A visual kei gig a day keeps a doctor away

zaa_zaa · August 12, 2026, 2:01pm

It was yet another busy day, and once I was done with my stuff, I headed to Shibuya. This time, it was to visit two taibans.

12.08 — DAMNED / Vega / Saiai no Kuzu / Jigsaw / Senketsu A ko-chan @ Shibuya REX

The very first impression — so. many. foreigners.

And it’s not surprising — we are talking about Senketsu A ko-chan, Jigsaw, and DAMNED participating today. If anything underground is gonna attract this many foreigners, it’s them. Me being no exception. And there’s also Gaku from Saiai no Kuzu, so I imagine he pulled plenty of foreign girls as well.

Honestly, this whole taiban was one huge honmei festival. All this thirst for our VK guys was in the air. I have never felt so much thirst at any VK gig I’ve attended in my life. And actually, this solidified my decision to leave earlier.

You see, I had a choice to watch my lovely Senketsu at the expense of another band at another festival. But all this thirst kinda disgusted me, so I wanted to leave as early as possible.

A couple of disclaimers:

Guys simping for idols is as bad as honmei thirst.
vkeitwt community on Twitter dug its own grave when it comes to reputation and simping for honmei.

Anyways, the first one was Saiai no Kuzu. Honestly, they are borderline bad to me. But this is precisely why I needed to come on time and experience it. I had to see our bad boy’s vibes (read about his arrests).

Well, I got precisely what I expected — tone-deaf and bland. There’s not even anything to hate on like with Tzkwym and Kakumay. It’s just so uninspiringly bad.

Then came Jigsaw. It’s my second time seeing them, and both times they didn’t play a single song I like. Oh well, it is what it is.

Time to head out to Ikebukuro.

12.08 — Ziggrat / The Candy Spooky Theater @ Ikebukuro Chop

For starters, there were 30 of us. Kinda sad, but not surprising.

One interesting thing to note — the staff members looked like they were close to their 60s. I periodically checked on them, and they seemed to genuinely enjoy what was happening on stage.

Anyways, Ziggrat came first. And I don’t even know what to say except:

They were very good.
It was precisely what you would expect from horror-kei.

I enjoyed their set quite a bit.

As for The Candy Spooky Theater, I gotta be honest — I never liked them, as they sound way too Manson-like to me. But they are quite iconic within their niche, so I had to check them out.

I did. I watched them perform two songs and figured I’d rather save some time and eat sushi earlier than expected.

Plus, there’s work to do in the evening. Japan won’t pay for itself.

x51715x · August 13, 2026, 10:57am

oops forgot to hit reply

zaa_zaa · August 13, 2026, 12:23pm

As usual, work in the morning, and then VK gigs.

First, I headed to Shibuya for:

13.08 — Kane to Juusei @ Shibuya La.mama

The very beginning was quite interesting because, since it was Yuriko’s birthday, he was the vocalist for the first two songs, while Chill took on guitar duties.

Secondly — yukata VK gigs are pretty normal. But the boys took it even further — they looked more like geishas in yukatas. And they were a treat to the eye, trust me on this. My heterosexuality was under attack again and again.

As for the music part — it’s precisely what you expect from Kane to Juusei. It’s weird in a good way. I can’t say I like their material in general, but I respect their hustle. So I lasted half the show and then hurried to another taiban.

13.08 — Akunomu / Singularity / Kuroneko / Tenebrae / Ryo & Yuhta / Torikabuto @ Shibuya REX

I missed part of it because of Kane to Juusei, but that was fine.

So the first ones for me were Singularity. I was at their gig a year ago, and I felt they were good back then. After today, I questioned my judgement from that year. The guys are mid at best.

And then came the reason why I went to this taiban — Akunomu. I am still a huge fan of Zetsumei, whose vocalist (Tsukishiro) moved on to this band. I listened to all the songs Akunomu put on YouTube, and they were pretty boring to me. But still, I considered them demos and was hopeful that the band was gonna be better live.

Well, they weren’t. Pretty average menhera with nothing to it. And I feel that the band is too heavy for Tsukishiro, because his voice gets buried under the instruments. Plus, he uses lower octaves here rather than high ones like in Zetsumei.

The last ones were Kuroneko, but I’ve already seen them, so I left.

Time to work again.

GreatNorthernVK · August 13, 2026, 12:50pm

zaa_zaa · August 14, 2026, 4:07pm

So after a day of work, I am off to Shibuya once again.

14.08 — NICOLAS @ Shibuya REX

I like Gossip quite a bit. There are some songs that I enjoy by Nicolas. To me, Gossip > Nicolas 100% of the time. Even despite the fact that Gossip copied early the GazettE. I guess I don’t care about it because I don’t care about early the GazettE — or the GazettE in general.

Yet, as has happened many times, seeing a spiritual successor to a band is the closest I will get to experiencing the original. Plus, I respect Nicolas, so here we are.

The quality of the show was quite high. Well, what can you expect from guys who have been together for the last 17 years? Interestingly enough, despite the venue being packed, I was the only foreigner? Nobody from Nicolas can be a honmei for vkeitwt and satisfy the thirst for VK guys? Refer to my taiban review from 12.08

Anyways, Nicolas played three or four songs by Gossip, so I am pleased. Due to work commitments, I stayed for only an hour, but boy, was it worth it.

If I had the chance, I would go see Nicolas again — even if they didn’t play any songs by Gossip. The quality and the overall experience were top-notch.

zaa_zaa · August 15, 2026, 1:32pm

Today started with one of the very few cultural experiences I planned for myself here. I like exploring tea, so I went for a hojicha tasting, and it was a treat. Especially since I was also fed hojicha cheesecake and hojicha ice cream, both of which were absolutely full of flavor.

Then I headed to Shibuya for three separate gigs.

15.08 — DazzlingBAD ~Jubaku Hyourei project~ @ Shibuya Star Lounge

I can’t say I like DazzlingBAD that much, but I am fascinated by -iT- and Ayaha. They are such a treat to my eyes. Furthermore, I consider this whole project to be mostly Ayaha’s creation, given his previous wafuu background. So this gig was more of a cultural enrichment for me. After all, I am a man of culture, especially given my taste in VK men.

Anyways, I lasted 45 minutes. They are weird and overwhelming in a good way. Highly recommend.

Considering my schedule for the day, I needed to eat somewhere relaxing before the next gig, which I did.

After food, it was time to head to another venue.

15.08 — Sugar @ Spotify O-WEST

I have seen Sugar twice already. A year ago, Neah couldn’t hit the notes. Half a year ago, he could hit half of them. This time, I can say that he learned to sing. I would assume Lime forced him to go to a vocal coach.

Other than that — they are as enjoyable as ever. O-WEST was quite packed, so good for them.

After 45 minutes, it was time to head to the last venue for today.

15.08 — ZORO @ Club Malcolm

I will be honest — I went there hoping to hear Kitsune live, and I didn’t get it. Which is fine, because there were plenty of other songs.

As for the gig itself — Ryuji is a powerhouse of energy. He pours himself completely into the performance, and it shows. I enjoyed the gig quite a bit despite the sound quality being pretty rough.

Off to the hotel I go.

GreatNorthernVK · August 15, 2026, 9:28pm

Three lives takes some dedication, good job!

zaa_zaa · August 16, 2026, 11:38am

After breakfast, it was time to hurry to an early gig in Saitama.

16.08 — HIDE-ZOU Solo Project / Redo / DAVID @ Saitama Kaikan Small Hall

It’s my first VK gig where you can sit on chairs, so that’s nice.

Anyways, HIDE-ZOU goes first, and I am immediately blown away — they play an As’REAL song. I never would have guessed. Everything after that was quite boring to me, but then the last song was also another favorite As’REAL song. I am very pleased.

I wanted to hear HIDE-ZOU sing, and that’s the main reason I went there — but hearing As’REAL songs is something out of this world for me.

Then it’s time for Redo. I really don’t care about them. Yet, I needed to see them because I love Tsunehito and Mikage. Plus, seeing Seth and Ruiza is also nice. Redo feels way too much like a legacy band to me in terms of their composition.

But hey, now I’ve seen all D members in action. ASAGI and HIROKI on the 9th, and the rest today. Feels good.

As for the gig itself — I actually slept for around 20 minutes in the middle of it. That literally shows how little I care about them. Once again, the band is good, the songs are good, but they’re just not for me.

And then DAVID. It’s the closest I will ever get to hearing Megaromania, so I can’t complain. But it was a snooze-fest to me, so I simply left after half of the set to take care of some stuff.

After that, it was time to go to Gotanda.

———

16.08 — DEXCORE @ BLAZE Gotanda

The very first thing that is instantly noticeable — it’s not a VK audience. You can simply see that. And I would say close to half of the audience were men. Plus, there were mosh pits, two-step, circle pits, and other aspects of metal concerts as opposed to VK ones.

As for the band itself, I rarely find anything they released after “Don’t Be Afraid” likable. Which, coincidentally, was when Naoki left.

The thing with DEXCORE post-2020 is that it’s way too Westernized. You can see that Kagami and Yumeto were inspired by plenty of Western metalcore and deathcore bands. Take, for example, “Imitation” or “New Era” and compare them to anything from the last album. While it’s still heavy and shares plenty of commonalities, it’s completely different.

Of course, I find some post-2020 songs that I like — for example, “SKINDEEP”. But overall, not so much. It’s too generic. I am not saying it’s bad.

Anyways, the guys played “New Era,” “Naked,” “Don’t Be Afraid”, and some other older stuff, so I am satisfied.

The performance was quite good. I didn’t expect Kagami to hit high notes like he did, because there are plenty of performance recordings where he simply sucks when singing clean parts. This time, he was quite competent.

Maki is our queen.

zaa_zaa · August 17, 2026, 3:11pm

Today started with the last cultural experience I planned for myself in Japan for this trip — going to the Sailor Moon musical.

It was precisely what you would expect from it — quite childish, but good. €100 is overkill for one hour of performance and then taking photos with the cast, but hey, it’s all for the memories.

After that, it was time to head to the venue.

17.08 — Dokubari @ Live House Shishio

So, Dokubari. To be honest, the main reason I came here was to take a picture with Okiku. Like, who wouldn’t? Assuming they have taste.

As for the set, I am not a huge fan of anything they released after their first album. They played some songs from it, so I am satisfied. Everything else - it’s just fine.

It’s my second time seeing them, and nothing has really changed in the last several months — the guys are good, the guys are fun.

The main thing is that I now have my photo with Okiku.

zaa_zaa · August 18, 2026, 1:04pm

18.08 — DRUGS / I to Rito no Mushozoku @ Ikebukuro EDGE

So, DRUGS gave one of the best VK performances I’ve attended. And Tsuzuki was one of the main reasons.

Before reading what’s below, read the report from 07.08, where I trashed his solo project, called it an abomination and many other words, and then explained why I feel this way. I still do. There, I also described the fact that he shines in the right context. And boy, did he shine today.

Let me elaborate. After this performance, I truly believe that the band was created to accommodate Tsuzuki. No other vocalist would fit the band but him — and it doesn’t matter how competent they are. Everything Tsuzuki is fits right in here.

And this is why it’s about context. Tsuzuki is a horrible driving force. Mejibray were a good example of when things click — I consider their song XV the best example of the way he and the instrumentals work together. 8P-SB is a piece of shit. Genki Takebuchi is a piece of shit. Tzkwym is a pile of shit. 30sec certain victory is a boring piece of shit despite their guitarist being a competent composer — it’s just that what he created didn’t fit Tsuzuki’s strengths. Even the recent single from Vanessa didn’t work with him.

Funnily enough, Tsuzuki seems to have composed Baku for DRUGS, which is the most generic song in their discography so far — yet, we can see that the other guys arranged it perfectly. In general, half of the credits go to Taizo as the composer, a quarter to Yoshiatsu, and the rest, except one, to DRUGS overall.

But DRUGS. Gosh. It’s literally perfect. Tsuzuki’s performance and qualities didn’t change in the last 11 days since I saw Tzkwym. He is still tone-deaf and misses notes. But it fits perfectly within the right context.

The whole band was amazing. Was this the most amazing guitar/bass/drums work I’ve ever heard? No. But it works together. And that’s the point. I really hope they continue together in a different project together.

Then I to Rito no Mushozoku came second.

I love Kuroyuri to Kage and Memento Mori. I consider what happened to Gulu Gulu such a waste, because it had a chance of being the commercial pinnacle of I’s career, especially given the backing of Free-Will. Yet, he seems happy in Mushozoku and has a cult-like following — there were only a few of us who didn’t participate in furitsuke — so we shall see.

Anyways, I loved every second of the performance. I would always miss them during all of my trips to Japan, and finally it happened. I would go to yet another performance in a heartbeat.

x51715x · August 18, 2026, 1:15pm

dam dude , dont hold back !!

zaa_zaa · August 19, 2026, 11:52am

19.08 — Oideyo! Yureiz / the Gallo / FUR / Machina / Kumori Nochi / 夏にNatsuに誘われた男達 @ HOLIDAY SHINJUKU

It’s my first time experiencing HOLIDAY SHINJUKU being this full. I would say it was sold out. Which is surprising, because I bought my ticket 24 hours in advance and I was number 89. Seems like many people bought tickets at the door.

Anyways, today I will be a man of few words, as I have seen most of the bands before. The reason I came here was to check out FUR, and it just so happens that the overall line-up is quite pleasant.

Oideyo! Yureiz — basically, you have to go see them if you have a chance. I don’t particularly like their material, but the guys put on a very nice performance.

the Gallo — as pleasant as ever. Glad I got to see them for the third time.

FUR — I will be honest. I came to see Ru-tu-tu live. I didn’t care about anything else they played. I mean, yeah, it’s nice that I got to hear Gloss by them, but who cares when there’s Ru-tu-tu. And I am so pleased.

I could have stayed for the remaining three bands, but the next ones were Machina. I got so tired of seeing them during my previous trips that I just don’t want to see them ever again. Plus, there’s Kumori Nochi, whom I don’t particularly care about, so I simply got up and left.

zaa_zaa · August 20, 2026, 1:22pm

20.08 — ORSEAS / Tomei Shojo / GA TO CHOU / Mamireta / VIVARUSH / BabyKingdom / THE MADNA / Chanty / GRAVITY / XAA-XAA / DIV @ Spotify O-EAST

So it’s an eight-hour taiban today.

First are ORSEAS. All I can say — as bland as it gets.

Tomei Shojo — they are a poor man’s Shellmy. Which is not surprising, since Nao used to be the bassist for Shellmy back in the day. Three songs out of five felt like listening to Shellmy’s B-sides. Nao’s tone of voice, his look, the compositions — everything screamed a carbon copy of Shellmy. Not cool.

GA TO CHOU. Nao destroyed Souma in every single older Ga to Chou song they played today. Like, completely. I was at their oneman last year, and Souma was fine. But Nao plays in a much higher league. Souma simply doesn’t have enough talent to compete there. Also add the fact that Nao can scream and growl (Souma can’t), and Nao is much better-looking naturally (Souma has to wear makeup, Nao doesn’t — and he still slays).

Mamireta. As usual, go and see them if you have a chance.

VIVARUSH. I mean, they seem fun? Anyways, I am more of a dead-inside guy. Very few kirakira bands work for me, and VIVARUSH is not one of them.

BabyKingdom. I despise cosplay-kei as much as I despise clown looks and circus-kei vibes. As you can imagine, this band was not quite to my liking from the get-go.

Surprisingly, they were much better than I expected. Certainly better than Vivarush.

THE MADNA. I got to hear Hysterical, which is good. Everything else — meh, not my cup of tea.

Chanty. The guys have been around for 15 years. I was at their oneman last year, so literally nothing has changed. They are simply competent and nice to listen to.

GRAVITY. All I can say is that they are fine. I wouldn’t go to their oneman, though, given the chance. And I genuinely feel that they made the right choice abandoning all this kirakira stuff. A man can only be a colorful oshare boy for so many years. And then he is dead inside. Plus, GRAVITY楽しさ♪FULLVOLTAAAGE!!!. The amount of cringe in their previous name, gosh.

XAA-XAA. Phenomenal, as usual. Considering that the oneman gig I visited several months ago had subpar sound quality, getting to see them with proper sound was a blessing.

And lastly, DIV. All I can say is that I got to hear Butterfly Dreamer, Answer, and Natsu no Yukue. What else can a man ask for?

x51715x · August 20, 2026, 2:44pm

lmfaoooo
hes just out here telling it like it is…

GreatNorthernVK · August 20, 2026, 3:09pm

Hey! It’s the sequel to my 15.05.2026 live report where Orseas were announced as the winner of the Taiban.

zaa_zaa · August 20, 2026, 3:10pm

We have finally synced with each other

zaa_zaa · August 21, 2026, 7:27pm

It’s been quite a day, since I spent a good part of it running around Tokyo buying stuff for my wife. In the meantime, I found an amazing jacket for her. Like, it’s absolutely perfect for our taste.

21.08 — BLAZE @ Spotify O-WEST

Since it’s my fourth time seeing them, I literally cannot add anything to what I’ve already said. But there were some fun moments.

One buff, bald Japanese dude covered in full-body and head tattoos had around four square meters to himself in the corner and was enjoying himself immensely. He was definitely from the hardcore scene, as his movements were flawless — two-step, picking up change, and some others.

I’m happy for the guy. He seems to love BLAZE a lot.

21.08 — Teresa @ Higashi-Koenji 20000V

To be honest, the only reason I came to see them was because of live reports on vk.gy. They have no songs online, so it was simply a bet.

There were 15 of us. And so far, this was the most fun 15-person concert I’ve ever been at.

Everybody was engaged; I was constantly invited to saizen, so yeah. There was also a VK version of a circle pit multiple times.

Plus, I feel massively trolled because there was a song that literally lasted an hour. No kidding.

It was fun, though. I really recommend checking them out.

21.08 — I to Rito no Mushozoku @ Shibuya REX

And then came a night VK gig that started at 2 a.m…

The main reason I went there despite seeing them just three days ago was that I hoped to hear more songs. And I did. I am pleased.

What I am not pleased about is the €100 I spent on taxis, because trains are out from around midnight until 5 a.m. I wanted to chill before the gig, and after it I really didn’t feel like waiting another 1.5 hours for the metro to start running again.

Was it worth it — both the gig and the taxis? Hell yeah.

Osukkke · August 21, 2026, 7:51pm

Is that a Pieter Bruegel-themed jacket? so cool!

I really want to hear this project; Riuji and Yumehito have been in projects for 20 years and this one is quite intriguing to me. Is the report I was looking to reaffirm my plans to attend one of their shows.

Xayide · August 21, 2026, 9:08pm

As some crazy stuff is happening on that jacket, I assume Hieronymus Bosch

zaa_zaa · August 22, 2026, 4:21am

Pieter Bruegel — “The Fall of the Rebel Angels”

Yep