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2012.02.19
EMI ROCKS @ Saitama Super Arena
Feat. OA Riceball
Base Ball Bear / Akai Kouen / The SALOVERS / Kiyoshi Ryujin / MIYAVI /  the telephones / James Iha / Tokyo Jihen / Straightener / ACIDMAN / 9mm Parabellum Bullet / Yoshii Kazuya x 9mm Parabellum Bullet Session

"EMI is the label that truly cares about and loves rock bands the most in all Japan!" – Ohki (ACIDMAN, Vo.)

On a chill Sunday in February, thousands of fans of all ages clambered over the frozen sidewalks of Saitama Shintoshin before the sun had even reached its noon position in the sky.

Riceball
Inside the much warmer main hall, riceball took to the stage as the opening act as fans were still filling down through the arena. An all girl group barely into their first year of high school, the four girls took to the stage with a bit of nerves and a lot of charm. Winners of the recent 「REVOLUTION ROCK」audition, they earned their spot on such a huge stage as Super Arena and held their own, despite the big acts to follow, with three heart-felt pop songs with just a dash of light rock. Continuing activities as the peggies from here on out, these girls are sure to claim fans with their pure singing style and genuine nature.

01．Uchuu no hate made te wo tsunaide
02．Ningyo no yatsu
03．I love you

Base Ball Bear
Base Ball Bear took to the stage before a sea of fans clapping along to the strong bass line played by the unsuspectingly beautiful dark-haired Shiori. Easy listening rock with just the right amount of kick, this band is led by vocalist and primary songwriter Yuusuke with his clear vocals, nearly perfect English pronunciation and his ability to get the crowd going with his frequent and confident proclamations; "We're gonna perform to the fullest today!" he shouted as he lifted his guitar into the air before him. Their second song, "Matsuri no ato", was the real crowd pleaser of the set and had the entire first half of the room moving while the back half nodded and bopped their heads along to the upbeat rhythm and strong bass. Almost unimaginably thin guitarist Shohei danced across the stage sans guitar as Yuusuke prodded the crowd to say his name, further instigating his erratic and comical dancing before closing off the set with "CRAZY FOR YOU no kisetsu".

01．Yuugata Generation
02．Matsuri no ato
03．short hair
04．Jyuujika You and I
05．Shinkokyu
06．CRAZY FOR YOU no Kisetsu

Akai Kouen
Perhaps one of the strangest, jarring yet most enthralling act of the night, eclection 4-piece band Akai Kouen took to their stage with all four girls donned in eerie white togas of some short; hair falling into their eyes as they launched right into "Nozoki Ana" after a comical MC from vocalist, Sato Chiaki. With jarring vocals that clashed with the equally as frenzied instruments for this first song, it was clear the audience was in for something just a bit different with this one. But it's that singularity that really set Akai Kouen apart from the other bands that night. Chiaki proves that she's not just an eclectic vocalist -one that calls to mind all too well MUCC's Tatsurou- but an incredibly talented singer with a true capacity for lower huskier tones. Consummating their set with the heavy ballad "Fuyakeru" the girls danced and thrashed across the stage as if something unseen urged them too. Their bassist took the drum platform with bare feet, guitarist and drummer both hiding their eyes with dark hair and moving silently and determinedly to their last rhythms and strums as Chiaki thank the crowd with almost pained emotion before jerking to the side and fleeing the stage in an ethereal white blur followed closely behind by her fellow comrades.

01．Nozoki Ana
02．Ima sara
03．Katamari
04．Toumei
05．Fuyakeru

The SALOVERS
As the accapella notes of "San Francisco Sunset" floated out over the arena, slowly at first, drum beats, guitar and bass joined in progressive continuation as their vocalist seemed to pour himself into each and every word of that single phrase. With sharp and almost impatient beats, SAD GIRL was a true power rock ballad before slipping into "Deitara Twenty". The SALOVERS were emotional rock from the very start; and not in the way you think of "emo rock" but in true, heart-pounding emotion. Sometimes raw, not always polished but always genuine The SALOVERS capture a part of light neighborhood band we haven't seen in a while.

01．San Francisco Sunset
02．SAD GIRL
03．Deitra Twenty
04．Salinger
05．Aishite okure

Kiyoshi Ryujin
Not quite knowing what to expect from the young white haired boy in the EMI booklet, Kiyoshi Ryujin's set opened not onto one performer, but several of them! All seated properly in their desks and sporting black uniforms. Ryujin himself sported comical round glasses as he fought with his fellow classmates -Russia, Spain, France, China, and America- over how to win the heart of their beautiful young teacher. Not so much a musical performance as a musical in and of itself, the young musician charmed the audience with three new songs all cleverly woven into three distinct skits; managing to metamorphose from a school boy, a juvenile delinquent and a dancer afflicted with both unrequited love and a silver crop top. Endlessly entertaining and vocally gifted, the young comedian/musician kept the crowd's attention piqued long after he left the stage.

01．New song
02．New song
03．New song

雅-MIYAVI-
Starting with his single, WHAT'S MY NAME, donned in a sleeveless pinstripe suit that showcased his many tattoos, his fingers were a blur as he seemed to play to a rhythm that pulsed along with the laser and flashing lights behind him as he seamlessly transitioned into SURVIVE. Right before his third song of the night, he called out to the crowd, "Are you f**king ready?!" with a growl before coaxing the audience's attention to the piano and his first special guest, H ZETT M with whom he played a duel between keys and strings as his new song. Bringing out the notorious rapper KREVA caused literally the entire arena to stand on the tips of their toes; young and old alike clamoring to get a better view of such a dynamic amalgamation. Never one to do things simply or within the box, MIYAVI manages to pull the crowd along with him on a journey initially spontaneous but in truth entirely premeditated and inventive.

01．WHAT'S MY NAME?
02．SURVIVE
03．New song（w/ H ZETT M）
04．STRONG（w/ KREVA）
05．FUTURISTIC LOVE

the telephones
Nearly impossible to categorize into any one category, the telephones exploded onto the stage in a flurry of retro 80's garb, glitter, afros and bowties with the exclamation, "Everybody let's dance! Are you disco?!" At first calling to mind the vocalist of the British band, The Darkness, this disco-rock infusion proves they are their own breed of dance music with varying vocal tones, a dancing beanpole of a keyboardist that just won't quit -or keep his shirt- on and a strong bass and drum rhythm that kept the entire arena moving from song to song without a pause to rest. The stage split into two battling rows of orange and blue luminescent lights as the keyboardist's high screams pulled the crowd along with their vocalist's control sky-high vocals as they closed off the set with Monkey Discooooooo as their big retro bang.

01．I Hate DISCOOOOOOO!!!
02．sick rocks
03．D.E.N.W.A
04．Yeah Yeah Yeah
05．Urban Disco
06．HABANERO
07．Monkey Discooooooo

James Iha
Taking the stage as EMI ROCKS' first foreign act, James Iha almost doesn't need an introduction. Former guitarist of the epically influential band, The Smashing Pumpkins, James Iha proves he's a true musician through and through. Before his performance even began, both jumbo screens on either side of the stage reflected comments from the other artists of EMI ROCKS profession their respect for the influential man. His calmer, soul grasping soft rock a stark contrast to the previous dance infused set still managed to captivate the crowd in a different more nostalgic way with an acoustic rendition of his first single, Be Strong Now. Closing off the set with the melachonly and sentimental GEMINI, James Iha left the crowd in a nearly silent yet tranquil state of respect and awe.

01．Be Strong Now
02．Speed Of Love
03．Make Believe
04．Appetite
05．Gemini

Tokyo Jihen
Just mere days before their official dissolution, Tokyo Jihen prove their determination and don't seem to be losing any steam despite approaching the final leg of their career together. As soon as their name flashed onto the jumbo screens, the entire audience got to their feet, almost as in deep respect, and waved the band's colorful flags back and forth as everyone waited expectantly for the members -and especially frontwoman and enigmatic icon Shiina Ringo- to take their place. With a pink afro, multicolored dress and subtle sex appeal to rival any modern starlet, Shiina Ringo crooned and high-stepped her way across the stage as the members -in their equally as colorful garb- played through the Tokyo Jihen classics that fans have come to love and respect so much.

01．Atarashii Bunmekaika
02．Konya ha kara sawagi
03．sa_i_ta
04．Nodouteki sanbun kan
05．Sora ga natteiru
06．Senkou Shoujo
07．Gunjou Hiyori
08．Killer tune

Straightener
Stepping onto the stage after the beloved Tokyo Jihen is no easy feat but Straightener proved their place on Super Arena's stage as well as anyone that night. Shrouded in darkness for their first song, A LONG WAY TO NOWHERE, things started to pick up when the drummer rose to his feet to dance for the more upbeat DISCOGRAPHY. This is a band who, despite the genuine and almost pure nature of their musical compositions, clearly feels very comfortable on stage. Melodic Storm was just that; a tempestuous harmony that took the room by surprise as nearly everyone participated. Nothing in the set however could compare to the explosive heat of BERSERKER TUNE as fans in nearly every row of seats and down through the pit and back swayed, jumped and pulsed with the energetic song.

01．A LONG WAY TO NOWHERE
02．DISCOGRAPHY
03．VANISH
04．Innocent
05．Hitsuji no mure ha oka wo noboru
06．Melodic Storm
07．BERSERKER TUNE

ACIDMAN
Almost as if on cue from the literal "yee-haw" that resounded from somewhere within the audience in the arena, veterans ACIDMAN took to the stage with the powerful and explosive melody of WORLD SYMPHONY, bringing the arena to their feet. The dense beats of Stromatolite followed with nearly a break to breathe before the unyielding chorus of Sekitou; a classic example of the band's "pure rock" style. The bands 10 plus years of experience is clearly visible in both the natural way that they seem to mold to the stage and by the honest way they seem to approach music."EMI is the label that truly cares about and loves rock bands the most in all Japan!" shouted enigmatic vocalst Ohki Nobuo. By what we'd already seen so far, you couldn't help thinking how right he was.

01．world symphony
02．Stromatolite
03．Sekitou
04．Repeat
05．ALMA
06．Aru shoumei

9mm Parabellum Bullet
Amidst a roar of applause and red lights, headliners 9mm Parabellum Bullet took to the stage with the striking power of The World. Tossing his unkempt curls back, Takuro Sugaware guided them into Black Market Blues before the accelerated beats of Black Market Blues took over. As the setlist progressed, Takuro's singing style became more hardcore punk then rock and as if somehow cut the ropes binding the members to their place, they began literally rolling across the stage as only a headliner can do. The pressure and excitement in the room expanded and expanded until Super Arena was almost literally overflowing to the point that fans began dancing in the aisles for the final song, Atarashii Hikari.

01．The World
02．Black Market Blues
03．Termination
04．Come on
05．The Revolutionary
06．Living Dying Message
07．Talking Machine
08．Atarashii Hikari

Yoshi Kazuya × 9mm Parabellum Bullet
An unexpected blend of old and new that took Super Arena by storm. Yoshi Kazuya, former member of influential rock band The Yellow Monkeys, proved that he hasn't lost a bit of his charm or stage prescence over the years as kept time with the much younger 9mm Parabellum Bullet and traded off vocals with the latter's vocalist and harmonized for Call Me as effortlessly as if they'd been practicing for years. The crowd simply couldn't get enough and sang along to the seemingly predmeditated confusion of: SPARK B BLUE ONLY YOU DREAMIN' Medly. As both band and season artist closed off the session setlist with Discommunication, shouts of praise to one another nearly got lost in the immense round of applause that exploded from both the floor and the stands.

01．CALL ME
02．Medley: SPARK B BLUE ONLY YOU DREAMIN'
03．Discommunication

But it wasn't over yet! For the last and final session, not only 9mm and Yoshi but all of the EMI artists of the night took to the stage; costumes, ages, genres and personalities of all shapes and sizes but somehow seeming like this was truly where they belonged. The heart-warming cover of the Beatles, ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE left not only the audience but the artists themselves with a sense of unity and heartwarming contentment.