Duwang 676 Posted February 5, 2016 Like anakuro I'm not surprised. There have been disbandment rumors for a while now, but I didn't expect they'd announce it so suddenly and not at a live. Looks like I will be going to 3/28 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
emmny 4139 Posted February 5, 2016 its funny how western fans are gobsmacked but the people in japan were expecting it i wasn't expecting it, but after anakuro's post on them downsizing venues for one mans and decreasing popularity it was prolly a good idea Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chemicalpictures 1888 Posted February 5, 2016 THE FLYING FUCK IS GOIN ON? they're like one of the most stand-out act around... I thought their popularity skyrocketed with "BANG ME" and "WEAKNESS_MY BLOOD", that they were actually doing good... It's like really, why do we still bother? Even when bands are blowing everyones minds they end up all of a sudden disbanding... really hope the remaining members stick around in the scene. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Karma’s Hat 3107 Posted February 5, 2016 How did they suddenly lose popularity? At least the western hype was on the up and up but obviously that wasn't the case in Japan... 1 pawzord reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
-NOVA- 3027 Posted February 5, 2016 <\3 my poor little heart .... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zeus 7997 Posted February 5, 2016 How did they suddenly lose popularity? At least the western hype was on the up and up but obviously that wasn't the case in Japan... This. Can someone pull sales figures for their last few releases? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
colorful人生 2777 Posted February 5, 2016 I'm quite shocked to be honest. I wasn't their biggest fan, but their most recent MV and track record pointed the band seemingly toward greater things. With how saturated VK is, even some of the "best" sounding bands can fall short with audiences : /. (xTRiPx *gentle sob*) To Zeus' point, I too would also like to see sales figures, although I don't know what sites keep up with that. (also as I type this 2 of their venue limited ABSOLUTE WORLD CDs are up on ClosetChild; seems like they got wind of the news) 2 suji and chemicalpictures reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
blackdoll 907 Posted February 5, 2016 loss of another good vocalist 2 Mihenno and Tetora reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
anakuro 847 Posted February 5, 2016 CD sales =/= ticket sales. Fans in japan buy more than one copy of the same CD. What's more important is people actually attending concerts. And one reminder that they were on the downward swing was at a little hearts live where the band with the most fans there that day for them would be able to play again the next day with the ~big name lineup~. everyone thought shounenki would win (at least everyone but xaax fans) and they were even set to play last (a sign that management thought so too--so they could just stay on stage during the announcement). It was XAA-XAA that won. A band that wasn't even a year old had managed to get more fans at a concert than shounenki. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Duwang 676 Posted February 5, 2016 And one reminder that they were on the downward swing was at a little hearts live where the band with the most fans there that day for them would be able to play again the next day with the ~big name lineup~. everyone thought shounenki would win (at least everyone but xaax fans) and they were even set to play last (a sign that management thought so too--so they could just stay on stage during the announcement). It was XAA-XAA that won. A band that wasn't even a year old had managed to get more fans at a concert than shounenki. No wonder why Shounenki gya hate XAA-XAA so much. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
anakuro 847 Posted February 5, 2016 Lol yeah they were bashing XAA-XAA hardcore after that.. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Licio123 181 Posted February 5, 2016 Damn, and I was planning to start hearing to their music. I loved the few ones I listened =( Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chemicalpictures 1888 Posted February 5, 2016 On their popularity topic, I tought VK PVs on M-ON! meant the band was actually doing good, maybe on the path to become major... What's the deal? That means nothing? My line of thinking is incorrect? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
anakuro 847 Posted February 5, 2016 Maybe this is just me but I have no idea what M-ON! is? What is it? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
colorful人生 2777 Posted February 5, 2016 Maybe this is just me but I have no idea what M-ON! is? What is it? It's just a television network where they show Music Charts, MV's, live stuff, etc. 1 anakuro reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Duwang 676 Posted February 6, 2016 I also had no idea what M-ON! was but I took a look at their website and I saw quite a few unpopular VK bands, some long disbanded, listed on their artist list. Just going off of that I don't think having your PV shown on their channel is a big deal, but I'm no Japanese tv expert so I can't say for sure. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
anieresus 270 Posted February 6, 2016 I just liked their weakness my blood release. Oh well this is VK afterall... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
YuyoDrift 1540 Posted February 6, 2016 Sounds like they got hit hard with a reality check. Even the bassist is retiring lol. Sirius doe, that sucks for them. They did provide a fresher sound. You guys should all totally buy the album when it releases so they stay afloat. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
emmny 4139 Posted February 6, 2016 xaa xaa indies queens running everyone out of business YAS 2 anieresus and pawzord reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
anadentone 478 Posted February 6, 2016 Bang me sounds like what xaa-xaa did to shounenki O.o What's sad is, based upon the songs I've heard, I prefer Shounenki over xaa-xaa :S Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tetora 625 Posted February 6, 2016 Strong rumour mill churning. Sales peaked at Rank 82 in the charts, lasting one week on the charts; their last three single being their most popular. Not high enough to be a moderately successful Indie band by chart measure alone, but not a disaster for bands in that stage of their lifecycle. There are many bands who have lasted longer with similar or even lower sales, and have been on a bigger label. They also had no major work to act as their defining moment in early career, you have to sort through shorter releases and receive a mixed bag sound wise. Though the label has been pushing them producion and promotion wise to gain an audience, and their last PV is not location heavy but has better production than bands in the top ten of Oricon, so I would say there was a lot of expectation for them similar to the expectation that me and other fans had for a band that was so skilled in blending pop hooks into rock music. They definitely could have gained traction, and been more successful, in my opinion. First, they had an unpopular release approach, no album and single after single, meaning lower output of songs compared to other bands, also meaning live shows had a redundancy to them since you were always seeing a very similar performance. Second, hard to pin down Shounenki sound signature, since their releases changed quite a bit, most new acts develop a distinct callingcard first then branch out, developing their demographic then pushing the boundary. Harder to pin down Shounenki sound and attract the market for it, even if there is one. Then you have the style of vocals and style of band possibly clashing. Differing songs including drastic changes in some B-sides, there is a possibility that not all members always agreed or wanted to focus on making that kind of music. And again, may be hard for some fans to follow,or choose Shounenki as 'their band' when you never know what you're going to get. Most creators with a business plan develop a base first. After that, they are all young and you never know what is going to happen, we don't know the labels plans, what kind of pressure they were under, if the label can afford all their bands at the moment, if the members can afford it, if there was a strong leader in the band, or if they had differing personalities or some major issue arise, if all members can handle the not-so-easy task of writing songs in great number to meet a schedule, etc... Anyway, just my speculation, don't know why I wrote this. Great band, hope to hear of a new group forming soon, they could have went places, if the vocalist especially forms a new group, he especially can go places, etc... 10 anadentone, CaRaN, pawzord and 7 others reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hiroki 5521 Posted February 6, 2016 Second, hard to pin down Shounenki sound signature, since their releases changed quite a bit, most new acts develop a distinct callingcard first then branch out, developing their demographic then pushing the boundary. Harder to pin down Shounenki sound and attract the market for it, even if there is one. i agree with everything you said, but this especially. i mean, a lot of the songs they wrote are catchy as hell but they are also... kinda different from one another? there's also the very distinct shift from their very early releases (Akasha etc.) to their later ones. the most depressing thing is that the members' talents are indisputable and their overall quality never dropped; what they lacked was a signature sound that fans can instantly associate with the band when they hear it. i'm also concerned about the label. after Gimmick. and Shonenki disband within a relatively short period of time of each other, only Purple Stone will be left. CRIMZON is a sublabel of GIZA studio, which never dealt with vk until very recently (perhaps CRIMZON was supposed to just be a litmus test?). so, yes, i'm worried to say the least. 2 eiheartx and Tetora reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
eiheartx 1310 Posted February 6, 2016 This is true, each releases were like a Vault-Tec lunchbox, you couldn't guess what to expect at all. It could be a quality but also a flaw. 2 Tetora and anakuro reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tokage 5930 Posted February 6, 2016 Now they can finally go back to being the farmers they always wanted to be... I actually really liked that particular track, but yeah, as several people have already expressed here, they were sort of all over the place, and they REALLY should have released that full-length album earlier, instead of releasing a gazillion singles.. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lollipopmonstar 346 Posted February 6, 2016 I was trying to pretend this topic doesn't exist...I feel very sad, I follow Shounenki since the first mini-album! "ARTLESSNESS BOY" is a masterpiece! And then they never stopped growing... And now, this! I have no more words to say about it, just wish they could form a new band soon! PS: I HATE BEST ALBUMS 4 Tetora, hiroki, eiheartx and 1 other reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
