After their live in San Francisco, BAND-MAID will embark on their 2nd world tour! Join us for a special interview!!

02.October.2017 | FEATURES / MUSIC

On 9th and 10th September, Japan fans living in San Francisco gathered together to celebrate the Japanese cultural event “J-POP SUMMIT”, where BAND-MAID took to the stage!

 

The MOSHI MOSHI NIPPON team has conducted an interview with the members of BAND-MAID. This autumn, the girls will be embarking on two world tours.

Photo:Shingo Tamai

 

– Was that your first time in San Francisco?

Miku Kobato (aka Kobato): Yes! That was my first time.

 

– Did you have any time away from rehearsals or performing to enjoy San Francisco?

Kobato: We didn’t really have time to chill at our own pace but we managed some light strolling around the area where our hotel was and we had food together at some nearby restaurants.

 

– So you had some time out from work! Did you manage to get your fill of San Francisco?

Kobato: mmnnh….. I wanna go again!

*Everyone laughed*

Kobato: I’d like to go explore San Francisco again – on my own or with the girls!

 

– How did it feel to take part in J-POP SUMMIT?

MISA: When we heard the term “J-POP” we thought…but we’re a rock band…so when the decision was made to take part, the first thing we started thinking about was how we should appear on stage.

Kobato: The first time we “served” our masters and mistresses (fans) at a live performance abroad was in Seattle.  After hearing that we were going to America again to perform in San Francisco, I was honestly so happy. I’m pleased that we’re also performing in Japan. I just can’t contain my excitement!

 

AKANE: Turning up at San Francisco and influencing Americans to fall in love with Japanese culture made me feel good. Ramen is one of my favourite Japanese foods and it is so popular in America – physical evidence that Japan is an awesome country! I was eager to show America how amazing Japan is!

SAIKI: When the plan to perform was finalised, I was slightly anxious thinking about what kind of venue we would be performing at. However, I was relieved when I turned up and saw that there was one venue, where the stage and booth area were well separated. It was great fun to look around the booth area too!

 

KANAMI: I was overcome with happiness to see so many masters and mistresses (what we call our BAND-MAID fans) come to support us. I’m so pleased to share the love of Japan with foreigners!

 

– We’ve heard that you started your Japan tour straight after getting back from San Francisco, and that you are starting your world tour in the midst of your Japan tour. Are the contents of your Japan tour and world tour different?

 

Kobato: The difference between the Japan tour and the world tour is the name. They are the same but we’ve just divided it up. During our rehearsals, we’ve been getting ideas together on how to represent it.

 

– So how enthusiastic are you about this tour?

MISA: The venues this time are also going to be big. We want to push forward and deliver something even more impressive than our first world tour.

AKANE: At every venue, I want to nail it with perfection – even the way I greet the audience. Last time there was a lot going on…

 

Kobato: You said yourself, “I AM GORILLA!” – remember?

 

SAIKI: And in Germany you said “ICH BIN GORILLA!” haha!

 

AKANE: There were some things I couldn’t really get across very well to the audience last time, so this time I’m gonna practice so I can tell our fans exactly how I feel! Hehe.

 

Kobato: We will be visiting some countries for the second time, so we will be overcome with feels if we see the same fans from last time! We want to say “Welcome back!” to our masters and mistresses who revisit us. We want to show everyone just how much we’ve grown.

 

SAIKI: We had a hard schedule for our first tour. It looks like we’ve got another tough schedule this time too! Haha! This time I’ll be planning breaks ahead of time so that we can be on stage in good shape!

 

Kobato: I wanna get on stage in good shape!

 

Photo:Shingo Tamai

 

KANAMI: I want to kick off our third world tour and keep in good health so I will give it my all!

 

>>next page

 

– At MOSHI MOSHI NIPPON, we provide information about tourist spots. Do you have any recommendations of tourist spots in Japan for your fans?

 

Kobato: Let me think…

 

SAIKI: You’re always sightseeing!

 

Kobato: You can learn about a variety of regions and tourist destinations on a TV show called “Japan in Motion”. I’ve been to visit the caves in Yamanashi prefecture, Izumo Grand Temple in Shimane prefecture, and many more places. There are so many wonderful spots even outside the Tokyo region, so I’d love for our fans to go visit them!

 

– If we follow Kobato-san’s posts on SNS sites then we’ll come to know about many tourist spots in Japan, right?

 

Kobato: That’s right! I occasionally ditch the maid outfit and dress up in other cool outfits to visit these tourist spots – you should check out my style!

 

– And last but not least, do you have a message for your fans?

KANAMI: Masters and mistresses, thank you for always supporting us. We will continue to create many songs with variation for you to enjoy. We will push ourselves to work harder, so please continue to support us!

MISA: Just how BAND-MAID will be enjoying a delicious glass of wine together after the live, we will be working hard so that our masters and mistresses can also enjoy our service!

 

AKANE: This year we have taken part in many large rock festivals. Looking on, we will be taking part in rock festivals all around the world at large venues – we will be working hard in order to meet new fans!

We will be rocking it up in foreign countries at venues we have never been to before. It’s awesome to think that we will be performing at such places…

 

Kobato: As we tour around Japan, the venues will gradually get larger and larger. I am looking forward to doing larger tours abroad. At the same time, I know there’s people out there who’ve never seen us live but are curious about us – don’t be shy! Please come join us!

Not to mention, I’m looking forward to more and more people connecting with BAND-MAID and becoming more interested in Japan!

Photo:Shingo Tamai

 

■Information

・BAND-MAID Okyuuji TOUR Autumn-Winter 2017
“Would you like to burn or Moe? Which one?” Burn vs Moe
29th September(Fri)Kumamoto/ B.9 V2
1st October(Sun)Fukuoka/ DRUM LOGOS
6th October(Fri)Sendai/ Darwin
8th October(Sun)Kanazawa/ EIGHT HALL
13th October(Fri)Osaka/ Misono Universe
15th October(Sun)Nagoya/ Diamond Hall
17th November(Fri)Okayama/ CRAZYMAMA KINGDOM
18th November(Sat)Hiroshima/ CLUB QUATTRO
24th November(Fri)Shin-Kiba STUDIO COAST ※ Sold out

・BAND—MAID WORLD TOUR 2017

“Burn! Burn! BAND-MAID Moe Moe Cune”
22nd October(Sun)Taiwan / Jack Studio
29th October(Sun)Hong Kong / HMV kafe
3rd November(Fri)London, England / O₂ Academy Islington
4th November (Sat)Paris, France / La Boule Noire
5th November(Sun)Bochum, Germany / Zeche
8th November(Weds)Berlin, Germany / Bi Nuu
9th November(Thurs)Munich, Germany / Backstage
12th November(Sun)Barcelona, Spain / Salamandra

・BAND-MAID OKYUUJI TOUR Autumn-Winter 2017

“Did you burn? Did you moe? Which is it!?~Burn vs Moe~

※ Additional performance
9th December(Sat)Zepp DiverCity TOKYO

 

BAND-MAID Official site:http://bandmaid.tokyo

BAND-MAID Official Facebook page:https://www.facebook.com/bandmaid

BAND-MAID Official Instagram Account:https://www.instagram.com/bandmaid.jp/

BAND-MAID Official Twitter Account:https://twitter.com/bandmaid

 

Translator: Samantha Fernandes

 

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