SCREW to Kick Off European Tour in London

Visual rock fivesome SCREW will celebrate their sixth anniversary with a 13 date European tour. The tour will begin with a show at London’s Underworld on Wednesday 30 May 2012, and will continue across Europe into June.

SCREW were originally formed in the March of 2006 by vocalist Byo and bass-player Yuto, both former members of indie group JOKER. They were soon joined by guitarists kazuki and Jin, who were members of Clover and LiViNG DEAD, respectively. After several shows, they concluded the year with a set at Winter Romantic Fes.3day event organised by Kanoma (ex-Fatima) and KAMIJO (Versailles). It wasn’t until the next year that  they pick up the name SCREW, switch label to PS Indies and gain their support guitarist Manabu as an official member.

Currently, only one of the band’s albums has  made it to Europe, courtesy of CLJ Records; X-Rays (Limited Edition) from 2009.

SCREW’s European 2012 tour dates are as follows:

30 May: London, The Underworld (The UK)
2 June:  Nîmes, JapaNîmes Convention (France)
3 June:  Barcelona, Music City Hall (Spain)
5 June: Budapest, Durer Kurt (Hungary)
6 June: Wein, Szene (Austria)
8 June: Amsterdam, Melkweg (Netherlands)
9 June: Paris, Le Divan du Monde (France)
10 June: Cologne, TBC, (Germany)
12 June: Hamburg, Knust (Germany)
13 June: Munich, Feierwerk (Germany)
15 June: Uppsala, TBC (Sweden)
16 June: Helsinki, Gloria (Finland)
17 June: Moscow, MILK Moscow (Russia)

DIR EN GREY’s UROBOROS: Remastered and Expanded!

One of the UK’s biggest selling Japanese rock albums will be making a return in 2012. From 20 January, OKAMI Records will re-release DIR EN GREY‘s phenomenal seventh album UROBOROS, remastered and expanded. The aptly titled UROBOROS [Remastered & Expanded] will boast 15 tracks and sees the return of sound engineer Tue Madsen who worked on the group’s DUM SPIRO SPERO release.

UROBOROS [Remastered & Expanded] will also include a longer version of ‘SA BIR’, previously only heard at live performances, the version of ‘BUGABOO’ that was only available as part of the album’s original first pressing analogue release, the Japanese language versions of ‘DOZING GREEN’ and ‘GLASS SKIN’, and the former’s coupling track from its single ‘HYDRA -666-’.

The track list is as follows:

1. SA BIR (3:52)
2. VINUSHKA (9:37)
3. RED SOIL (3:24)
4. DOUKOKU TO SARINU (3:48)
5. TOGURO (3:58)
6. GLASS SKIN (4:28)
7. STUCK MAN (3:35)
8. REIKETSU NARISEBA (3:33)
9. WARE, YAMI TOTE… (7:03)
10. HYDRA -666- (3:39)
11. BUGABOO RESPIRA (2:09)
12. BUGABOO (4:44)
13. GAIKA, CHINMOKU GA NEMURU KORO (4:22)
14. DOZING GREEN (4:06)
15. INCONVENIENT IDEAL (4:22)

Upon UROBOROS‘ original release in America, the album entered at 114 in the Billboard 200 albums chart, the group’s highest position in the chart to date. And when it was released in Europe, it entered Germany’s New Comers chart at number 10, ranking higher than the likes of Jedward, Zebrahead and Suicide Silence. Now that would be a Top of the Pops line-up we’d like to see…

LM.C Return to London on 23 May 2012

The self proclaimed ‘new century electrock’ unit LM.C will return to Great Britain as part of the ‘LM.C LIVE TOUR 2012 -STRONG POP- world tour’, which so far only includes European dates.  The tour will reunite Aiji and Maya with London for their second UK live date on Wednesday 23 May 2012 at the Relentless Garage in Highbury, London. Previously the pair had performed at the Underworld in Camden in February 2009.

Tickets for LM.C’s London live show will go on sale from Monday 23 January 2012 from 9am, and will be available from TicketWeb (08444 771 000).

LM.C’s best of album, ☆★Best the LM.C★☆2006-2011 SINGLES recently received a UK release through Gan-Shin Records. The album collates 14 of the group’s singles over the past five years and includes their brand new song ‘The LOVE SONG’.

The full track listing is as follows:

1. Rock the LM.C
2. little Fat Man boy
3. OH MY JULIET.
4. BOYS & GIRLS
5. LIAR LIAR
6. Sentimental PIGgy Romance
7. Bell the CAT
8. JOHN
9. 88
10. PUNKY HEART
11. GHOST HEART
12. LET ME’ CRAZY!!
13. SUPER DUPER GALAXY
14. Hoshi no Arika.
15. The LOVE SONG

Hyper Japan Announces Musical Guest for Feb 2012: Natsuko Aso

The UK’s biggest Japanese pop culture event, Hyper Japan, is returning to London for a third year, and bringing with it the 21 year old actress and J-pop star Natsuko Aso!

She shot to fame as Negima!‘s grumpy, anti-social tech-freak Chisame Hasegawa in the series’ live action adaptation (she also provided opening and ending themes for the show), and soon appeared in several other Japanese TV shows, including a cameo in the country’s superhero series Kamen Rider W.

Outside of Japan Natsuko Aso’s probably best known for her work in anime, including songs in Yasuhiro Imagawa’s (Gundam G, Giant Robo) Shin Mazinger Shougeki! Z-Hen, and the accompanying anime series to the card trading craze that took over Japan this year, Cardfight!! Vanguard – a collaboration between Yu-Gi-Oh and Duel Master‘s creators.

She will be appearing at Hyper Japan on Friday 24 and Saturday 25 February 2012. Last year Japan’s premier cello-vocalist Kanon Wakeshima performed her debut UK show at the event. Tickets for Hyper Japan, taking place at Earls Court’s Brompton Hall, are on sale now for all three days of the event, as well as tickets to the 2012 Sushi Awards, and the 2012 Sake Awards, and are available by clicking here.

Japan Underground will be at the event with our shop selling CDs, DVDs and more. See you there!

AND -eccentric agent- Seek Liberation

AND -eccentric agent-: (l-r) Kiri, PECO, Ikuma, Ken and KAJI.

Visual kei rockers AND -eccentric agent- release their second single, LIBERATE in the UK from today thanks to Gan Shin Records. The digital EP contains three tracks; ‘Liberate’, ‘Voices’ and ‘Silly clown in the show case’ and is available now from iTunes UK for £1.79.

Here’s a preview from Liberate’s music video:

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