Archive for October, 2005


Don’t miss this event! It’s one hot-core night with hard Gothics Agent Murder, machine-gun industrialists 2 Bullet, UK dark wave legends Sins of the Flesh and more! Kick out and enjoy as this hard-edged trio of bands lead the havoc at Takadanobaba’s Area.

Event Information:
Event: Adultery vol.3 by Agent Murder
Place: Area Takadanobaba (nr. JR Takadanobaba)
Address: B1, 3-3-8 Takadanobaba, Shinjuku, Tokyo † Map
Club phone: 03-3361-1069
Date: Saturday, November 5, 2005
Start: Open 18:00 † Start 18:20
Price: Adv. 2,500 yen † 3,000 yen @ door)
Live: Sins of the Flesh (UK), 2 Bullet, Agent Murder, Suicide Squad, GOD and more!

Tickets
You can book tix beforehand by jumping to one of the bands’ sites and sending a mail to reserve. As Jude from Sins of the Flesh also does most of the entries for the Kansai scene I recommend contacting him for tix for this event. Just buzz him at info@sinsoftheflesh.net

A great-looking all-nite event offering a cool mix of live and DJd sounds from Japan and Sweden! Project Elektra will be delivering PLASMA: Stockholm Edition at Shibuya Deseo from 11 p.m. on November 5. The night will be full of synth/classic electro/futurepop and more featuring live performances by Scapesonik (Sweden) and local outfit SoundMine, along with DJs A04 (Project:ELEKTRA), Nozapii (AvantPop) and Rum576 (Sweden).

Event Information:
Event: PLASMA: Stockholm Edition from Project Elektra
Place: Shibuya Deseo
Address: 1F, Dai-2 Okazaki Bldg., Sakuragaoka-Cho, 3-3 Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0031 † Map
Club phone: 03-5457-0303
Date: Saturday, November 5 2005
Start: Open 23:00 † Close 04:30
Price: Adv. 2,500 yen (1dr)
Live: SoundMine, Scapesonik! (Lobotom Records, Sweden)
DJs: A04 (Project:ELEKTRA), Nozapii (AvantPop), Rum576 (Sweden).

Tickets
It looks like there’s no premium at the door, but you can always give the organizers a hoy beforehand – project_electraAThotmailDOTcom.

Welt Buhne is a new event featuring Mushi (imagine an eastern bloc mix of Alice Cooper and Marilyn Manson) and Pineal (a sultry horned-grocker with continental flavorings plus a hot ax-working femme). Mushi and Pineal make a good combination and this show seems to be playing towards their strengths with an underlying theme of old-world darkness.

Event Information:
Event: Welt Buhne
Place: Area Takadanobaba (nr. JR Takadanobaba)
Address: B1, 3-3-8 Takadanobaba, Shinjuku, Tokyo † Map
Club phone: 03-3361-1069
Date: Sunday, November 6, 2005
Start: Open 18:00 † Start 18:30
Price: Adv. 2,500 yen † 3,000 yen @ door)
Lawson Ticket: L-code 37148
Live: Hamlet Machine, Mushi, Pineal, Smells, Kokosyoku Sumire (Black Violet)
MC: Mame Yamada

Tickets
You can book tix beforehand by jumping to one of the bands’ sites and sending a mail to reserve (or going to the Loppi Station @ your local Lawson – see code above). If you can’t deal with sites in Japanese, pick a band with some English on the site – and let them know things like name, phone number, number of people. After that, when you get to the gig, you give your name and which band you booked with (they check the lists). Doing this not only saves you a bit of money, but helps the bands at the end of the night when the numbers are tallied up for the payout.

Fancy some Gothic theater? Then take a look at TOKYO VAMPIRE at Museum Tokyo. Very cool for an alternative night of Gothic romance…

Australian actor Dwayne Lawler most recently seen as Macbeth at the New National Theatre Tokyo is out to strike fear and perhaps a sense of empathy into the hearts of audiences with his latest production, a solo performance called TOKYO VAMPIRE. A heartbreaking horror story, essentially a vampire’s last confession before he goes “into the sun,” TOKYO VAMPIRE is set against the backdrop of the vampire’s kamon or family crest. Throughout the play the vampire recounts his life including some graphic descriptions of his nightly feedings and more touchingly, his tragic love affair with a lonely girl, his “dark lady.” Using what he calls his ‘chameleon approach,’ Lawler has created a production specifically for the Japanese environment. The vampire’s costume is uniquely Japanese with its Visual Kei and Gothic influences. Accompanied by the heartbeat-like sound of a wadaiko (Japanese drum), TOKYO VAMPIRE is a frightening assault on the senses. Featuring music by Motoichi Yuzawa and costume design by Takako.
TOKYO VAMPIRE:
Place: Museum Tokyo
Address: 5-30-6 Ogikubo, Suginami-ku, Tokyo 167-0051 † Map
Booking phone: 048-251-6417
Dates: Sundays :: Oct. 30, Nov. 6, 13 & 27, Dec. 4, 11, 25
Start: 18:50 Open † 19:00 Start
Price: Adv. 2,000 yen † 2,000 yen @ door)

Repeat, repeat, repeat. They’ll give up eventually and the whole world will eventually agree that 2+2=5. But this is worth it kids, ‘coz the Tokyo Dark Castle and Midnight Mess are on tonight in Tokyo with Dark Veil in Osaka. Regardless of where you are going, I’m sure you’ll have a great time. Things to remember….

Tokyo Dark Castle has a Halloween Goth Parade in Shibuy starting at 10:00 pm next to the Hachiko dog statue. In case of rain the parade will be cancelled (if known ahead of time an announcement will be made on the TDC site (click Other, then Board). If the parade is cancelled people can pick up their tix and a small present at the front of Shibuya Deseo at 10:30 pm. Main event begins at 12:00 midnight at Deseo. There’s also a costume contest. More details.

Midnight Mess. The Mess is now at its new home in Marz, so remember to go to the right place. Starts at midnight and there is a costume contest. More details.

Black Veil. Okay Osakans, you know the drill. Now get out there. More details.

Hear the howls of the wolves my brethren,
Calling out on all hallows night.
Come let’s sup with them my brethren,
So we might join them for a bite.

The Goths will be out in force over the next couple of weeks with clashes between Walpurgis and Overfused on the 22nd and Tokyo Dark Castle and Midnight Mess on the 29th. I hope I can get back in time for TDC on the 29th (yes, they’re coming to take me away…), but we shall see.

Now, as most dwellers of Tokyo will be aware, there are umpteen Halloween pissups – uh, I mean parties – at many clubs around the place. Sure, they might have people who dress up a bit and it might even be fun… but you are still stuck with the same regular DJ’d beats as every other week. Face it, if you go to normal clubs, then you’re just a slave to mainstream society. Wouldn’t you rather be somewhere that treats its slaves right? Then check these events out.

Halloween Week 1

October 21st :: Friday
TOKYO 17:30 Euthanasie @ Ikebukuro Chop, Shinjuku (good pub gig with some dark elektro)
TOKYO 18:00 TOGE TOGE TOKAGEE @ Head Power, Shinjuku (Goth ambiance)

October 22nd :: Saturday
TOKYO 19:00 Auto-Mod, Vexation and Selia @ Maria Coure (very cool Goth @ doll museum)
TOKYO 24:00 OVERFUSED @ Marz, Shinjuku (from Midnight Mess!)
TOKYO 24:00 CLUB WALPURGIS @ Aoi Heya (80s Goth club returns)

Halloween Week 2

October 29th :: Saturday
OSAKA 22:00 :: BLACK VEIL Halloween Night @ Club NEO (Osaka’s Uber-Goth event)
TOKYO 24:00 :: TOKYO DARK CASTLE #14 :: Shibuya Deseo (Tokyo’s Uber-Goth event with parade @ 22:00!)
TOKYO 24:00 :: MIDNIGHT MESS Halloween Special @ Marz, Shinjuku (major Goth DJ’d event)

October 30th :: Sunday
TOKYO 17:30 :: Zombie Lolita @ Ikebukuro Chop (good pub gig with undead youth)
TOKYO 18:50 :: TOKYO VAMPIRE @ Museum Tokyo (fancy some Goth theater?)
TOKYO 19:00 :: Rocky Horror Picture Show Night @ Kawasaki Cine Citta (RHPS lovers)

New stuff hiding on the site
Event Report :: Junk Children #1 Slave’s Riot Midnight

‘Tis a Halloween night and Japan’s Goth-Daddy Genet is busy celebrating his 25th year in the business. His baby and Tokyo’s biggest Goth event is on. The hardest industrial group in Japan is on the flyer. Insanity is the only word to describe this, but you would be mad to miss it.

Yes, Tokyo Dark Castle is heading to dominate Shibuya once again, with the special Halloween edition. TDC #13 (review) was the perfect event, now TDC #14 is set to shred it to pieces. This is the next evolution and the second-to-last event of the year.

Starting early @ 10 p.m. with the now-traditional Shibuya Goth Parade, followed by a night featuring some of Japan’s best underground bands with some hot DJing and VJing going on in between.

So get dressed to kill and ready to thrill as you trip the night fantastic at TDC #14!

Tickets
If you want to book tickets beforehand to save some cash or afford another drink, you can usually jump to one of the bands’ sites and send a mail to reserve. If you can’t deal with the Japanese, pick a band with some English on the site (the more, the better) and let them know things like name, phone number, number of people. After that, when you get to the gig, you give your name and which band you booked with (they check the lists). Doing this not only saves you a bit of money, but helps the bands at the end of the night when the numbers are tallied up for the payout.

Event info:
Event: Tokyo Dark Castle Vol. 14 :: Halloween Special
Place: Shibuya DeSeo (nr. Shibuya station)
Address: 1F, Dai-2 Okazaki Bldg., Sakuragaoka-Cho, 3-3 Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0031 † Map
Club Phone: 03-5457-0303
Date: Saturday October 29, 2005
Start: 22:00 ~ Next morning
Price: 3,000 yen adv. † 3,500 yen on day.
Note: Must be 18+ (ID checks) – 20+ to drink.
Live: Auto-Mod, Despair, BAAL (ex.Chronotrigger), Calmando Qual (expect full sets!).
Performance: Kari-Ssu-Mummy Necro Embrace and more, more, more!
DJs: Chihiro & Violet.
VJ: Kihito

Osaka’s Goth scene rocks. Territory D’s Black Veil has it’s Halloween special at Club Neo. On top of the regular DJ’d darkness there’s a guest performance from Australia’s Opera Macabre. Too cool!

Event info:
Event: Dark Veil Halloween Night
Place: Club Neo
Address: B2, It Bldg., 2-18-9 Nishi-Shinsaibashi, Chuo-ku, Osaka † Flyer & Map
Club Phone: 06-6213-3211
Date: Wednesday May 4, 2005
Start: 22:00 ~ Late
Price: 3,500 yen adv. † 4,000 yen @ door
Guest Performer: Opera Macabre
DJs: Taiki, Non, Sharman
VJ: 4D Blue Mirror Graphics

Chapter three of Zeus Machina’s Club Walpurgis. Recently resurrected, Club Walpurgis has it’s roots in the 1980s where the original club became quite popular – even having visits from the likes of The Cult, Nick Cave, John Sex and Kurtis Knap. Mixing the darker (and much better) side of the 1980s with the sights, sounds and energy of the 21st century makes for a great retro-flavored night.

Although not much information is available yet, tonight’s event, Halloween Fetish-Zombie Night, should have the same dress code as the first and second parties: vampire, Gothic, zombie, transvestite and glam.

Event Info:
Event: Club Walpurgis † Halloween Fetish-Zombie Night
Place: TBA, but W2 was Aoi Heya (7 min. walk from Shibuya station)
Address: B1F, Yachiyo Bldg., 2-12-13 Shibuya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo † Map
Club Phone: 03-3407-3564
Date: Saturday, October 22, 2004
Start: 24:00 ~ 05:00
Price: TBA, but W2 was 2,500 yen
Live: TBA
DJs: Zinny Aerodinamica (ZIN/ZEUS MACHINA, ROMEO MIRROR) and others.

Organized by Midnight Mess, Overfused? is an event with mixed live and DJ’d sounds including Noise 666db and aCid banDage (is this the former Lord Acid?).

Event info:
Event: Overfused? Midnight Mess
Place: Shinjuku Marz (near Shinjuku)
Address: B1F Dai-ichi Tokiwa Bldg., Kabukicho 2-45-1, Shinjuku
Date: Saturday, October 22, 2005
Start: 24:00
Price: 2,500 yen adv. † 3,000 yen @ door
Live: 666dB, aCid banDage
DJ: Javier IA (Belio, Spain), Maya, Statik