5 Visual Kei Bands To Watch: Summer 2017

[emmny 4139]

 

DISCLAIMER: this may or may not have restored @Zeus' will to live/enjoy vk. this is indeed a DANGEROUS post.

 

Have your favs disbanded and you're looking for some new bands to follow? emmny's got ya covered with some of the hottest up and coming bands in the indies circuit. This isn't just any old "stan my favs" list, but rather a list more in tune with what is/will possibly become popular in Tokyo, Osaka and surrounding areas for visual kei. This is seen with higher than average online engagement through views, comments and individual member followings + impressive label signings or big venue bookings. It looks to be like these guys are in the process of making it big, but only time can tell--we know shit changes pretty quickly and its quite silly to judge bands in their infancy, but hey its fun to play fortune teller.

 

All the bands featured here are not more than a year or two old, so they're quite fresh off the press--even if individual members might not be. It's cool that most of these guys are on the same circuit more or less, playing a fair bit of events together. What's also interesting is how none of these bands appeal much to western audiences, the core sound is either some deviant of oshare which isn't trendy here at all or menhera (in the case of gosan...literally both) which is an untranslatable culture-specific thing. At this point, it's pretty much understood that menhera has a fair bit of dollar bills attached to it, especially considering R-Shitei's success from shock value and now The Raid's popularity in vk circles. This isn't an article discussing the meaning of menhera, just know that is quite trendy on online communities (it originated from 2ch), and considering vk's long time love story with sadness, sorrow, lalala, directly addressing manifestations of mental ilness aren't too far off from the genre's roots.

 

Note that this is probably in conflict with what we might perceive as being popular or cool in Japan for whatever reason, and thats probably because there has always been a kind of disparity with the taste of Western audiences and whats actually "liked" within the scene. Just because a band has 100k views on 1 video and a few tumblr fan pages doesn't really mean much of anything *cough* VEXENT *cough*. Also note that I have no actual idea on what is "popular" in Japan--my ass is firmly planted in Canada, so take this as more of an educated guess and me playing gaijin bangya more than anything of actual fact.

 

Now without further delay, let's get to this shit!

1.)キズ

Kizu

 

Receipts:

- Their one song "Oshimai" has 100+k views between the MV and audio-only vid

- They debuted at a massive taiban i don't think you need any receipts these guys have HUGE connections

- First oneman at ikebukuro edge, pretty sure it'll sell out

 

Claim to fame:

- Okay they cheated, vocalist is ex-LEZARD and guitarist is ex-LOUD GRAPE

 

Band Description:

These once mysterious hunties started anonymous promotions in February with just a poster saying they'd debut at a Unite/Pentagon/D-out/Dog in PWO event and a telephone number to call in on, saying they'd listen to your sorrows, emo lalalalala. Of course, both the west and nihon started blowing up with "Zomg its KARMA LADIES!!!"...much to my discontent--how dare they slander my husband. Let the facts state that AvelCain were actually good and didn't need to stoop to cliches like this, but of course no fandom can recognize TRUE DEPRESSION ART.  Anyways, girls called and realized Karma wasn't stupid enough to further pander into the mentally unstable subgenre of bangya after doing it for like 4 years straight because it clearly didn't sound like him. The reveal comes a month after...it's mostly oshare guys trying their hand at...pandering to depressed chicks. Fast forward to May and we have their only recorded song to date, "Oshimai". They sound more or less like "Shinitai" era Xaa-xaa + Arlequin with a vocalist who resembles an oshare rooster or Aki from Laputa. I'm not crazy for the track, but these guys are offering something new musically over an incredibly tired concept. B-sides aren't up on Youtube anymore (go off Free Will lawyers), but my hunties enjoyed it and I'll update once I've listened.

 

Recommended to:

- Closeted oshare fans

 

Spoiler

 

 

2.) 0.1gの誤算

0.1g no gosan

Receipts:

- Oneman tour with O-west tour final + single release coming up

- More or less packed takadanobaba area for a oneman

- Yandere boy has an abnormally high amount of engagement in comments; they get people talking

- More or less co-headlining Xaa-xaa's 2 sponsored event lives

- Featured on beauty;tricker, stylish wave, AINS event tours

- Two-man live with Pentagon

 

Claim to fame:

- ADHD tunes

- All the members are actually pretty handsome

- Wild furitsuke, live atmosphere

- Massive social media engagement, very tech savvy for a visual band

 

Band Description:

I found 0.1g no gosan on youtube after seeing this hideously cute and colourful band thumbnail and so I wanted to see what was going on. It was the opening of "Yuugai menhera doll", and anyone who's listened to this song knows how funny the song is. It starts with this hilariously campy opening typical of a children's show showing you just HOW cute and innocent they can get. Shit gets quite heavy after with scratchy, borderline chiptune synths and typical metal riffing, morphing between different instrumental sections each suited to their own choreography. The rest of Gosan's songs follow with this oshare/abare dichotomy, and they remind me alot of Aicle for 2017's menhera kids. Melodies are razor sharp, songs move a lot and have surprisingly busy instrumentals. Their songs are beyond addictive and will be embedded in your head for weeks after the first listen. The music is absolutely remarkable, but their marketing is equally brilliant. Take for example a special oneman where 1 yen would be taken off the typical ticket price of 3500yen for every retweet the band got on a designated post. Simultaneously spreading their posts while making live events more enticing for fans goes above the typical 'free oneman' promotion. The band's embarking on their first oneman tour ending at O-west and I'm sure big things are coming with the tour final, keep your eyes peeled because I don't doubt these guys will stir up a frenzy previously unseen among younger fans since Pentagon's debut.

 

Recommended to:

-Anyone who finds Pentagon too weak

-Anyone who has taste

 

Spoiler

 

3.) シェルミィ

Shellmy

Receipts:

- YT comments flooded with "this sounds like rshitei/pentagon/plastic tree" etc

- Newest MV spot on Danger Crue records of all places--whether this is just a distribution deal or a full on signing is unclear but this is a BIG fucking deal They got dropped ?!!??!

- Slowly taking activities toward Tokyo, tour final in July

- Album dropping soon

 

Claim to fame:

- Pushed menhera to new levels, more or less made it their entire concept

- Vo. + composer Hyo is actually menhera, probably gets similar emo chicks for that reason

- Songs that are more addictive than crack and actually incredibly well composed, far superior to R-Sh*tei

 

Band Description:

I was initially writing this when everything was lookin' good for our boys, not that things have gone to shit all of a sudden but it makes you just wonder sometimes what happens behind the scenes *sips tea*. So, Shellmy's MV spot for "Kanashii hi wa itsumo ame" was posted on Danger Crue's Youtube channel and promptly blew up, getting like 10K+ views within a few days. Around that time, the channel updated their intro video with Shellmy's clip spliced in with the rest of their permanent bands. All signs were pointing to a signing by Danger Crue, and even the jp netizens had their wigs snatched at this bangin' opportunity for these lil guys from Osaka. When the full MV dropped, it was on the band's official OHP instead of their rumoured label, and the shady queens from DC actually posted a new intro video with Shellmy promptly edited out. Hopefully the visual sleuths of the site can try to enlighten me as to what might of happened, but hey we might never know. Queens of depression are unphased, and are proceeding on full blast with their promotions for their upcoming album.  In case you didn't know, Shellmy aren't really that new of a band, having been around under a similar name since '10.  I'm counting them as a new band as Hyo started from scratch when the band reformed from a hiatus with 3 new members and stopped playing their old songs. They're a delightful nod to the simple rock of the early 2000's with a funky modern twist, and while the lyrical concepts can be suffocatingly dark, the band always trolls with upbeat and catchy instrumentals. They're different from Gosan as they're far less metal and more outwardly japonesque with the melodies and guitar leads as well as a more pronounced alternative rock influence, which got them the Pura comparisons on "Kanashii hi....". The band comes across as incredibly charismatic, even with a such a self-deprecating concept.  I can't speak too much on the R-S**** comparisons, but from what I've heard from them....no. Just no. Comparisons aside, enjoy your wwwwrrrristooocattooo with some lovely visual kei, let's hope there's still a niche for menhera in the mainstream because Shellmy got what it takes.

 

Recommended to:

- People with ears

- Anyone whos Japanese understanding is limited enough to not actually know what the songs are about and assume they're some washed up rock band

Spoiler

 

 

4.) ジャックケイパー

Jack Caper

Receipts:

- 3 man with REIGN and Smileberry

- Smattering of events with likes of Sick2, Initial'L, Scapegoat

- Signed onto Riostar == Free will ties

- New single coming in July!

 

Claim to fame:

- CUTENESS!!!!!

- One of the last pillars of oshare, and no, Sonic Death Monkey is no competition whatsoever

 

Band Description:

Okay, I can't speak too much to Jack caper as I more or less hate everything Resistar/Riostar related BUT I will say these guys are really cool. I'm not an oshare expert so I can't speak on their abilities as revivalists of the classic sound but I feel like this would be it.  They look permanently sugar high, are covered in all kinds of neon colours, have synths turned up to 1000, got an incredibly annoying vocalist and are actually fucking weird. Sound wise, they're the Codomo Dragon of Riostar, but with a lot of bizarre composition quirks thrown into the mix. Their songs are kind of formulaic, but fun in that each song has its own wacky appeal. "Dokudoku mushi" is a perfect example of this, as it has the typical pretty chorus, grinding guitars, some funky bass here and there and sharp synths. Where it becomes amazing is this persistent shout-along bridge that is turned into an interlude verse of its own before going into another round of the chorus...and that's where shit hits the fan. The song repeats that whole section again, chants and chorus but at double speed. It is absolutely wacky and something I have never heard before, and their ghost writers really deserve the acclaim that they're getting from me because they did THAT. Not that there's proof, but I refuse to believe a bunch of newcomers wrote a song this damn good without (more than) a lil' bit of assistance. I should stop writing this review because I'm turning into a fan as we speak and that would totally ruin my zetsubou image. I will leave you with this closing thought: if there's one band who is pushing Resistar's washed up shtick into the future, it's Jack caper. Once the old guys at the top retire or their fans realize they're chasing ojisans in kira kira makeup and decide to have children/get a life, it'll be Jack caper that will be Free Will's oshare queens (assuming the newly reformed LEZARD don't come for their wigs).

 

Recommended to:

- Anyone who has lost faith in oshare

- People who like surprises!

Spoiler

 

 

 

5.) -真天地開闢集団-ジグザグ

"True Heaven and Earth Beginnings Group" Zigzag

Receipts:

-2 live distributed singles for next oneman at Osaka MUSE (!!)

- Taiban with Unite (im not kidding)

- Cult (literally) following in Osaka

- Get a fair bit of twitter buzz for single previews

 

Claim to fame:

- Absolute mystery

- Unique tanuki kei concept

 

Band Description:

The biggest trolls in visual kei this side of old Devil Kitty and their ridiculous concept make for the most iconic band to come out of the scene in the past ~3 years that western fans probably haven't heard of. It's not your fault, as Zigzag go out of their way to be mysterious, even for Japanese fans. There's no member twitters, interviews, live footage, blogs, MVs or...anything outside of an official band twitter, ohp, and cryptic snippets of song previews that often have nothing to do with the song itself but rather the concept being explored for that release. They turn vk's innards outward, talking about mitsu, tsunagari, kusomen and anything that lives in the shadows of the internet's tanuki threads. Don't think that these are anonymous pundits of the scene though, as the three members of Zigzag are all from the now deceased oshare bands Ray C and Otoiroha. So, now that we've laid down their history...how does any of this have anything to do with their current look and sound? Their metal sound has a definite Kiryu tinge. While the music is secondary to the concept, Zigzag are sharp writers and definitely have an intense sound which is unique among their contemporaries. It's a cocktail of modern metal vk tropes, but without being rendered stale or old. Their sound goes with their Buddhist image and themes, and don't seem that out of place when you put two and two together. In case you don't have hunties who've seen these guys live, the highlight of their show is a song in which the vocalist, Mikoto goes out into the audience, chooses a fan, restrains them and performs an "exorcism". He is cleansing the fan of their sins of being a visual fan, at least as I'd like to understand the symbolism in tandem with their overarching concept...which is fucking brilliant. Their meta humour is backed with a solid live following, as the band is known to sell out merch, live distributed releases and even smaller live houses in their native Osaka on a whim. Whether they'll sell out MUSE will be indicative of future success, as it is the biggest oneman they've played to date and they're pulling out all the stops: discounted tickets, live distributes, lalala. They've been very careful since starting activities, and I'm under the impression Zigzag see visual kei more so as a game of Monopoly rather than a part time job. There hasn't been hype for a ~mysterious~ band like this since the early days of Avelcain, and as one of the most unique bands around, it'll be interesting to see where they go from here.

 

Recommended to:

- anything

 

Spoiler

 

 

What do you think of this list? Are you an actual bangya/bangyao and think this is hysterical bullshit? Do you believe that Jack caper is actually the messiah? Will Shellmy come back to snatch wigs? What bands are you excited for this summer? Sound off below, I'd love to know your thoughts on not just these bands but rather the topic of what is valid "hype" and what is just...hot air.

 

xx

PS: Banner(s) courtesy of @helcchi <3

Edited June 28, 2017 by emmny

[Kiryu999 3336]

Love this list! I will personally pick Jack Caper and Kizu (And 0.1gの誤算, they're fun) . As you said it's funny that Jack Caper and Gosan are pretty "big" in Japan but nobody care about them here. Shellmy are great too I'm looking forward for their new album!

But where's DIMLIM tho ??! 

 

[Tokage 5930]

bad list because it has no epic breakdowns or deathcore vocals!!!!!

 

in all seriousness: I actually hope Zigzag will last the longest out of all of these, their concept appeals to me the most. I'm still sort of on the fence about Shellmy, sometimes I really do like what I hear by them, at other points it really does remind me too much of R-Shitei and I'd rather not think about them too much unless I'm forced to at gunpoint

Edited June 28, 2017 by Tokage

[Komorebi 2193]

I just saw zigzag live at Kyoto Muse and they have a MASSIVE following, people in the Kansai area go nuts for them and they do put on an incredibly good show. I am certain they will give much to talk about in the following years. 

 

Saw Kizu twice as well and they definitely have a huge following already. 

Gosan's vocalist seems to be a huge douche as I've heard people here dislike him, idk where that

can get them.

[LIDL 692]

Jack Caper and zigzag caught my interest so much. Normally don't mess with new age oshare but I love Jack Caper's song on the MV

Gonna put these two under my radar now, thanks for introducing them!

[filth_y 189]

As a person who happened to see 0.1gの誤算 live at an event...

Recommended to people who dont care how shitty the band sounds live and the band members act like DQN/チンピラ/small-time yakuza (or is that what the Yandere description meant?) and possibly be physically attacked. Nothing cute and definitly nothing innocent about them.

[RedxDesire 6]

Recommended to:

- People with ears

 

I think this is for me ;D!

Good List!

[qotka 433]

OK 0.1g no gosan definitely caught my attention. Bonus: their bangya look hardcore and I'm loving it. Will follow.

[Jigsaw9 6783]

Thank you for this insightful and cool read. As a certified Jaded Old J-Fart™, I might peruse this guide in the near future to check out some of these bands.

[platy 3018]

Gosan got my attention last year because they seem to be the only band trying to add something refreshing to oshare. ( Also, I lol'd at "all the members are handsome")

 

Their sound is fun enough to keep me interested, but after seeing them live I want nothing to do with them apart from downloading their music. Weird af bangya and the vocalist is a huge douchebag (and ugly af). My veredict: follow from a distance

 

I'll be checking out the other bands recommended! 

(a cult concept band? count me in!)

Edited July 10, 2017 by Platy

[rebelstrik 111]

where is baboo?

[Komorebi 2193]

On 10/7/2017 at 9:37 AM, Platy said:

after seeing them live I want nothing to do with them apart from downloading their music. Weird af bangya and the vocalist is a huge douchebag

This is exactly what I was told and recomended.

[jaymee 405]

As an "old" VK fan that normally doesn't like oshare-kei (and survived that horrible phase of VK), Jack Caper sounds pretty good from that vid. I actually disagree that the vocalist is annoying compared to most oshare kei vocalists. I would sit through their show at a taiban.

 

I think Zig Zag's concept is pretty cool and they sound fine, but musically are not my cup of tea.

 

The rest... uhhhh no comment. 

 

But I appreciate you compiling this to keep us in the loop of what's going on in indies VK.

Edited July 22, 2017 by jaymee

[qotka 433]

On 2017/6/28 at 8:54 PM, emmny said:

Kizu

Holy hell, I just saw them live and the hype is nonsensically high. It was funny because they came on right after Xaa Xaa and the resemblance (in aesthetics mostly) was almost confusing. People went craycray for them, a large portion of the crowd even called it a night after their performance and didn't bother staying for the last band on the bill (I thought Razor would be a lot more popular than that, considering the lineup?).

[emmny 4139]

On 2017-06-28 at 8:59 AM, Kiryu999 said:

But where's DIMLIM tho ??!

the purpose of the list was to highlight more lowkey bands, dimlim have been hyped to death on here and would have fit in better on a spring list (if there was one)

 

On 2017-07-10 at 9:37 AM, Platy said:

Gosan got my attention last year because they seem to be the only band trying to add something refreshing to oshare. ( Also, I lol'd at "all the members are handsome")

Their sound is fun enough to keep me interested, but after seeing them live I want nothing to do with them apart from downloading their music. Weird af bangya and the vocalist is a huge douchebag (and ugly af). My veredict: follow from a distance

 

On 2017-06-28 at 2:39 PM, filth_y said:

As a person who happened to see 0.1gの誤算 live at an event...

Recommended to people who dont care how shitty the band sounds live and the band members act like DQN/チンピラ/small-time yakuza (or is that what the Yandere description meant?) and possibly be physically attacked. Nothing cute and definitly nothing innocent about them.

I've read filth_y's story claiming the vocalist attacked someone at a taiban who wasn't participating for them, but why else is he considered an asshole? he already has a fair bunch of detractors on the yt comments for their latest Mv, calling him bisu lolololol. what do y'all think?

btw they already sold out o-west, a good month and some in advance.

 

 

On 2017-07-11 at 5:26 PM, rebelstrik said:

where is baboo?

NOT TODAY SATAN

 

3 hours ago, qotka said:

Holy hell, I just saw [kizu] live and the hype is nonsensically high. It was funny because they came on right after Xaa Xaa and the resemblance (in aesthetics mostly) was almost confusing. People went craycray for them, a large portion of the crowd even called it a night after their performance and didn't bother staying for the last band on the bill (I thought Razor would be a lot more popular than that, considering the lineup?).

thats actually wild, how'd they sound?!

[platy 3018]

3 hours ago, emmny said:

I've read filth_y's story claiming the vocalist attacked someone at a taiban who wasn't participating for them, but why else is he considered an asshole? he already has a fair bunch of detractors on the yt comments for their latest Mv, calling him bisu lolololol. what do y'all think?

btw they already sold out o-west, a good month and some in advance.

 

 

 

Excuse my poor bangya lingo, but what is bisu?

From what I saw, he seems to be absolutely full of himself. Imagine someone completely obnoxious who can't get enough of his own voice & presence. I know this is VK and most dudes get off by thinking of themselves, BUT this dude just has a rotten, entitled attitude to top it all off.  I guess you have to see it to really feel it.

[Komorebi 2193]

8 hours ago, emmny said:

I've read filth_y's story claiming the vocalist attacked someone at a taiban who wasn't participating for them, but why else is he considered an asshole

I was told while in Japan to avoid seeing them live or the dude would step down from the stage and physically force me to participate. Doesn't really seem to be a good way to attract new fans.

 

8 hours ago, emmny said:

thats actually wild, how'd they sound?!

They sound pretty nice, but not really my cup of tea. They put on a good show. 

[emmny 4139]

5 hours ago, Platy said:

 

Excuse my poor bangya lingo, but what is bisu?

From what I saw, he seems to be absolutely full of himself. Imagine someone completely obnoxious who can't get enough of his own voice & presence. I know this is VK and most dudes get off by thinking of themselves, BUT this dude just has a rotten, entitled attitude to top it all off.  I guess you have to see it to really feel it.

sorry i misspoke, i meant bessu. I don't think it's bangya slang, its general (net maybe?) slang for ugly/fugly (from what i understand)

interesting though, seeing a bunch of live videos i think all those indie guys are full of themselves, partially for the image and partially for their own purpose, but seeing something irl is totally different.

12 minutes ago, Komorebi said:

I was told while in Japan to avoid seeing them live or the dude would step down from the stage and physically force me to participate. Doesn't really seem to be a good way to attract new fans.

didn't dezert get a lot of flack for this in their earlier days? now they're massive haha some people are into aggression i guess.

[Komorebi 2193]

5 minutes ago, emmny said:

didn't dezert get a lot of flack for this in their earlier days? now they're massive haha some people are into aggression i guess.

I honestly have NO idea, I kinda follow Dezert's music, not them per se, and only since last year.

[violetchain 912]

None of these bands are really the type I would usually go for, but Oshimai was catchy so I've been keeping an eye on Kizu.

 

I'm not into the wrist-cutting emo kid aesthetic, but Lime is exactly the kind of frontman I can't get enough of (short, with a sort of bratty onstage persona - ex. Daishi from PLC and Noah from Avanchick), and I love his voice, so I'm hoping they do well. I think they mentioned that they're going to drop the white facepaint after their one-man (or maybe I read that wrong?), so I'm curious to see if their concept will change a bit in the future.

[qotka 433]

11 hours ago, emmny said:

thats actually wild, how'd they sound?!

Overall impression - they were a lot more impressive than I expected. Probably has to do with the extra self confidence/ego boost they got from touring in the past couple months. I think they're trying to go for that glam sound - if I had to guess what LiME's vocal inspiration was this time, I'd go for 80's metal? He doesn't sound 100% polished, but that's fine - I'm guessing he's trying to find a style that goes better with this band's image. So there was some screaming he did where it felt 'OK I totally see what you're trying to do here, I wanna hear it again in a year because it's gonna be fucking awesome!'

I wish I could remember more, but nothing really stood out to me other than the vocals. Maybe it would've been different if I could actually listen to any of their tracks other than Oshimai before seeing them live, but life's tough so I'll just keep keeping an eye on them.

 

[platy 3018]

10 hours ago, emmny said:

sorry i misspoke, i meant bessu. I don't think it's bangya slang, its general (net maybe?) slang for ugly/fugly (from what i understand)

interesting though, seeing a bunch of live videos i think all those indie guys are full of themselves, partially for the image and partially for their own purpose, but seeing something irl is totally different.

didn't dezert get a lot of flack for this in their earlier days? now they're massive haha some people are into aggression i guess.

 

He's absolutely fugly. Whoever is editing their pictures and doing his make on every PV is a GOD.  

If you get the chance you should go see them live, you might come back with an interesting  gosan experience to tell us 

[emmny 4139]

12 hours ago, qotka said:

Overall impression - they were a lot more impressive than I expected. Probably has to do with the extra self confidence/ego boost they got from touring in the past couple months. I think they're trying to go for that glam sound - if I had to guess what LiME's vocal inspiration was this time, I'd go for 80's metal? He doesn't sound 100% polished, but that's fine - I'm guessing he's trying to find a style that goes better with this band's image. So there was some screaming he did where it felt 'OK I totally see what you're trying to do here, I wanna hear it again in a year because it's gonna be fucking awesome!'

I wish I could remember more, but nothing really stood out to me other than the vocals. Maybe it would've been different if I could actually listen to any of their tracks other than Oshimai before seeing them live, but life's tough so I'll just keep keeping an eye on them.

 

that makes a lot more sense actually, the rooster thing was either a nod to aki or some motherfucking hair metal/iron maiden-isms....just VERY bootleg. thanks for sharing your live experience!!

im so sad the b-sides got taken down so quick, oshimai alone isn't enough to gauge my interest

4 hours ago, Platy said:

 

He's absolutely fugly. Whoever is editing their pictures and doing his make on every PV is a GOD.  

If you get the chance you should go see them live, you might come back with an interesting  gosan experience to tell us 

LOL if they're still together by the time i get there, you'll be sure to read all about it here first !

[Duwang 676]

Posting in this thread just to say how much I hate Gosan's vocalist.

I saw them last July at a taiban at Ikebukuro Edge and despite that I was standing in the back with my back against the wall, he made his way towards me, grabbed me, and shoved me forward because I wasn't doing the furi for his shitty band. Plenty of people in front of and next to me weren't doing furi either but he fucking targeted me because I'm a foreigner and stick out from the rest of the crowd. He fucked off for a bit and came back, put his hands on me, and tried to force me to oritatami but I told him to go die and he finally understood that I want none of that shit.
Since then whenever my bands play with Gosan I chill in the hallway (and so do a bunch of Japanese bangya. Dude is infamous in the scene)

 

How they got so many fans in the past year is beyond me but a friend of mine who went to an instore a while back says their eigyou game is next level so that's probably why.

[frayed 404]

It's funny because I'd run into the members of Zigzag like a year ago passing out fliers and they seemed pretty cool, but I never thought much of them. Then I forgot all about them until I saw this thread and realized I was seeing them at a taiban live.

 

I gotta say, the hype is worth. I ended up having a lot of fun. It was engaging, funny, and I actually really dug the music. The singer honestly reminded me of Isshi from Kagrra, so I got all nostalgic at the end and ended up buying a CD. Pretty bummed I'm leaving Japan for awhile soon or I'd definitely give them another go.