When: Saturday 3 March 2012. (from 7pm)
Tickets: £5 on the door.
Where: The Pipeline, 94 Middlesex Street, London, E1 7DA [map]  (formally ‘The Puzzle’, on Google Maps)
Nearest Transport Links: Liverpool Street Station, Aldgate / Algate East Station, Shoreditch High Street Station.
Facebook Event Page: [click here] Last.fm Event Page: [click here]

We’re back and bringing two live acts for your pleasure! All for a mere £5 in the heart of the city of London! Headlining will be two piece Japanese rockers MUGEN HOSO, and they’ll be supported by a very special one-off reunion show from March of the Playwrite. Plus Japanese rock music DJed all night! Around 1 week to go, so go invite your friends and rock out!

More information to follow shortly.

For now, here’s a video of MUGEN HOSO in action:

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)

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…

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

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-: (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:

Related Stories: AND -eccentric agent- Hope to Set UK Ablaze with Debut Single

According to AEG Live, Japan’s veteran pop-rockers L’Arc en Ciel have almost sold out London’s indigo2 ahead of the group’s first UK concert on 11 April 2011 – the remaining tickets can be snapped up from Ticket Master and See Tickets while stocks last. If you’ve already got yours (and even if you haven’t), celebrate the achievement with the release of the unit’s latest single CHASE, out worldwide from today and available in the UK from Amazon.co.uk and Play.com.

The title track from the CHASE single also features as the theme to Wild 7, the live action adaptation of Mikiya Mochizuki’s classic manga of the same name which is also hitting cinemas in Japan today. CHASE includes four tracks; the regular version of ‘CHASE’ and a ‘hydeless version’ (meaning it is clean of vocals), plus the song ‘My Dear (L’acoustic version)’ and its hydeless variation.

Related Posts:
L’Arc en Ciel: The World Tour 2012 Interview

The bods that calculate Japan’s Oricon charts have been busy over the past few days collating data for the yearly charts. So efficiant they are, they’ve actually finished it a whole two weeks before the end of the year – bravo chaps! Take the rest of the year off on us.

However, as for the people of Japan, we want words… the top ten selling albums of 2011 are pretty dire, with only one domestic release we can reccomend; Ikimonogakari’s BEST Selection, which also made 2010′s chart too.

All figures are physical copies. Oricon doesn’t count downloads, as ridiculous as that is.
Any links in the chart will direct you to iTunes UK where either the album can be downloaded, or the artist’s back catalogue.

• 01: Arashi – Beautiful World (907,589)
• 02: AKB48 – Koko ni Ita Koto (829,645)
• 03: EXILE – Negai no Tou (743,242)
• 04: Lady GaGa – Born This Way (658,554)
• 05: Shoujo Jidai – GIRLS’ GENERATION (642,054)
• 06: Namie Amuro – Checkmate! (484,336)
• 07: KARA – Super Girl (450,595)
• 08: Keisuke Kuwata – MUSICMAN (414,725)
• 09: SMAP – SMAP AID (413,943)
• 10: Ikimonogakari – Ikimonobakari ~members’ BEST selection~ (397,459)

The full top 50, including sales figures, is available from Oricon’s site by clicking here. Highlights include pop-rockers BUMP OF CHICKEN‘s COSMONAUT ranking in at 17; Superfly‘s Mind Travel at 14; and one of our personal favourite albums of the year,  Zettai Zetsumei from RADWIMPS ranked 25th.

Other honourable mentions include UVERworld’s LIFE 6 SENSE (49th), Tokyo Jihen‘s Daihakken (48th), Perfume’s JPN (24th), YUI’s HOW CRAZY YOUR LOVE (35th) and two albums from Ayumi Hamasaki; Love Songs (23rd) and FIVE (30th).

The top ten singles of the year suffer a worst fate than the album chart and sees AKB48 once again hijack the top five.

• 01: AKB48 – Flying Get (1,587,229)
• 02: AKB48 – Everyday, Kachuusha (1,586,840)
• 03: AKB48 – Kaze wa Fuiteiru (1,418,888)
• 04: AKB48 – Ue Kara Mariko (1,198,864)
• 05: AKB48 – Sakura no Ki ni Narou (1,079,460)
• 06: Arashi – Lotus (625,935)
• 07: Arashi – Meikyu Love Song (614,131)
• 08: Kaoru to Tomoki, Tama ni Mook – Maru-Maru-Mori -Mori (498,920)
• 09: SKE48 – Pareo wa Emerald (466,037)
• 10: Kis-My-Ft2 – Everybody Go (441,680)

The full top 50 singles can be viewed by clicking here.

When: Saturday 4 February 2012. (7pm-midnight)
Tickets: £5 adv (http://www.wegottickets.com/event/150897), £7 on the door.
Where: The Pipeline, 94 Middlesex Street, London, E1 7DA [map]  (formally ‘The Puzzle’, on Google Maps)
Nearest Transport Links: Liverpool Street Station, Aldgate / Algate East Station, Shoreditch High Street Station.
Facebook Event Page: [click here] Last.fm Event Page: [click here] 

Get the hairspray and glitter ready; Japan Underground is back and kicking off 2012 with a dose of 80s mayhem – Japanese style! And we’re making sure it is a kind of magic, we’re flying in one of Japan’s cheesiest, most eccentric tribute acts to Queen for their first show on British soil! Calling themselves Queer (err..), the group do everything in their will to pay homage to their rock idols, from stage presence, to sound, to sporting unitards and big hair – they were even formed in the month of May, and it wouldn’t surprise us if each of their first-born were named Brian, regardless of gender.

The event will also feature DJ sets that incorporate the event’s usual dose of Japanese music throughout the night. In tribute to the live music for the night, there will also be a special cover DJ set, including covers of some of the west’s best known songs that have undergone a Japanese makeover. Plus a mix of tracks from the best in Japanese hair metal, 80s J-pop deviants and modern visual kei and electro.

Glam up, bring some friends, and party like it’s 1989! We’ll leave you with a video from our last event:

Osaka’s premier all girl punk-rock unit Shonen Knife welcomes in the season of goodwill with a brand new festive single, and a rare charity auction that hopes to raise plenty of cash on behalf the Japanese Red Cross Earthquake and Tsunami fund.

The threesome’s 2011 Christmas single ‘Sweet Christmas’ is available now across the UK digitally via iTunes UK, Amazon.co.uk and Play.com, as well as a limited edition 7″ white vinyl from HMV or directly from the group’s European label and management; Damnably. The single contains the title track, plus the girls’ cover of ‘We Wish You A Merry Christmas’, and an acoustic version of ‘Sweet Christmas’.

Damnably has also teamed up with Shonen Knife to offer one lucky bidder the chance to own rare Shonen swag, including their Osaka Ramones (faux) leather jackets, a selection of CDs, merchandise and more! The auction is now live from today until Christmas and can be viewed by clicking here.

The auction includes:

• 3x signed ‘Osaka Ramones’ faux leather jackets – as worn by the band at their only European Osaka Ramones concert at The Brixton Windmill on 8 Sep 2011.
• 1x Shonen Knife’s Osaka Ramones album.
• 1x Shonen Knife’s Free Time album.
• 1x Shonen Knife’s Super Group album.
• 3x Shonen Knife London concert postcards.
• 1x Shonen Knife London concert A3 poster.
• 5x Shonen Knife stickets.
• 1x Test pressing of Shonen Knife’s Sweet Christmas single (one of only six in the world, the others belonging to the band and Damnably).
• 1x Physical actual copy of Sweet Christmas.

Happy bidding, and spread the word!