Tag Archive: goth


Club Theatic Goth Event TokyoI still have not had enough time to get into the site yet, but this event is too good not to mention! On Sunday March 10 from 3:30 pm, the Goths will be invading Ikebukuro Rosa Live Inn in Tokyo! Organizers are calling this Gothic 2013 SPRING FESTIVAL, and festive it is!

Featured bands include Psydoll, Vanished Empire (DJ Chihiro and 2Bullet’s Dee Lee), Suicide Squad, Dark Insanity, Zodiaque, Hernia_44, PeaceToPieces and Gothic Logic! There will also be DJs Chihiro, Wakana and tAk, along with exhibition space, fang makers, dancers and more! THIS IS NOT AN EVENT TO MISS!

Where: LIVE IN ROSA :: Map
When: Sunday MARCH 10
Start: 15:30
Price: Book/w flyer 3,000 yen (+1 drink) :: @Door 3,500 yen (+1 drink)
* If you want to book just do a quick search of the band and send them a mail – Psydoll or Vanished Empire (via 2Bullet’s Dee Lee) should be cool. Any problems? Buzz me and I’ll see what I can do!

Sometime early yesterday Gothers.com crossed the 2,500 member threshold. I would like to thank each and everyone for joining up with Gothers. THANK YOU!!

As a small token of my appreciation I have decided to put on 22 hours of power where I will stay online from Sunday 2 a.m. through to midnight Japan Standard time. You can work out what time it is in Japan here:
http://www.worldtimeserver.com/current_time_in_JP.aspx
And see all time zones at:
http://www.worldtimeserver.com/worldclock.aspx

I am not exactly sure what I am going to do as entertainment, but will be online and in the chatroom to talk things up. I also hope to do a CD review of Fashion Bomb!
http://www.myspace.com/xfashionxbombx

This will appear on my Japan (and others) Goth blog at:
http://www.jgoth.com/

So, if you have any time to give Gothers a little spin, the Web slob will be online around Saturday to Sunday depending on your time zone. Remember Igor will be online on Sunday from 2 am to midnight Japan time.

Cheers!

Igor
www.gothers.com

[Uber Goth-Industrial Live & DJ] Finally, the second half schedule for TDC. Tokyo Dark Castle (TDC) is the main event for the Gothic underground in Tokyo. Populated by the best-dressed Goths from all walks of life TDC delivers some of the best live acts and DJs in the scene. This makes TDC a must on any Goth agenda.

TDC have the second half’s event schedule for 2009 and rather than do a single post each time the event is set to roll.

Unless otherwise stated, TDC begins at 12 midnight Saturdays and goes through to the early morning (around 6 a.m.). Remember that as with all overnight events you need photo ID to enter. View full article »

It has been a while since I have blogged here at JGoth.com and even longer since I last updated the events list. It feels kind of weird treading this place again.

I guess since I have been persona non grata in the local Goth scene and launched the surprisingly successful Gothers.com site has taken me away from the ol’ JGoth site and the monomaniacal urge to write about local events has disappated. Not to worry, the major planned events are up and if you are already in the scene you probably have a lot more knowledge of upcoming events than I could put up here.

I miss the gigs and parties and people and vibrancy of this underground scene, but there is never enough time these days. I hope to get to a gig or two later in the year.

For now I just want to say hello to my blog and anyone who is reading it. And if you are looking for party information start by searching Tokyo Dark Castle or Midnight Mess in the search box. Or if you are in Nagoya look for Stigmatic and in Osaka, Dark Veil I think.

Fangs for the memories, I’ll be back soon.

2BulletLocation: Tokyo, Japan – Genre: Industrial, Electro, Techno

Combining a unique mix of thumping electronicka with thrashing guitar-led industrial rock makes 2Bullet’s a very addictive and enjoyable record even three years after its initial release. 2Bullet began in 2003 in Tokyo. The term 2Bullet refers to power balance or pointing a gun at each other, a metaphor of MAD (Mutual Assured Destruction). The album, Democratic Violence was released in August 2004. They have uploaded a new EP that is free to download here, but for today I am focusing on their 2004 album Democratic Violence.

The lyrics of most of the songs carry a strong political message against totalitarianism and empire that makes it as relevant today as when it was initially released. Considering the U.S. government’s strategy to subjugate Afghanistan and Iraq (and possibly Iran) through military action, the current monitoring of civil society, rendition programs and the like, this thumping industrial album should connect well with anyone who is against senseless war.

The first track, Democracy starts with an ominous back beat that explodes into a wave of industrial rock. Underneath the powerful electronicka the vocals may have been focused on the rise and fall of South American Junta’s in the 1970’s & 80’s, but has gained even deeper meaning with the controversial U.S.’s engagement of the Middle East:

Is this democracy?
Is this hypocrisy?
Is this your justice?
Is this your business?

Likewise it refers to violent endings of some of the junta’s in the past, but connected with the downfall and ultimate hanging of Saddam in Iraq.

Your time has come
You lost your power
You’re dying lie
Hanging by your tie
Your life has failed
Your rule is dead
Yours is not democracy

This is not to say that the song supports this kind of action – the band is against all forms of totalitarianism and authoritarian control.

The other tracks are carried through with speeding electronicka and heavy guitars from DeeLee (who also does the ax-work for Agent Murder). The only exceptions would be Liquid Seed which is more like an acid trip and the tragic Lost, which focuses on the internal permanent damage of a soldier and the guitar-heavy Tell Me Something, which expresses the pain of killing in war. One of my favorite tracks is Shockwave with its powerful guitars backed by keyboards and percussion with the anthem-esque chorus:

Follow the army, this is reality
Heads up! Wake up! Just become a shockwave!
Follow the government, this is the violence
Heads up! Wake up! Just become a shockwave!

My call on this CD is that it is a MUST HAVE for those interested in Japanese underground music. Whereas many Japanese groups (famous or not) tend to have limited appeal (relying on the “Japanese” tag for selling themselves, 2Bullet’s Democratic Violence stands on its own as part of the international Goth-industrial scene with a sound that is really tuned for an international audience. For 1,500 yen for nearly 50 minutes of quality sound you cannot go wrong!2Bullet Democratic Violence

Democratic Violence :: track list

1. Democracy (5:41) ** +
2. Pray For Me (5:28)
3. Drain People’s Blood (5:38) * +
4. Survivor (5:06) +
5. Liquid Seed (3:44)
6. Tell Me Something (4:23) **
7. Shockwave (3:31)
8. Lost (5:31)
9. Tell Me Something -remix- (4:45)
10. Survivor -remix- (5:24)
Total time (49:01)
* Available on MySpace
** Downoadable remix available on MySpace
+ One-minute samples on 2Bullet’s site

Available on:

Wreckords
iTunes

Finally a few videos for you to check out!

2 Bullet slideshow (Music: Worthless Future)

[youtube 3SSpyO-iwC8]

Humankind (Live)

[youtube 62HQU3zyxrU]

MORE VIDEOS

 

[Goth/80's - Live & DJ] Club Walpurgis began as a Goth/Punk club in the 1980′s and became a kind of underground mecca in its day. 18 years after the original club closed down Walpurgis returned as a regular monthly event in 2005 with a heavy emphasis on 80′s alternative, glam, Gothic, industrial and electro clash (I added a little clip from one Walpurgis of Dandelion Wine at the bottom of this post). The music styles on offer include new wave, Gothic, neo-Goth, glam, punk, EBM, electro, industrial and more. Because Club Walpurgis plays every third Saturday of the month a special sub-forum has been set up on the New JGoth.com Forum.

November 17 :: Chapter 27 :: Tribute to Madame Edwarda
Where: Aoi Heya
Address: 2-12-13 Yachiyo Building B1F Shibuya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0002 :: 〒150-0002 東京都渋谷区渋谷2-12-13八千代ビルB1F :: Map
Tel: 03-3407-3564
Live: ZIN
DJ’s: Zinny Aerodinamica (aka ZEUS MACHINA, ROMEO MIRROR, Madame Edwarda), Sato M.(UK Edison, Paranoia Night) and Naoto (Playing Death Rock, Progressive Rock, Gothic, etc.).
Open: 24:00 :: Close: 05:00
Price: 2,000 yen with flyer or booking :: 2,500 yen @ door
* Remember to bring a photo ID (18+ for entry, 20+ to drink)

December 15 :: Chapter 28 :: X’mas for Sisters of Mercy!
Where: Aoi Heya
Address: 2-12-13 Yachiyo Building B1F Shibuya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0002 :: 〒150-0002 東京都渋谷区渋谷2-12-13八千代ビルB1F :: Map
Tel: 03-3407-3564
Live: TBA
DJ’s: Zinny Aerodinamica (aka ZIN/ZEUS MACHINA,ROMEO MIRROR,Madade Edwarda), Sato M.(UK Edison, Paranoia Night) and Naoto (Playing Death Rock, Progressive Rock, Gothic, etc.).
Open: 24:00 :: Close: 05:00
Price: TBA
* Remember to bring a photo ID (18+ for entry, 20+ to drink)

Dandelion Wine @ Walpurgis

[youtube oKXXJRSqYfw]

A big thanx to Amy’s Arms for sending across a couple of CDs. The CD got a lot of playtime while I bided my time with all the other crazies in happy land. When I get on top of things I will start doing some serious reviewing. Amy’s Arms are a lounge Goth act from Canada and do a bang-up job with some dark emotional music. The members are Siren on vocals and Mr. Ratt on bass and programming.
You can find them at their Myspace locale with a few trax to get a taster including a hot cover of Wicked Game!

They are a great mix of Gothic Lolita with big-ass boots! Here are a few videos for you to check out.

[youtube V-R2COBC7F8 nolink]

 

[youtube NYRNCGFyj7Y nolink]

Good morning folks.

I am sorry for the JGoth.com site problems and general instabilities in recent months. However, things are getting worked out just in time for Halloween (okay, most parties have finished), but there is still TDC to look forward to:
http://forum.jgoth.com/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=8

First up, the board has been re-launched at the following URL:
http://forum.jgoth.com/ Being a stand-alone board it offers greater flexibility and more options, which is good for board members.

On top of that you will find that there is a stack of topics to cover more Japanese music scenes not to mention international sections to talk about various Gothic scenes overseas.

The board comes in five major sections. The lengthy list is:

  1. The Welcome board with FAQs, Polls and Suggestion box
  2. A smeg-load of boards covering J-Goth, industrial, other music styles and life in general in Japan. There are also special sections German, French, Spanish and Japanese.
  3. A European section for listing the 10 countries that I get the most visitors from including the U.K., Germany, France, Sweden, Finland, The Netherlands, Poland, Russia, Italy, Greece, Spain and Belgium and a board for other countries.
  4. Goth in the Americas with U.S.A. Canada, Brazil and Chile listed plus a board for other countries.
  5. Finally Oceania and Asia where the bulk of visitors come from Australia & New Zealand and China/Hong Kong.

If you are interested in giving the JGoth.com forum another try I’d be most appreciative. Because the password encryption is different from the last board you will need to re-register. That takes about one minute to do. Once in feel free to post away!

Remember the new board is located at:
http://forum.jgoth.com/

The archived articles for JGoth.com are presently located at:
http://xfactor.jgoth.com/

So that’s three places to keep in mind:
Board: http://forum.jgoth.com/
Archive: http://xfactor.jgoth.com/
New site: http://www.jgoth.com/

Thanks again for your support.

Cheers

Igor/Admin
forum.jgoth.com
xfactor.jgoth.com
www.jgoth.com