a while, but before Murder Scope, it seemed like his singing was maybe 90% hit and 10% miss and now it's just the opposite.  I want to like Sono's voice, but with each and every release, it seems like he's going further down a path that just isn't for me.  Now for Ayame, I'm going to copy/paste something I wrote in a previous review. "This has been something I've felt for a while with this band. I find myself rarely complaining about the guitarist, the bassist or the drummer so much. It always comes back to Ayame. Tbh, I don't know how much he actually plays himself, and how much is just the studio arrangement, but man does this band overuse the "hah" choir thing. And cheap synthy strings. The fact that the album opens up with midi-sounding keyboards in Justice is already a bad sign. Maybe I'm just bitter since "風の鳥" by the first keyboardist is one of my favorite MO songs... I think Ayame's probably the weakest member of the band. His keyboards hardly bring anything special to their sound and they'd probably just be better off with a second guitarist (since they could add extra synths and stuff in the studio arrangement anyway, to maintain their "symphonic" quality)."  I still feel this way.  At best, he's adequate and at worst, he's a song-ruiner.

 

I'm going to go off of this for a second. I'm mostly focusing on Sono because I have no excuse for Ayame. I think he got drunk on the Sonata Arctica slushie before the recording of that album and went full-bore into that direction.

I feel exactly the same way you do about Sono. I think I was one of the first people to mention that issue around Murder Scope. But even now, as I listen to Jeniva, I notice that Sono's voice has gotten more and more high-pitched as the years go on. It makes me wonder if he is unable to sing the way he used to a few years ago. I don't think he's received extensive training either, so that voice might be mostly natural talent. I also don't know his age, so I don't know if I should attribute it to the tail-end of puberty or vocal erosion. I just want to say that I don't think his vocals are always a choice - and considering how inconsistent he is from release to release I think he just may be struggling with his voice from time to time. The way he sings exposes those flaws.

Now back to the topic!

[TheBistroButcher666 228]

I agree Ayame is pretty useless other than being an extra pretty face for the girls. Cuz I'm like, what does he even do? All that synth can easily just be done in studio and prerecorded for lives.

[Nyasagi 259]

My unpopular opinion:

 

MEJIBRAY is my favorite active band, but I don't like most of their fans. They're only after their appearance and nothing else. Many of them are also Gazette fans (maybe because it's Tsuzuku's favorite band? No idea...), I don't think it needs any long explanation (everyone knows what their fans are like). They like posting stupid shit on tumblr, tagging weird photos with the band's name, reposting everything (even photos of cheki someone owns and asks to not repost) and spamming shit that's already been posted 43953576358 times. I'm happy for the band, because they became so successful, but at the same time I miss the times when no one knew them and there weren't so many horny girls, who need a dick asap, after them. I know every band has such fans, but in this case, there are way too many of them...

[TheBistroButcher666 228]

I feel like Mejibray is that band that all the Gazette haters love because they can finally listen to Gazette songs without losing their indie street cred.

[seikun 317]

I hate Visual Kei bands so influenced by nü-metal. It makes their music sound monotonous, uninteresting.

[nullmoon 784]

Sorry to dig up Matenrou Opera again but I wish they would get rid of synths etc altogether. The only time it sounded ok was in the song Anomie. Songs with piano in them etc are fine, they're meant to be like that, but all of the heavier songs just sound so tacky when cheesy synths are introduced. It's one of the reasons why I choose to just stay away from them.

 

Well that and the fact that Sono's vibrato is all you can hear. In. Every. Song.

[nullmoon 784]

My unpopular opinion:

 

I miss the times when no one knew them and there weren't so many horny girls, who need a dick asap, after them.

 

Hur hur

[miyuu 40]

I feel like Mejibray is that band that all the Gazette haters love because they can finally listen to Gazette songs without losing their indie street cred.

 

i think actually the opposite.  that is the reason indie fans avoid them. and they don't like them.even if their music is equally good to other bands that they listen. it backfires. the similarities with gazette and the fandom. and the clothes fanservice.

 

i feel like i have to answer LOL because i prefer meji from gazette.i think most people listen to both bands.

i am one of few who prefers mejibray.also even if i am crazy and i just can't see the similarities in music with the gazette personally.i just can't. for sure the voice is different(i have a big problem with gazette voice) and the visuals are different, plus the more indie mentality. and i think that's  good enough reasons to understand why  someone can prefer them.

to be honest it's hard to believe me but i listen to them despite of their looks and not because of it.

the only band i do this is with them. i mean i find them very attractive.

but the whole similarities with gazette people say and the hyper around this band. and the type of fans that attracts.

actually hits on my nerves and i want to avoid them. but it's one of the very few new bands that i find their music decent  and i  like it ,so i am not going to stop listening to them because i am annoyed by the situation.and also is less pop rock than other/they are a little more "heavy" than most new

i am sure they are one of those  bands that knows how to sell image to attract more fans.

 

 

i really don't have anything with non indie. but i prefer to listen to pop like kat-tun,arashi,news etc. if i want

pop mentality and sound they are better. than pop rock visual kei.

if i want rock etc i would go to heavier bands . that actually are more close to rock mentality.

that inbetween i see no point. we are rock but we are pop too.

 

except if you are something like l'arc en ciel. that i get it. i agree.

[nullmoon 784]

I'm with Miyuu on this one; how on earth does Mejibray sounds like The GazettE?!

[Lestat 2167]

I personally think Mejibray already lost their indie image after their first three releases. They'll go down the GazettE road as well, get signed to a major label, and get turned in to pop-rockers without a personal visual image. Maybe their build-up is similar, but of course not their music - I see zero similarity in GazettE and Mejibray musicially wise, but it's likely they'll suffer the same fate.

[Zeus 7997]

"I don't like the GazettE because of the fans."

Response of the Zess: You're stupid. Anyone that lets the actions of other people determine whether or not they can enjoy a band isn't focusing on the music. Bonding over liking a similar artist is an attractive draw to liking a certain band but it shouldn't be the only reason why you like a band. It's entirely possible to like the GazettE and not step foot in the shoutbox or a GazettE tumblr ever. I do. As of this writing, they are the fifth most played band on my last.fm. Separate the fans from the music.

This also goes out to the people that act like the GazettE never has made good music and is the symptom of decay in the visual kei scene. Shut up. I know you listen to them with the scrobbler off so don't front.

Oh and if for whatever reason you feel like somebody will judge you for liking the GazettE (or any band) get off last.fm and dismount from your high horse. That's a sign of neurosis. If you actually knew how few people looked at your last.fm or cared about what you listen to, you wouldn't care at all. If anyone ever DOES judge you for listening to a band you like, tell them to go play in traffic.

[Zeus 7997]

Visual kei gets a bad reputation because visual kei fans can't talk music

Elaboration is the cornerstone of great conversation and great writing. Talking about music and bands is an exercise in persuasive writing. You're giving your audience - anyone that took the time to read what you have to write - very good reasons to consider why your position is correct. Now let's say I just left this topic with that one sentence in bold. I may have a good point. If I explain, I very well may change your view. But since I don't, you won't take me seriously. If I do this over and over again very soon I'm going to build up a reputation as someone not worth listening to because I don't explain the "why's" behind my beliefs.

Expand this out to the entire visual kei scene.

One of our largest problems isn't that we don't have a lot to say about our favorite artists. We do. We just never get around to ever saying it. This extends out beyond Monochrome Heaven. I find I can't take people's opinions or reviews seriously because they'll just say something is great or something is shit and leave it at that. Most of the time I'm convinced that subsequent people just parrot the first person to say something different, and it continues in that direction from there. There is hardly ever details and when there is it is at the most basic level possible. As fans, we should continue to promote our favorite bands and our favorite releases, but then couple that with reasons. Why do I like this album? Why don't I like this band?

And let's keep it strictly about the music, because believe it or not saying "the vocals are good and the guitars are awesome!" tells a potential interested reader nothing. What exactly does awesome sound like? Right...

Now if you are not confident in your writing and explanation abilities, don't let it stop you. Read up on professional reviews on other websites. Take tips from them. Continue to work on it. You can't become better at reviewing if you never try. But if we all begin to discuss the actual music behind visual kei when we make our claims, I believe that people in other scenes will stop dismissing us outright as wankers who only listen for the pretty boys.

[Saaam-chan 50]

My unpopular opinion:

 

MEJIBRAY is my favorite active band, but I don't like most of their fans. . I'm happy for the band, because they became so successful, but at the same time I miss the times when no one knew them and there weren't so many horny girls, who need a dick asap, after them. I know every band has such fans, but in this case, there are way too many of them...

LOLOLOL

THIS

Totally made my day

[Number Girl 48]

Visual kei gets a bad reputation because visual kei fans can't talk music

Elaboration is the cornerstone of great conversation and great writing. Talking about music and bands is an exercise in persuasive writing. You're giving your audience - anyone that took the time to read what you have to write - very good reasons to consider why your position is correct. Now let's say I just left this topic with that one sentence in bold. I may have a good point. If I explain, I very well may change your view. But since I don't, you won't take me seriously. If I do this over and over again very soon I'm going to build up a reputation as someone not worth listening to because I don't explain the "why's" behind my beliefs.

Expand this out to the entire visual kei scene.

One of our largest problems isn't that we don't have a lot to say about our favorite artists. We do. We just never get around to ever saying it. This extends out beyond Monochrome Heaven. I find I can't take people's opinions or reviews seriously because they'll just say something is great or something is shit and leave it at that. Most of the time I'm convinced that subsequent people just parrot the first person to say something different, and it continues in that direction from there. There is hardly ever details and when there is it is at the most basic level possible. As fans, we should continue to promote our favorite bands and our favorite releases, but then couple that with reasons. Why do I like this album? Why don't I like this band?

And let's keep it strictly about the music, because believe it or not saying "the vocals are good and the guitars are awesome!" tells a potential interested reader nothing. What exactly does awesome sound like? Right...

Now if you are not confident in your writing and explanation abilities, don't let it stop you. Read up on professional reviews on other websites. Take tips from them. Continue to work on it. You can't become better at reviewing if you never try. But if we all begin to discuss the actual music behind visual kei when we make our claims, I believe that people in other scenes will stop dismissing us outright as wankers who only listen for the pretty boys.

 

Yeah, I completely agree . . . and this has been something I've been working to practice on in my own blog and reviews (well except for this one), though there are times I find it hard to describe the music in absolutely technical terms and I still have a lot of work to do . .  . . . reading other people's reviews in magazines or on official websites helps immensely. It's also a really good exercise for writing in general. It helps you get in touch with your emotions, expand your vocabulary, etc. 

 

I get annoyed when a person's review is just "the guitars are shitty" or "the vocals were interesting" - well, they didn't sound shitty to me, haha. What do you mean by that? Haha.

[nullmoon 784]

I think too many people are treating VK like it's too 'mainstream', to the point where successful groups are apparently making it worse for the industry. Like "ew The GazettE are popular now so I can't possibly like them. Oh noes, Dir En Grey is reaching out to a wider fan base and they can now play in my country".

Stop ruining it for everyone else; VK is about supporting the bands you actually like and enjoying the music. People tend to want their favourite band to stay indie forever so then that way they can sort of own them; they don't want other people to know about them because that probably gives them less to talk about to their hipster friends or whatever. I don't get it; why wouldn't you want your favourite band to succeed ?