Featured Image: ENVY PARANOID.
It was a relatively quiet week for the bigger names in alternative idol, which, as it turns out, is excellent news for everyone else. With the exception of PIGMONZ, most of the heavy hitters took a bit of a breather, giving a real opportunity for the underdogs to get some room in the spotlight, and everyone featured below made very good use of it.
Featured Image: RAY.
It was a brutal week, having to return to the realities of work after spending last weekend in a reality distortion bubble crafted by JIEMEI, THEΔRAREz, and a small horde of kaigai idols in LA. I pushed through, and we’re back at the weekend again where I can now relax and plot my next escape to the Idol World where all of the meetings are off-kais and the only deadlines are for VIP line-ups. Here’s a few upcoming options:
Featured Image: SoboRESONICA.
This edition of The Weekender is brought to you from Los Angeles where we are on location for the US debut of JIEMEI. They kicked off their US tour last night with a mini live at Asayoru Maid Cafe. The venue serves as a cornerstone of the local idol scene and has become a stop for many units passing through town. JIEMEI performed a handful of songs in maid uniforms before switching into yukata for a powerful acoustic set. I am now convinced that the acoustic version of “Autophilia” should be the default arrangement moving forward. In fact, I would endorse the production of an entire acoustic JIEMEI album. Stripping down the instrumentals really highlighted the members resonant vocals and revealed some hidden emotional depths to these songs.
Just over four years ago, JIEMEI were born from Nagoya’s vibrant chika idol scene where everything is louder and infused with a bombastic punk swagger. Later this week, they arrive in the United States as one of the genre’s most compelling live acts, bringing their compelling blend of alt-rock, emotional vocals, and unrelenting performance to American audiences for the first time.
Featured Image: LOST IN LOVE.
The annual Tokyo Idol Festival is happening right now and, for the first time in four years, we have not dubbed it FXXK TIF Weekend. The reason behind the softening of the Homicidols heart is that the event organizers finally, explicitly, opened up ticket sales to overseas fans. I still haven’t come around completely and put “Attending TIF” back on my bucket list for two main reasons:
