The rythm guitarist (Miku, red rose), founded the band. She found the lead guitarist (Kanami) from online videos and recruited her. In turn Kanami knew the drummer (Akane) who knew the bassist (Misa). In the end Miku decided they needed a stronger singer and found the lead singer (Saiki). The rest is history. Yes. They are that tight live. I've seen them. No they're not a production company put together band. True through and through rock and roll loving women who are better than almost anything going today
Thanks for explaining the story of how Band-Maid was organically formed by Miku Kobato who had worked in a Japanese maid cafe. Odd that there was an assumption that most female bands this great must have been artificially created somehow by a record company. No one ever asks that question about any all-male bands for some reason. In fact, to be honest, it's kind of an annoying question to ask in the first place. At least it wasn't asked if they could really play their own instruments. lol.
Miku founded the band, the band soon realized her voice wasn't strong enough, So they found Siaki. This really enforces the Japanese lifestyle. It's not about the individual, it's about what's best for the group. Miku formed the band then replaced herself to make the band better. The band then gave her a guitar "to hold as a prop" Miku decided that if I'm going to hold a guitar, I'm going to learn and play the guitar. If you noticed in their first video, "Breaking new gate" Miku is just holding the guitar. She practiced 8 to 10 hours a day to catch up to her peers, and now she is quit an accomplished rhythm guitarist.
they are indeed 100% organically formed and not manufactured, and they do enjoy this type of music + write their own songs for about the past 6 years. The bassist grew up loving jimi hendrix and the guitarist loves santana lol. The chances of a girl band like this forming is pretty unlikely, but by some stroke of good fortune it happened.
Also, sorry I can’t remember what someone commented but it lead me to believe they started as an industry band, but it’s good to know they are organically formed!
@@Leon-yg5gm MISA (for Nerding’s reference) is also a huge Smashing Pumpkins and Pixies fan, especially Paz Lenchantin. And don’t forget Akane (drummer) grew up on Maximum the Hormone, which can get as heavy as just about anyone. In fact MtH would be a great band for a reaction.
@@nerdingoutwithrickshaw7817 Miku (band founder, rhythm guitar, backing/harmony vocals, main lyricist) was in a typical industry formed pop group that never really went anywhere, and after working in a maid cafe she got the idea for a rock band of maids. The band then formed organically, but her industry contacts (and I believe some lingering contract with a record label) got them started. Early on as part of their record contract, the songs were written for them. Kanami, the lead guitarist (and a singer/songwriter prior to joining the band) kept pushing their label to allow them to write their own music. The label relented after a couple of years, just after they finally “made it”, and allowed one song. That song did so well that the label was like “okay, you got this, write your own music”, and ever since then they’ve been doing it on their own. But to be very clear, the band was not assembled by the label. Miku found Kanami online. Kanami played gigs with Akane (drums), who went to music academy with Misa (bass). And Miku realized her voice wasn’t right for the band, so she learned guitar from Kanami, and auditioned for a new singer, and found Saiki (with the label’s help)
Just a lot of factors working to create this band. Japan encourages and provides music education to children. The lead guitar, bass and drummer all started on piano at an early age. The lead and 2nd singer started in karaoke bars at an early age Their primary song writer is the lead guitarist. Her training was mainly classical style piano. It appears that she does her composing on a keyboard, then works up the various instrumental parts and vocal melody from that composition.
I'd say they sound even better in person, if only because the sound mixing on this particular concert DVD toned down Kanami's guitar a bit too much. I saw them in concert in October and am looking forward to their return to the US.
I would love to see BandMaid with their laser light show. It would be amazing. I fully understand the money and fan base that is needed to tour with a laser show, but maybe sometime soon.
I was lucky enough to see Band Maid at their Washington D.C. show back in October and it was as good a show as Rush, Yes, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, etc. Those are some of the industry greats I’ve seen over the years, and Band Maid compares very well as far as a live experience goes. And their catalog of music is as good as any rock band ever… again, IMO. So many great songs and hardly a bad one in sight.
BAND MAID : so good that God is driving 13 trillion miles from heaven to see the Maids play live in the US this year. He's already moaning about the fuel cost tho. Tch🤷♂️
He`s the one with all the facebookveiws for Thrill, just so he could watch them evolve into the goddesses they are now. Of course he`ll take that trip. (no matter what the cost)
Band Maid was started in 2013 by Miku Kobato. At the time she had just left the Idol Group, Lil Cumin and she didn't like the type of music she had been performing. She approached her management agency with the idea of making an actual band playing rock music but dressed as maids. She had worked in a Maid Cafe and thought the image of maids playing rockin music would create what she called "The Gap" between what you see and what you hear. The Management company was like Ok, go ahead. Miku then looked around and found Kanami a singer/songwriter who was posting her own videos on the internet. Miku had her agency contact her and Kanami thought the idea was cool and agreed to join. Miku then asked if Kanami knew a drummer who might be interested. Kanami had worked with Akane in the past and there is 2 versions of this, the first is, Kanami literally walked over to Akane's apartment and asked her, the second is Kanami called Akane and asked her. (Akane has said in 2 different interviews that 1: Kanami called her and asked if she could come over and 2: in a second interview Kanami just came over) Akane was actually hesitant as she had worked in an "All Girl Group" before and didn't enjoy it as it wasn't the type of music she wanted to play. After hearing a Demo, Akane was like ok, but was still slightly hesitant because of the "Maid Outfits", but she agreed to give it a try. Akane was asked if she knew a bass player and she had gone to Tokyo School of Music with MISA and had worked a couple of jobs with her. So Misa was contacted and after she heard a demo she was like I like the music, but she also was hesitant about the "Maid Outfits", but she relented and joined in as she really wanted to play the kind of music she heard in the demo. The 3 of them then "Auditioned" for the record company and passed the audition. Now we have the "Core" members. The 4 members worked out some songs provided for them by the record company, and a setlist and they had performed 3 times with just Miku on main vocals. Miku after those performances felt that her voice wasn't powerful enough to really perform the songs she wanted. So she approached her management company again and asked if they had any singers who weren't in other projects. They then auditioned several singers. Miku heard Saiki rehearsing in a room across the hall and asked if she could be auditioned, the record company then had Saiki audition. Saiki was signed to the same management company and had done some work as a backup singer and dancer and was asked if she would be interested in auditioning for this new group which currently had 4 members and she would be the fifth. She had been a member of a group with 8 other people as a backup singer and dancer, and HATED it. So she listened to the demo and thought "Cool" because she liked the music. Now we come to the tricky part. Miku KNEW that if Saiki was told about the "Maid Outfits" she would say NO WAY!, so they didn't tell her. They told her they would have "Cool/cute Clothes"(I've read it translated either way), and she never met Miku until a few days before they had a contracted performance. She wasn't told about the "Maid Outfits" until the day before the performance, and she had considered backing out, but she had signed the contract. (Saiki also had NEVER met Miku until then as well) So the Ladies, went and did the performance and Saiki really, REALLY liked the crowds reaction and the music they were performing. She DIDN'T like the apron she wore so it got ditched after the first performance. And you now have the beginnings of the BEST LIVE HARD ROCK BAND in the WORLD! ALL HAIL BAND MAID!!!!! Now that we have the Full band, it was felt that there needed to be a second guitar. Saiki was like, "Not Me, No Way." So Miku said, "I'll do it.", at first that was literally all she did, was hold the guitar and mime playing it, until Akane said, if you are going to hold it, you NEED to learn to play it. And Miku said, "Ok.", and Kanami started to teach Miku how to play. The Ladies released their first album in 2014 "Maid in Japan" which failed to chart, but later after "Thrill" it was reissued and charted to #26 in Japan.
Then in 2015 they released "New Beginning" On New Beginning was the song that changed Band Maid's entire existence. "Thrill"... The band was getting ready to release their first music video and the choice was between "Love, Passion, Matador" and "Thrill" and the ladies chose Thrill. (Little known fact, Miku helped with the lyrics on Thrill but did not get credited) This became the seminal moment of Band Maid. Because their second album charted at #64, the record company was seriously considering disbanding the Ladies and switching them to other projects. (In fact they had Kanami and Akane work with Mochi to Cheese thinking that when Band Maid cratered they could use them in another band. MISA had also just started working with Mochi to Cheese as well). However about 6 months after the video's release, a Facebook page "JRock Radio" posted the video to their timeline. And the video went viral. Having over a million views in just a few short weeks. The Ladies Twitter page got so many hits they thought their page had been hacked. Their UA-cam channel also started getting more and more subscribers and views to Thrill. Now the ladies knew where their fans wanted them to go. Harder Rock, less pop. And history was Maid.
The first 3 years or so, their songs were written by external composers (and some lyricists), but they all got their credits to songs they created, i.e., no ghost writers. Since 2016, almost all songs have been written by Maids themselves. Thanks for reacting to Band-Maid again, and hope you continue your happy Band-Maid journey, PO!(P_O)🕊💕
When you talk about Miracles Out Of Nowhere you should always bring up BAND-MAID. Right from their start there was divine intervention and impeccable timing. IMHO the best Rock music this side of Pluto. AWESOME 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 Peace. 1.9
@@GaryHolloway-810 Yes we are. We are Awesome. 🏅 btw, the Maids are being very secretive about this US trip so far. Maybe they're not allowed to upstage TLR. Well that will soon be a moot point anyway. 🎸🥁🎤
Their live shows are typically over 2 hours and close to 30 songs. Watch Real Existence live. That was the next to last song in a 2+ hour show and they still bring it hard. The whole show is available on Band-Maid Prime. It' phenominal.
Band-Maid has a few music videos that are awesome =) Check out "Blooming' "Dice" or "Warning" MV's ! For another great live performance "Real Existence" live will do ! These are some of Band-Maids fastest songs ! Thanks Guys Nice Reaction !
These girls rip! They are easily one of the best bands on the planet. These girls have a very engaged fan base called Maidiacs. Enjoy the ride on the Band Maid train. It is awesome.
My opinion: _most of the time_ you'll want to listen to the music video or album version of a song first, then follow up with a live version if you want to compare and contrast. There will be a lot of tone crafting and special backing tracks on their album tracks, they'll use backing tracks in their live versions but they aren't as prominent. They will add sections to their live performances, like the solos in the breakdown in this one. More than anything, though, they have _fun_ on stage. They love performing, they love the crowd interaction, and they love playing music. It's infectious.
@@Equilibrium2903 in my opinion recordings come 1st, then live recordings, then actual live show. But yes, live show is always the absolute best option
I appreciate the pauses for discussion. Now I can hear what everyone is saying, and nobody is missing any of the song. The only thing left to critique is hitting the left arrow key
...on their way to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. And, if you are getting "Babymetal vibes," you need to flush out your headgear. They are two VERY different things. BAND-MAID is essentially a group of jazz musicians playing rock. Their genre? Their genre is BAND-MAID. Anyway, enjoy your voyage into the realm of World Domination.
They were "put together" by Miku...and are an organic production. Miku found Kanami who knew Akane who went to music school with MISA...then Miku fired herself as lead singer and hired Saiki.
Welcome aboard, Rickshaw Guys. You are embarking on (along with many others - 165 million YT views plus over 40 million reactor plays!) an awesome, progressive, hard-rock journey with 5 incredible women. Here's my intro blurb for those who may be new to Band-Maid:
BAND-MAID’s songs and sound beat with the heart and soul of all rockers. But you’ll also hear heavy influences of Prog, Punk, Metal and Pop, with nice touches of Blues, Jazz, Funk and Grunge. Sometimes they use multiple genres within the same song. Their Composition, Execution, Joy of Playing, Consistency (124 songs), Uniqueness, Charisma, Charm and, oh yeah, Cuteness factor, position them as becoming the hard rock Beatles of our time! In other words, they’re destined for mega-stardom. Each member's personalities are super interesting and their musicianship among the best. Their writing, arrangements and overall sound, especially guitar tones and drums, are kick-ass! Having seen them LIVE, I can honestly say their performance, sound, stage appearance, and band synergy is off-the-rails spectacular! Band-Maid is the only band in decades where I love nearly EVERY song they’ve done. I have over 70 favorites! "Thrill" (2014) is a great place to start: ua-cam.com/video/Uds7g3M-4lQ/v-deo.html Their songs from albums Unleash, Unseen World, Conqueror, World Domination, Just Bring It, Brand New Maid, and New Beginning drive even more - Warning, No God, Different, Black Hole, Rinne, Blooming, Moratorium, Domination, Clang, Dice, Spirit, Don’t You Tell Me, Turn Me On, Fate, Play, Hide-And-Seek, Secret My Lips, Puzzle, Choose Me, I Can’t Live Without You, and on and on. But don’t miss out on their powerful, beautifully written, mid-tempo songs like Daydreaming, About Us, Anemone, Endless Story, PAGE, At The Drop Of A Hat, Mirage and Smile... or more punky like After Life, Don’t Let Me Down and Screaming… or funky like Bubble… or bluesy like Manners and The Dragon Cries… or poppy like Start Over… or a bit jazzy like Wonderland… or progressive like No God, Giovanni, and Black Hole… or cultural like the Band-Maiko series… or instrumentals like From Now On, Don’t Be Long, Onset, Without Holding Back and Going Nuts… or their many acoustic versions like Catharsis and Sayonakidori... and last but not least, their Anime hits like Sense, Glory and Unleash (from their own Anime MV (series?)): ua-cam.com/video/7LB_EPS48HE/v-deo.html) And many songs are represented with over 45 well produced music videos. ua-cam.com/users/BANDMAID Most performances should be experienced from their LIVE audience & online OKYU-JI concerts: ONLINE OKYU-JI (Feb. 11, 2021) “No God” ua-cam.com/video/nAdWnIRjGak/v-deo.html Tokyo's LINE CUBE SHIBUYA (February 14, 2020) “Domination” ua-cam.com/video/QbyQCJn6rYg/v-deo.html ZEPP 2018 “Real Existence” ua-cam.com/video/-qQnKILR5u0/v-deo.html Shinkiba Studio Coast 2017 and other full concerts are on bandmaidprime.tokyo, bili, and official Band-Maid’s DVD/BD/CD. “P and D²” 30+ Photo Collage videos at www.youtube.com/@PinD2/videos And some of the better quality fan videos are excellent. Here’s two of what it’s like to see Band-Maid LIVE at an intimate venue: By Wave Potter with their last 2022 US tour OKYU-JI concert in Chicago: ua-cam.com/video/R9BcFwZz3cc/v-deo.html By Vladimir Chupin - a wealth of excellent videos at www.youtube.com/@VladimirChupin If you like Band-Maid, make sure to support them by purchasing some concert tickets, CD, DVD/BD & Merch, etc. bandmaid.tokyo Like most Band-Maid songs, I like them from the get-go but really start to appreciate them after more hearings and seeing their LIVE videos. I'll go back and see an older song like YOLO, Order, Shake That, Freezer, Before Yesterday, Real Existence, Non Fiction Days and Alone, etc. and realize there's no band that can consistently construct and play like Band-Maid. For fun, check out an awesome, little known "Mega Band-Maid Mix" by DJ Ray of some of their earlier stuff: facebook.com/djrayboston/videos/1004709499579009 Band-Maid Members: Saiki Atsumi (Sy-i-Key or Psyche) “Ice Queen" - Lead vocals, arrangements and melodies. At 28 and the youngest, “Sensei” (Teacher) as band members call her, has the last word on many musical decisions. High-heels or sneakers, Sai-chan’s smile melts away her sometimes perceived, coldish persona. Saiki’s powerhouse performances, charisma, and voice focus the experience that’s driven her to the top echelon of hard rock frontwomen... or frontmen! Miku Kobato (Me-Ku) "Small Pigeon" - Rhythm guitar, vocals, lyricist, 31 years old. “Koba”, as Saiki calls her, is the Band founder and a firecracker MC & PR SpokesPigeon, po! Her “Magic Spell Time” charm and energy ignite the room. Kuruppo! No, no, no… KURUPPO!! Kanami Tono (Ka-Na-Me) “Princess” - Lead guitar, keyboards, 31 years old, is a prolific writer of most Band-Maid material. Kanami (translates “Song Wave”) is a possessed riff-slayer who’s so damn adorable it hurts. The only thing you want from Mincho is more! Akane Hirose (A-Ka-Nay) "Gorilla" - Drums, 32 years old, band energizer & co-clown with MISA. Achi’s talents include massive consumption of noodles and bananas, of course, (even during performance!) while revolutionizing rock drumming with relentless drive, dynamics and the kick. This “DrumZilla” is the Party! MISA (Me-Sa) "Barefoot Assassin" - Bass, 30 years old. An alluring free spirit driving her 5-string to rapturous low-ends while pulling off surprising counter leads with Kanami, off-stage MISA is the band’s goofball ballerina. Sometimes seen as the Mysterious One because she lets her instrument do the talking, the Assassin literally kills it… every note... uniting Band-Maid’s world-class rhythm section. A slug of JB, a slight grin, and let the slappin’ begin… MISA! MISA! MISA! Maidiacs (Maid-e-acts) - Band-Maid’s crazed yet supportive, knowledgeable and loyal Super Fans. [BAND-MAID NEWS] BAND-MAID PRIME - Special Video Distribution Website. Along with nearly 50 great play-through’s by each member, concerts and skits, Band-Maid management / label(s) have included the Acoustic Christmas 2021, ZEPP 2018 and Shinkiba Studio Coast 2017 concerts! Fans can now see more than 50 great live performances with awesome audio, etc. like Fate, I Can't Live Without You and the great MISA / Kanami exchange in Don't You Tell Me. Those concerts are two of the best produced & performed concerts ever recorded, IMO. bandmaidprime.tokyo The Maids SOLD OUT 2022 US tour just wrapped up and was a fantastic success. And so many great live fancams to watch! Their playing and antics were as fresh and fun to experience from first show to last. And their opening for Guns and Roses and sold out 8,000 seat Garden Theater concerts were huge successes. BRAVO Band-Maid!!!!! BAND-MAID will perform as the opening act for "THE LAST ROCKSTARS Live Debut 2023 Tokyo - New York - Los Angeles" THE LAST ROCKSTARS' U.S. shows in NY on February 4 and LA on February 10 are all sold out, and the NY show on February 3 has been added due to the great response from around the world. BAND-MAID will perform at all three U.S. shows. BAND-MAID will be performed at "ARABAKI ROCK FEST 23" end of April, and at the music festival "Welcome to Rockville 2023" on May 18, 2023.
Thanks for reacting to Band-Maid. You should attend a Band-Maid concert (Okyuji) if you ever get the chance. I saw them at Tokyo Garden Theater on January 9th, incredible show with 26 songs. I may be biased, but Band-Maid are the best hardrock band of all times, and the best live band I've ever seen.
♥ these girls! Best rock band in the world! I suggest these BM songs: Dice, Manners, Bubble, No God (live), Real Existence (live) & Turn Me On (live) Las tsong is not on their channel, but this was taken from a dvd. So good quality - ua-cam.com/video/l9ibUQ-V-Z4/v-deo.html
checklist of BAND-MAID songs puzzle（Live） moratorium（Live） turn me on（MV） unfair game from now on（MV） you（Live） on set（Live） flying high warning!（MV） the dragon cries（MV） dics（MV） choose me （MV） without holding back giovanni why.why.why screaming secret my lips（MV） page（Live） If you want to enjoy the evolution of BAND-MAID I'll write another checklist. Enjoy the world ofバンドメイド（ BAND-MAID）
They weren't created, and they weren't hired because they already existed. It started when rhythm guitarist Miku proposed to her agency after her idol group ended. Because the members gathered in order according to their solicitations, they probably had more musical talent than the agency that prepared the song had assumed. In the 3rd album, one song was created by the members, and from the 4th album, everything was produced by the band members.
Yes, they all are this good, and yes, they all love metal plus other genres, and if you think these 5 are bad ass, check out the 5 ladies in Nemophila...
They are definitely not a manufactured idol band. The lead singer was found through auditions, but the other four members found each other. They did have outside writers at first, but they kept submitting songs until the record label finally accepted one and now they almost exclusively write all of their songs from top to bottom. Try Dice, Rinne, or Blooming official music videos. All amazing songs and you guys will still just be scratching the surface.
His Holiness TinyHat-san welcomes you to the Unseen World that is the International Fellowship of Maidiacs...the best live rock band on the planet. ...po.
MISA! MISA! MISA! Bryan...what the Hell Dude!! You have Never Heard of Band Maid?? Like the Hottest Rock'n'Roll Maid Band on the Planet??? Dude!! LoL!!!! Holding the Line in Solid Guitar Rock, Band Maid has picked up the Mantel of Rock'n'Roll where the West has left it behind! More Band Maid Always!! Put your Kitsune UP!! Po!
From the get-go, they wanted complete control of their product -- not the easiest thing to accomplish in Japan, especially for an all-female rock band. They played the game intelligently and tenaciously, taking down one brick at a time, until they got everything that they wanted (including some post-production work). They were not "put together" by any "outside" entity. Miko recruited Kanami via a demo video on the Net. Kanami brought in her friend Akane (who she had previously worked with professionally). Akane brought in her friend Misa. Feeling that the band needed a broader vocal dimension, Miku worked her magic, and brought Saiki on board. Excepting the band's first gig, this line-up has remained unchanged over the group's 9+ years as a recording act. Miku initially had no knowledge of how to play the guitar, so Kanami used her non-existant free time to bring her up to speed; today Miku is a very solid -- and constantly improving -- rhythm guitarist. Again, today they have what they ALWAYS wanted -- virtually total control of their musical product, from inception into post-production (yes, the costuming is their's as well). Some people don't need the help -- they cut their own path.
They performed 3 concerts with just Miku as lead vocalist before they recruited Saiki. And SOMEWHERE there is a 30-45 second clip from the very first show. Where Miku introduces them as Band-Maid and Akane did a drum roll, then the video cuts off. I've seen it once on Ploud, but I haven't been able to find it again.
@@greylocke100 If you do, let me know. I've only seen footage of their first actual concert sans Saiki. I have read the "one concert without her" statement in many places over the years. What would be the three shows that they did without her, and does footage exist on the Net for all three (even clips would be useful)? Also, my contention was one CONCERT without Saiki, and their being a SIGNED recording act at the time. I'm not counting auditions or special appearances. My understanding was that Miku had an agreement in principle (with several conditions) with Platinum Passport/Gump Records while putting Band Maid together, but that all of the conditions had to be met and PP had to give their formal approval of the constituency of the band, before any formal contract could be signed. If I'm correct in this, I'm only talking about a true concert performed after the group was formally contracted to PP/Gump. If I'm wrong, please go ahead and correct me -- truth is more important than my "winning" -- I just want to be clear on the terms of my statement, and to have all the corrective specifics "in hand".
Memory serves the young better than it serves those that are older. After your comment, I went back and viewed the "video" that I was referring to in my previous comment. The "video" was of their first concert with Saiki. Since double-dipping is not allowed, I lose that point. Moreover, my use of the word "video", without a preceding adjective, was unintentionally misleading; most people reading that would have assumed that I meant an MV, not extended concert footage. Again, my bad. Anybody should be able to accept a respectful, documented challenge to their own assertions. If they can't, they need a thicker skin. Thank you for your input. (However, I'd still like to know what the other two pre-Saiki concerts were, and whether they were true concerts, as opposed to audition footage, "exposure" performances or studio footage).
Hey Guys! Band-Maid is one of the best rock bands to come out in decades, IMHO. Another band, that has lots of cross-over fans with B-M is The Warning. Three sisters from Mexico, they are a classic Power Trio! Actually Band-Maid met The Warning at the Aftershock festival in Sacramento last summer. They are mutual fans of each other. May I suggest doing their music video "Disciple" as an introduction. Rock On!
The comments have some variation of the story already but based on documentaries and interviews I’ve seen it goes something like this. All of these girls have been into music in some form most of their lives. Both singers were under contract with the same label before the band was founded but the label didn’t create this group. Miku (rhythm guitar and back up vocals) worked in a maid cafe and came up with the idea of that esthetic mixed with hard rock music being a good contrast and pitched it to her label. They liked the idea and told her to go ahead and put together a band and they would produce albums. Miku did UA-cam searching and found the lead guitarist, who brought a drummer she knew, who brought a bassist classmate to that she knew. They later auditioned the main singer when the band itself decided they needed a different sound for the lead and the studio provided options and the girls picked (tricked) Saiki. For the first 3 albums the studio had writers write music for them, but it was collaborative, the girls had a lot of input and weren’t forced to play anything. They will still say this helped them learn a lot about that process. They would write their own stuff over that time and the studio rejected all of it until a song (Alone) on the 3rd album was approved and they’ve taken over completely since then. Since that time I believe only 1 song that they wrote prior to taking over that responsibility has made it to an album, so I think it’s safe to say that even the girls agree that their earlier writing wasn’t good enough or that they’d just moved on to newer ideas. So they’re not manufactured and are their own thing, but their original label was involved in helping them reach the awesome that they are today even if they almost cancelled the contract before their first music video went viral.
My understanding is that Miku approached her talent agency about creating a maid costumed all-female hard rock band. The year was 2013 when Babymetal first started blowing up in Japan which might have helped convince the talent agency to give it a try. The talent agency showed her UA-cam videos of possible artists to approach about joining the band and Miku was very impressed with Kanami's videos. The talent agency was also starting their own inhouse label called Gump and that became Band-Maid's first label. My feeling is that a talent agency creating a small label is a conflict of interest since a talent agency should be sending its clients to the best labels possible. Gump is the label that would not accept Kanami's songs. I personally believe that not using any Kanami songs on the first two albums was a big mistake. The one good thing that Gump actually did was use songs by a then 36 year old composer named Kentaro Akutsu. It was Akutsu that wrote the music and lyrics to a song called Thrill. Band-Maid liked the song and believed that it was the type of song that fit the band. They believed in the song so much that they insisted a music video be made with the song. Of course the music video went viral and Band-Maid was approached by a more well established label called Crown Stones. It was the Crown Stones label that said yes to the first Kanami song, Alone, which would be the final track on Brand New Maid. On the next album, Just Bring It, Kanami would compose 9 of the 13 songs (Miku would also become the primary lyricist). In my opinion, Kanami was very likely writing songs good enough to be included on the first two albums. Saiki thought so too because she repeatedly urged Kanami to keep writing because her songs were good. The success of Band-Maid occurred not with the help of Gump, but despite the ineptness of Gump. As far as I know, Gump ended as a label when Band-Maid left. The success of Band-Maid is due solely to their talent, determination and smart decisions, with a very big assist from Akutsu. Kanami respects Akutsu as a composer and the two of them cowrote two songs on World Domination.
@@danw6048 i find this to be an exceedingly pessimistic view. I think it’s all a lot more gray and n terms of what transpired. The ladies have spoken highly of the writers on early songs who did a lot of good work. Gump certainly made mistakes and thought they should go a different way and were ultimately very wrong in that belief, but there are a lot of great tracks on New Beginning beyond Thrill, many are popular today still. So I strongly disagree that they succeeded despite Gump, and it’s not like they haven’t changed labels since then either.
@@evilducks3710 I didn't say anything at all against the writers of the early songs and I think many of those songs are very good. But the fact is that Maid In Japan did not chart at all and New Beginning only reached #64 on Oricon. If it wasn't for the miracle of the Thrill mv, New Beginning would have been the last Band-Maid release. What exactly did Gump do to help Band-Maid? Band-Maid has only changed labels once since leaving Gump, when they changed from Nippon Crown to Pony Canyon between Conqueror and Unseen World.
Watch this next: MANNERS + BLACK HOLE (a two-fer from a Covid live stream that shows two musical extremes) - ua-cam.com/video/iaf94nNSRGE/v-deo.html (no need for the MV) After that, you might be ready for LOVEBITES (another all-female Metal band whose live performances outshine the studio recordings). Start with HOLY WAR. Here’s the pre-Covid one - ua-cam.com/video/bgAxpEpEcno/v-deo.html
Love this song, can't wait till yall check out and discover one of the best all female Japanese metal bands in Nemophila and their song Adabana or Dissension!
Agree that there are a lot of different styles and elements mixed in to any Band-Maid song. One of the elements I really love is the groove provided by Bassist Misa, Misa, Misa and Drummer Gorilla ( Hirose Akane's nickname). Akane loves bananas and is strong enough to tote her drums around. My description for the band is not stank. Band-Maid are a bunch of hooligans, which means they are a blast live. Their concerts are called servings and their audience Masters and Princesses. When, not if, but when you see them live you will not be disappointed. Lead Guitarist Kanami goes by the nickname Mincho. She is the mad-scientist of riffage. She comes up with a lot of their music then takes it to the band who make changes to complete the song. Miku, known as Big Pigeon . . . . "Kobato Miku not Big Pigeon! Miku Little Pigeon, po." Sorry Miku. Little pigeon then writes the lyrics. Lead singer Atsumi Saiki has penned a couple of song lyrics, too. Saiki has a great voice and excellent stage presence. She's a boss up there. Suffice it to say, the songs written by Band-Maid are much better than what was originally written for them on their first couple albums. Definitely did enjoy your reaction.
Oh no, 100% organic. These 5 woman are the creators of this music. They had management company help with songwriters and co-writers on their first 3 EP’s but they found each other and then they got out of that original record deal so they had total control. Except for just a few co-written songs, at their request, they develop everything amongst the five of them since their 1st full-length album. Domination is a 2018 song off their 2nd full album when in full control. Band-Maid is the real deal in every respect…as composers, songwriters, arrangers, instrumentalists, orchestration, players and performers. They have every influence. We’ve shared much about that in some prior comments - check those out for more info, if interested. Band-Maid is essentially a rock band, not a metal band. There are several all-female, organic metal bands in Japan 🇯🇵. Metal is alive and well with the ladies in Japan. You should check out: - Nemophila - Lovebites - Hanabie - Aldious - Bridear - Lisa-X band. Lots of great bands but none quite as broad in influence and expression as the Maids. The Maids always bring the goods. 😀 and, really guys, it’s not “dance” - that’s silly - it’s mainstream radio rock - call it pop-rock but not “dance” 😂😂😂 Take care and rock on 🤘🏼🔥🎸🎼🥁🎤🎹🧠😎✌🏼
I just found you guys so I'm going to ask you If you haven't done freedom from the same concert lots of must Great drum solo. You want English I believe it's called the Dragon cries... I'm okay I can't remember everything maybe somebody double will see this and clarify the song name but it's in English
So you had Band Maid and Ladybaby, the next one in line should be Passcode. A bit of an acquired taste with the autotune vocals. “Taking you out” is a fan favorite with former screamer Yuna, and “Clouds Across The Moon” is their latest track with former LadyBaby screamer Emily Arima. But I’m still doing a pitch for Broken By The Scream as well, cause they are awesome and they somehow remind me of IWABO. “Kanjou Cross Counter” is one of their latest songs. “Ki-Ra-I” has a live video and proves they are the real deal too.
I would suggest reacting to the Manners/Black Hole official Live video by Band-Maid. This is a 2 for 1 video and the songs are so different from each other. They are also some of my favorite songs by them as well. ua-cam.com/video/iaf94nNSRGE/v-deo.html&ab_channel=BAND-MAID
No one put them together. They're not a label concoction like BabyMetal is. They formed organically. Miku used to work in a Maid Cafe'. She's the founder. It was all her idea. BAND-MAID consider themselves to be a Hard Rock Band, but they have so many influences besides Metal. Power Pop, Punk, Funk, Classical & Jazz. They do it all, and morph seamlessly from one to the other, even within the same song. They're genreless, or rather a genre unto themselves. They even have acoustic ballad versions of heavy songs. But Rick Shaw, don't miss the BAND-MAIKO songs. It was their April Fool's Day joke, that they were switching from Maids to Geishas. One song is just a reworked BAND-MAID song with traditional instruments, but the other song is strictly exclusive to BAND-MAIKO.
You are wrong. In the beginning their agency/record company were rejecting their songs. After "Thrill" hit, 2 million views in 2 wks, which Miku wrote some of the lyrics. Their first song they wrote accepted by the record company was "Alone". Also their agency dumped the record company. FYI - They are a Rock Band, not a metal band. Their definition!! Want straight up metal, try Lovebites - "Holy War". Japanese and All Female.
Apologize for the mix up but we’ve already been chatting about how they actually formed in some other comments. Thanks for all the knowledge! And yes we have a love bites song reaction coming next week? Or maybe 2 weeks.
Girl rock and metal bands are very common thing in Japan lately. And not like Baby metal, female singers with a male band, yet full shreding very good female bands. I like Band maid very much, but there is two for me better bands. First is Lovebites, heavy/power/ trash twin guitar attack ua-cam.com/video/bgAxpEpEcno/v-deo.html&ab_channel=LOVEBITES Second is Nemophila, heavy/modern metal also twin guitar attack (but with 7strings) ua-cam.com/video/26aMuahxz8c/v-deo.html&ab_channel=NEMOPHILA And these three are just the best of many of them. Japanese rock/metal rabbithole is veeeeery deep... P.S. No hate on Baby metal, just facts.
Japan is full of all female metal bands that just love metal. I mean check out Nemophila, Lovebites or Mary’s Blood and you will metal is from a “guy” only thing in Japan.
Formed organically, their record company tried to make them into a pop act, which bombed their first album. Before the second album, the girls were able to sneak in a hard rock B side to a single and the B side went viral internationally. But no, they weren't put together by a producer. They were already playing live when they landed their contract. Thanks for the listen.
The thing which is annying me most is, that you stop in the middle of the Solos. First Misa's Bass solo then Kanami's solo, before shredding with Miku. Don't do that. And don't compare, there is nothing to compare with. Band-Maid is not Babymetal (or anythieg else). Two total different bands, only to mention playing instruments and composing/writing the songs.
The rythm guitarist (Miku, red rose), founded the band. She found the lead guitarist (Kanami) from online videos and recruited her. In turn Kanami knew the drummer (Akane) who knew the bassist (Misa). In the end Miku decided they needed a stronger singer and found the lead singer (Saiki). The rest is history. Yes. They are that tight live. I've seen them. No they're not a production company put together band. True through and through rock and roll loving women who are better than almost anything going today
Thanks for explaining the story of how Band-Maid was organically formed by Miku Kobato who had worked in a Japanese maid cafe. Odd that there was an assumption that most female bands this great must have been artificially created somehow by a record company. No one ever asks that question about any all-male bands for some reason. In fact, to be honest, it's kind of an annoying question to ask in the first place. At least it wasn't asked if they could really play their own instruments. lol.
Miku founded the band, the band soon realized her voice wasn't strong enough, So they found Siaki. This really enforces the Japanese lifestyle. It's not about the individual, it's about what's best for the group. Miku formed the band then replaced herself to make the band better. The band then gave her a guitar "to hold as a prop" Miku decided that if I'm going to hold a guitar, I'm going to learn and play the guitar. If you noticed in their first video, "Breaking new gate" Miku is just holding the guitar. She practiced 8 to 10 hours a day to catch up to her peers, and now she is quit an accomplished rhythm guitarist.
they are indeed 100% organically formed and not manufactured, and they do enjoy this type of music + write their own songs for about the past 6 years. The bassist grew up loving jimi hendrix and the guitarist loves santana lol. The chances of a girl band like this forming is pretty unlikely, but by some stroke of good fortune it happened.
Oh awesome!
Also, sorry I can’t remember what someone commented but it lead me to believe they started as an industry band, but it’s good to know they are organically formed!
@@nerdingoutwithrickshaw7817 hey no problem. Nobody can keep up with everything from every band. AND band-maid fans love to talk about band-maid LOL.
@@Leon-yg5gm MISA (for Nerding’s reference) is also a huge Smashing Pumpkins and Pixies fan, especially Paz Lenchantin. And don’t forget Akane (drummer) grew up on Maximum the Hormone, which can get as heavy as just about anyone. In fact MtH would be a great band for a reaction.
@@nerdingoutwithrickshaw7817 Miku (band founder, rhythm guitar, backing/harmony vocals, main lyricist) was in a typical industry formed pop group that never really went anywhere, and after working in a maid cafe she got the idea for a rock band of maids. The band then formed organically, but her industry contacts (and I believe some lingering contract with a record label) got them started. Early on as part of their record contract, the songs were written for them. Kanami, the lead guitarist (and a singer/songwriter prior to joining the band) kept pushing their label to allow them to write their own music. The label relented after a couple of years, just after they finally “made it”, and allowed one song. That song did so well that the label was like “okay, you got this, write your own music”, and ever since then they’ve been doing it on their own.
But to be very clear, the band was not assembled by the label. Miku found Kanami online. Kanami played gigs with Akane (drums), who went to music academy with Misa (bass). And Miku realized her voice wasn’t right for the band, so she learned guitar from Kanami, and auditioned for a new singer, and found Saiki (with the label’s help)
Just a lot of factors working to create this band. Japan encourages and provides music education to children. The lead guitar, bass and drummer all started on piano at an early age. The lead and 2nd singer started in karaoke bars at an early age Their primary song writer is the lead guitarist. Her training was mainly classical style piano. It appears that she does her composing on a keyboard, then works up the various instrumental parts and vocal melody from that composition.
Interesting
Miku writes the lyrics!!!!
The Maids open for The Last Rockstars tomorrow night in New York City.
Ive seen them live, and yes, they really do sound this good in person.
I concur.
I'd say they sound even better in person, if only because the sound mixing on this particular concert DVD toned down Kanami's guitar a bit too much. I saw them in concert in October and am looking forward to their return to the US.
I would love to see BandMaid with their laser light show. It would be amazing. I fully understand the money and fan base that is needed to tour with a laser show, but maybe sometime soon.
I was lucky enough to see Band Maid at their Washington D.C. show back in October and it was as good a show as Rush, Yes, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, etc. Those are some of the industry greats I’ve seen over the years, and Band Maid compares very well as far as a live experience goes. And their catalog of music is as good as any rock band ever… again, IMO. So many great songs and hardly a bad one in sight.
BAND MAID : so good that God is driving 13 trillion miles from heaven to see the Maids play live in the US this year. He's already moaning about the fuel cost tho. Tch🤷♂️
He`s the one with all the facebookveiws for Thrill, just so he could watch them evolve into the goddesses they are now. Of course he`ll take that trip. (no matter what the cost)
@@sugaanessena3143 Lol. That's the fella. Yep no expense is too much for the 5 Maid goddesses :)
Now we know what the scientists using the Webb telescope are seeing. You better let them know. They thought it was Santa Claus. 😲
Fuel prices? Well, that's what he gets for turning all those cool dinosaurs into automobile juice, and then letting the monkeys take over the place.
@@TehPhysics HAHA. Aaarrgghh😫 i swear your emoji's are a gift from God.😏
Band Maid was started in 2013 by Miku Kobato. At the time she had just left the Idol Group, Lil Cumin and she didn't like the type of music she had been performing. She approached her management agency with the idea of making an actual band playing rock music but dressed as maids. She had worked in a Maid Cafe and thought the image of maids playing rockin music would create what she called "The Gap" between what you see and what you hear. The Management company was like Ok, go ahead.
Miku then looked around and found Kanami a singer/songwriter who was posting her own videos on the internet. Miku had her agency contact her and Kanami thought the idea was cool and agreed to join. Miku then asked if Kanami knew a drummer who might be interested. Kanami had worked with Akane in the past and there is 2 versions of this, the first is, Kanami literally walked over to Akane's apartment and asked her, the second is Kanami called Akane and asked her. (Akane has said in 2 different interviews that 1: Kanami called her and asked if she could come over and 2: in a second interview Kanami just came over) Akane was actually hesitant as she had worked in an "All Girl Group" before and didn't enjoy it as it wasn't the type of music she wanted to play. After hearing a Demo, Akane was like ok, but was still slightly hesitant because of the "Maid Outfits", but she agreed to give it a try. Akane was asked if she knew a bass player and she had gone to Tokyo School of Music with MISA and had worked a couple of jobs with her. So Misa was contacted and after she heard a demo she was like I like the music, but she also was hesitant about the "Maid Outfits", but she relented and joined in as she really wanted to play the kind of music she heard in the demo. The 3 of them then "Auditioned" for the record company and passed the audition.
Now we have the "Core" members. The 4 members worked out some songs provided for them by the record company, and a setlist and they had performed 3 times with just Miku on main vocals. Miku after those performances felt that her voice wasn't powerful enough to really perform the songs she wanted. So she approached her management company again and asked if they had any singers who weren't in other projects. They then auditioned several singers. Miku heard Saiki rehearsing in a room across the hall and asked if she could be auditioned, the record company then had Saiki audition.
Saiki was signed to the same management company and had done some work as a backup singer and dancer and was asked if she would be interested in auditioning for this new group which currently had 4 members and she would be the fifth. She had been a member of a group with 8 other people as a backup singer and dancer, and HATED it. So she listened to the demo and thought "Cool" because she liked the music.
Now we come to the tricky part. Miku KNEW that if Saiki was told about the "Maid Outfits" she would say NO WAY!, so they didn't tell her. They told her they would have "Cool/cute Clothes"(I've read it translated either way), and she never met Miku until a few days before they had a contracted performance. She wasn't told about the "Maid Outfits" until the day before the performance, and she had considered backing out, but she had signed the contract. (Saiki also had NEVER met Miku until then as well)
So the Ladies, went and did the performance and Saiki really, REALLY liked the crowds reaction and the music they were performing. She DIDN'T like the apron she wore so it got ditched after the first performance.
And you now have the beginnings of the BEST LIVE HARD ROCK BAND in the WORLD!
ALL HAIL BAND MAID!!!!!
Now that we have the Full band, it was felt that there needed to be a second guitar. Saiki was like, "Not Me, No Way." So Miku said, "I'll do it.", at first that was literally all she did, was hold the guitar and mime playing it, until Akane said, if you are going to hold it, you NEED to learn to play it. And Miku said, "Ok.", and Kanami started to teach Miku how to play. The Ladies released their first album in 2014 "Maid in Japan" which failed to chart, but later after "Thrill" it was reissued and charted to #26 in Japan.
Then in 2015 they released "New Beginning"
On New Beginning was the song that changed Band Maid's entire existence. "Thrill"...
The band was getting ready to release their first music video and the choice was between "Love, Passion, Matador" and "Thrill" and the ladies chose Thrill. (Little known fact, Miku helped with the lyrics on Thrill but did not get credited)
This became the seminal moment of Band Maid. Because their second album charted at #64, the record company was seriously considering disbanding the Ladies and switching them to other projects. (In fact they had Kanami and Akane work with Mochi to Cheese thinking that when Band Maid cratered they could use them in another band. MISA had also just started working with Mochi to Cheese as well). However about 6 months after the video's release, a Facebook page "JRock Radio" posted the video to their timeline. And the video went viral. Having over a million views in just a few short weeks. The Ladies Twitter page got so many hits they thought their page had been hacked. Their UA-cam channel also started getting more and more subscribers and views to Thrill.
Now the ladies knew where their fans wanted them to go. Harder Rock, less pop. And history was Maid.
The first 3 years or so, their songs were written by external composers (and some lyricists), but they all got their credits to songs they created, i.e., no ghost writers.
Since 2016, almost all songs have been written by Maids themselves.
Thanks for reacting to Band-Maid again, and hope you continue your happy Band-Maid journey, PO!(P_O)🕊💕
This was the 22nd song of a 23-song set. They were exhausted, at this point but still bringing it.
Band Maid doesn't play a genre, Band Maid IS a genre. Pop, punk, prog, rock, metal, sludge. Doesn't matter. They put it all together and it rocks.
Maid Music.
Man they have that catchy formula down to a T but they seem really entertaining live! Totally adding them to the rotation now!
When you talk about Miracles Out Of Nowhere you should always bring up BAND-MAID. Right from their start there was divine intervention and impeccable timing. IMHO the best Rock music this side of Pluto. AWESOME 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 Peace. 1.9
Very talented young ladies!
OMG you don't know how relevant your commet is to mine & i swear & hadn't seen yours first.😮
@@GaryHolloway-810 LOL. How about that! You know what they say about great minds. And great bands. They think alike and are on the same page. 🤷🏻♂😲
@@jkkansasband7056 Absolutely right. And they also say those minds are AWESOME....Well at least we do anyway.😏
@@GaryHolloway-810 Yes we are. We are Awesome. 🏅 btw, the Maids are being very secretive about this US trip so far. Maybe they're not allowed to upstage TLR. Well that will soon be a moot point anyway. 🎸🥁🎤
Welcome to the Maidiacs, Bryan.
🤘
Their live shows are typically over 2 hours and close to 30 songs. Watch Real Existence live. That was the next to last song in a 2+ hour show and they still bring it hard. The whole show is available on Band-Maid Prime. It' phenominal.
Band-Maid has a few music videos that are awesome =) Check out "Blooming' "Dice" or "Warning" MV's ! For another great live performance "Real Existence" live will do ! These are some of Band-Maids fastest songs ! Thanks Guys Nice Reaction !
These girls rip! They are easily one of the best bands on the planet. These girls have a very engaged fan base called Maidiacs. Enjoy the ride on the Band Maid train. It is awesome.
My opinion: _most of the time_ you'll want to listen to the music video or album version of a song first, then follow up with a live version if you want to compare and contrast. There will be a lot of tone crafting and special backing tracks on their album tracks, they'll use backing tracks in their live versions but they aren't as prominent. They will add sections to their live performances, like the solos in the breakdown in this one. More than anything, though, they have _fun_ on stage. They love performing, they love the crowd interaction, and they love playing music. It's infectious.
that's what I was thinking. thank you!
Yea no. Live is always better, without exception. Everybody can sound good on an album and a music video.
@@Equilibrium2903 in my opinion recordings come 1st, then live recordings, then actual live show. But yes, live show is always the absolute best option
Generally, with some exceptions (e.g. "Warning") do the "lives", not the MVs. They not only don't fear the stage, they're in love with it!
It's obviously their "happy place", that stage.... yeah....
I appreciate the pauses for discussion. Now I can hear what everyone is saying, and nobody is missing any of the song.
The only thing left to critique is hitting the left arrow key
Hear, hear!
...on their way to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. And, if you are getting "Babymetal vibes," you need to flush out your headgear. They are two VERY different things. BAND-MAID is essentially a group of jazz musicians playing rock. Their genre? Their genre is BAND-MAID. Anyway, enjoy your voyage into the realm of World Domination.
They were "put together" by Miku...and are an organic production. Miku found Kanami who knew Akane who went to music school with MISA...then Miku fired herself as lead singer and hired Saiki.
Early single , self penned , recent live version, Real Existence, is a killer for me.
That was their 24th song in a 25-song set on February 14, 2020. Their last show before COVID shut everything down.
Band-Maid rock more than a cliff for sure 🙂🤘.
The best rock band on the planet.
Welcome aboard, Rickshaw Guys. You are embarking on (along with many others - 165 million YT views plus over 40 million reactor plays!) an awesome, progressive, hard-rock journey with 5 incredible women. Here's my intro blurb for those who may be new to Band-Maid:
BAND-MAID’s songs and sound beat with the heart and soul of all rockers. But you’ll also hear heavy influences of Prog, Punk, Metal and Pop, with nice touches of Blues, Jazz, Funk and Grunge. Sometimes they use multiple genres within the same song. Their Composition, Execution, Joy of Playing, Consistency (124 songs), Uniqueness, Charisma, Charm and, oh yeah, Cuteness factor, position them as becoming the hard rock Beatles of our time! In other words, they’re destined for mega-stardom.
Each member's personalities are super interesting and their musicianship among the best. Their writing, arrangements and overall sound, especially guitar tones and drums, are kick-ass! Having seen them LIVE, I can honestly say their performance, sound, stage appearance, and band synergy is off-the-rails spectacular!
Band-Maid is the only band in decades where I love nearly EVERY song they’ve done. I have over 70 favorites! "Thrill" (2014) is a great place to start: ua-cam.com/video/Uds7g3M-4lQ/v-deo.html Their songs from albums Unleash, Unseen World, Conqueror, World Domination, Just Bring It, Brand New Maid, and New Beginning drive even more - Warning, No God, Different, Black Hole, Rinne, Blooming, Moratorium, Domination, Clang, Dice, Spirit, Don’t You Tell Me, Turn Me On, Fate, Play, Hide-And-Seek, Secret My Lips, Puzzle, Choose Me, I Can’t Live Without You, and on and on.
But don’t miss out on their powerful, beautifully written, mid-tempo songs like Daydreaming, About Us, Anemone, Endless Story, PAGE, At The Drop Of A Hat, Mirage and Smile... or more punky like After Life, Don’t Let Me Down and Screaming… or funky like Bubble… or bluesy like Manners and The Dragon Cries… or poppy like Start Over… or a bit jazzy like Wonderland… or progressive like No God, Giovanni, and Black Hole… or cultural like the Band-Maiko series… or instrumentals like From Now On, Don’t Be Long, Onset, Without Holding Back and Going Nuts… or their many acoustic versions like Catharsis and Sayonakidori... and last but not least, their Anime hits like Sense, Glory and Unleash (from their own Anime MV (series?)): ua-cam.com/video/7LB_EPS48HE/v-deo.html)
And many songs are represented with over 45 well produced music videos. ua-cam.com/users/BANDMAID
Most performances should be experienced from their LIVE audience & online OKYU-JI concerts:
ONLINE OKYU-JI (Feb. 11, 2021) “No God” ua-cam.com/video/nAdWnIRjGak/v-deo.html
Tokyo's LINE CUBE SHIBUYA (February 14, 2020) “Domination” ua-cam.com/video/QbyQCJn6rYg/v-deo.html
ZEPP 2018 “Real Existence” ua-cam.com/video/-qQnKILR5u0/v-deo.html
Shinkiba Studio Coast 2017 and other full concerts are on bandmaidprime.tokyo, bili, and official Band-Maid’s DVD/BD/CD.
“P and D²” 30+ Photo Collage videos at www.youtube.com/@PinD2/videos
And some of the better quality fan videos are excellent. Here’s two of what it’s like to see Band-Maid LIVE at an intimate venue:
By Wave Potter with their last 2022 US tour OKYU-JI concert in Chicago: ua-cam.com/video/R9BcFwZz3cc/v-deo.html
By Vladimir Chupin - a wealth of excellent videos at www.youtube.com/@VladimirChupin
If you like Band-Maid, make sure to support them by purchasing some concert tickets, CD, DVD/BD & Merch, etc. bandmaid.tokyo
Like most Band-Maid songs, I like them from the get-go but really start to appreciate them after more hearings and seeing their LIVE videos. I'll go back and see an older song like YOLO, Order, Shake That, Freezer, Before Yesterday, Real Existence, Non Fiction Days and Alone, etc. and realize there's no band that can consistently construct and play like Band-Maid.
For fun, check out an awesome, little known "Mega Band-Maid Mix" by DJ Ray of some of their earlier stuff: facebook.com/djrayboston/videos/1004709499579009
Band-Maid Members:
Saiki Atsumi (Sy-i-Key or Psyche) “Ice Queen" - Lead vocals, arrangements and melodies. At 28 and the youngest, “Sensei” (Teacher) as band members call her, has the last word on many musical decisions. High-heels or sneakers, Sai-chan’s smile melts away her sometimes perceived, coldish persona. Saiki’s powerhouse performances, charisma, and voice focus the experience that’s driven her to the top echelon of hard rock frontwomen... or frontmen!
Miku Kobato (Me-Ku) "Small Pigeon" - Rhythm guitar, vocals, lyricist, 31 years old. “Koba”, as Saiki calls her, is the Band founder and a firecracker MC & PR SpokesPigeon, po! Her “Magic Spell Time” charm and energy ignite the room. Kuruppo! No, no, no… KURUPPO!!
Kanami Tono (Ka-Na-Me) “Princess” - Lead guitar, keyboards, 31 years old, is a prolific writer of most Band-Maid material. Kanami (translates “Song Wave”) is a possessed riff-slayer who’s so damn adorable it hurts. The only thing you want from Mincho is more!
Akane Hirose (A-Ka-Nay) "Gorilla" - Drums, 32 years old, band energizer & co-clown with MISA. Achi’s talents include massive consumption of noodles and bananas, of course, (even during performance!) while revolutionizing rock drumming with relentless drive, dynamics and the kick. This “DrumZilla” is the Party!
MISA (Me-Sa) "Barefoot Assassin" - Bass, 30 years old. An alluring free spirit driving her 5-string to rapturous low-ends while pulling off surprising counter leads with Kanami, off-stage MISA is the band’s goofball ballerina. Sometimes seen as the Mysterious One because she lets her instrument do the talking, the Assassin literally kills it… every note... uniting Band-Maid’s world-class rhythm section. A slug of JB, a slight grin, and let the slappin’ begin… MISA! MISA! MISA!
Maidiacs (Maid-e-acts) - Band-Maid’s crazed yet supportive, knowledgeable and loyal Super Fans.
[BAND-MAID NEWS]
BAND-MAID PRIME - Special Video Distribution Website. Along with nearly 50 great play-through’s by each member, concerts and skits, Band-Maid management / label(s) have included the Acoustic Christmas 2021, ZEPP 2018 and Shinkiba Studio Coast 2017 concerts! Fans can now see more than 50 great live performances with awesome audio, etc. like Fate, I Can't Live Without You and the great MISA / Kanami exchange in Don't You Tell Me. Those concerts are two of the best produced & performed concerts ever recorded, IMO. bandmaidprime.tokyo
The Maids SOLD OUT 2022 US tour just wrapped up and was a fantastic success. And so many great live fancams to watch! Their playing and antics were as fresh and fun to experience from first show to last. And their opening for Guns and Roses and sold out 8,000 seat Garden Theater concerts were huge successes. BRAVO Band-Maid!!!!!
BAND-MAID will perform as the opening act for "THE LAST ROCKSTARS Live Debut 2023 Tokyo - New York - Los Angeles" THE LAST ROCKSTARS' U.S. shows in NY on February 4 and LA on February 10 are all sold out, and the NY show on February 3 has been added due to the great response from around the world. BAND-MAID will perform at all three U.S. shows.
BAND-MAID will be performed at "ARABAKI ROCK FEST 23" end of April, and at the music festival "Welcome to Rockville 2023" on May 18, 2023.
Well…Tom…your reply is a thing of beauty in itself. 🤘
@@swissystan 🙏
Thanks for reacting to Band-Maid. You should attend a Band-Maid concert (Okyuji) if you ever get the chance. I saw them at Tokyo Garden Theater on January 9th, incredible show with 26 songs. I may be biased, but Band-Maid are the best hardrock band of all times, and the best live band I've ever seen.
♥ these girls! Best rock band in the world! I suggest these BM songs: Dice, Manners, Bubble, No God (live), Real Existence (live) & Turn Me On (live)
Las tsong is not on their channel, but this was taken from a dvd. So good quality - ua-cam.com/video/l9ibUQ-V-Z4/v-deo.html
Sweet
Yes watch Real Existence MV and the Live. Both in their UA-cam channel
There are close to 30 ALL female bands in Japan. And all are better than most of the male band in America.
checklist of BAND-MAID songs
puzzle（Live）
moratorium（Live）
turn me on（MV）
unfair game
from now on（MV）
you（Live）
on set（Live）
flying high
warning!（MV）
the dragon cries（MV）
dics（MV）
choose me （MV）
without holding back
giovanni
why.why.why
screaming
secret my lips（MV）
page（Live）
If you want to enjoy the evolution of BAND-MAID
I'll write another checklist.
Enjoy the world ofバンドメイド（ BAND-MAID）
Yep, don’t forget the awesome acoustic show and the lovely acoustic versions of Kanami and Saiki :) live
BTW The are playing in NYC on Feb 3, 4 and then Feb 10 in LA
You seriously need to Band-Maid reactions more than once every three weeks.
Lol. Chill my friend.... these guys are only beginning to get into the swing of things with this band. Of course, we can always hope... :p
They weren't created, and they weren't hired because they already existed.
It started when rhythm guitarist Miku proposed to her agency after her idol group ended. Because the members gathered in order according to their solicitations, they probably had more musical talent than the agency that prepared the song had assumed. In the 3rd album, one song was created by the members, and from the 4th album, everything was produced by the band members.
Welcome Bryan to the wonderful world of Band-Maid. If you want to see a range of what they're able to play watch Manners / Black Hole.
Yes, they all are this good, and yes, they all love metal plus other genres, and if you think these 5 are bad ass, check out the 5 ladies in Nemophila...
Agreed, and don't forget Lovebites.
I believe this was like the 20th something song in the set.
They are definitely not a manufactured idol band. The lead singer was found through auditions, but the other four members found each other. They did have outside writers at first, but they kept submitting songs until the record label finally accepted one and now they almost exclusively write all of their songs from top to bottom. Try Dice, Rinne, or Blooming official music videos. All amazing songs and you guys will still just be scratching the surface.
Yeah we have been explained in the comments. Thank you!
Leading the witness! Gotta let him figure it out :) Thanks for coming back to BAND-MAID, and good luck with your projects!
His Holiness TinyHat-san welcomes you to the Unseen World that is the International Fellowship of Maidiacs...the best live rock band on the planet. ...po.
MISA! MISA! MISA!
Bryan...what the Hell Dude!! You have Never Heard of Band Maid?? Like the Hottest Rock'n'Roll Maid Band on the Planet??? Dude!!
LoL!!!!
Holding the Line in Solid Guitar Rock, Band Maid has picked up the Mantel of Rock'n'Roll where the West has left it behind!
More Band Maid Always!!
Put your Kitsune UP!! Po!
Simply the best.
From the get-go, they wanted complete control of their product -- not the easiest thing to accomplish in Japan, especially for an all-female rock band. They played the game intelligently and tenaciously, taking down one brick at a time, until they got everything that they wanted (including some post-production work). They were not "put together" by any "outside" entity. Miko recruited Kanami via a demo video on the Net. Kanami brought in her friend Akane (who she had previously worked with professionally). Akane brought in her friend Misa. Feeling that the band needed a broader vocal dimension, Miku worked her magic, and brought Saiki on board. Excepting the band's first gig, this line-up has remained unchanged over the group's 9+ years as a recording act. Miku initially had no knowledge of how to play the guitar, so Kanami used her non-existant free time to bring her up to speed; today Miku is a very solid -- and constantly improving -- rhythm guitarist. Again, today they have what they ALWAYS wanted -- virtually total control of their musical product, from inception into post-production (yes, the costuming is their's as well). Some people don't need the help -- they cut their own path.
They performed 3 concerts with just Miku as lead vocalist before they recruited Saiki. And SOMEWHERE there is a 30-45 second clip from the very first show. Where Miku introduces them as Band-Maid and Akane did a drum roll, then the video cuts off. I've seen it once on Ploud, but I haven't been able to find it again.
@@greylocke100 If you do, let me know. I've only seen footage of their first actual concert sans Saiki. I have read the "one concert without her" statement in many places over the years. What would be the three shows that they did without her, and does footage exist on the Net for all three (even clips would be useful)? Also, my contention was one CONCERT without Saiki, and their being a SIGNED recording act at the time. I'm not counting auditions or special appearances. My understanding was that Miku had an agreement in principle (with several conditions) with Platinum Passport/Gump Records while putting Band Maid together, but that all of the conditions had to be met and PP had to give their formal approval of the constituency of the band, before any formal contract could be signed. If I'm correct in this, I'm only talking about a true concert performed after the group was formally contracted to PP/Gump. If I'm wrong, please go ahead and correct me -- truth is more important than my "winning" -- I just want to be clear on the terms of my statement, and to have all the corrective specifics "in hand".
Memory serves the young better than it serves those that are older. After your comment, I went back and viewed the "video" that I was referring to in my previous comment. The "video" was of their first concert with Saiki. Since double-dipping is not allowed, I lose that point. Moreover, my use of the word "video", without a preceding adjective, was unintentionally misleading; most people reading that would have assumed that I meant an MV, not extended concert footage. Again, my bad. Anybody should be able to accept a respectful, documented challenge to their own assertions. If they can't, they need a thicker skin. Thank you for your input. (However, I'd still like to know what the other two pre-Saiki concerts were, and whether they were true concerts, as opposed to audition footage, "exposure" performances or studio footage).
Hey Guys! Band-Maid is one of the best rock bands to come out in decades, IMHO. Another band, that has lots of cross-over fans with B-M is The Warning. Three sisters from Mexico, they are a classic Power Trio! Actually Band-Maid met The Warning at the Aftershock festival in Sacramento last summer. They are mutual fans of each other. May I suggest doing their music video "Disciple" as an introduction. Rock On!
Check out Band Maid's "Warning!" and then "Blooming"
The comments have some variation of the story already but based on documentaries and interviews I’ve seen it goes something like this. All of these girls have been into music in some form most of their lives. Both singers were under contract with the same label before the band was founded but the label didn’t create this group.
Miku (rhythm guitar and back up vocals) worked in a maid cafe and came up with the idea of that esthetic mixed with hard rock music being a good contrast and pitched it to her label. They liked the idea and told her to go ahead and put together a band and they would produce albums.
Miku did UA-cam searching and found the lead guitarist, who brought a drummer she knew, who brought a bassist classmate to that she knew. They later auditioned the main singer when the band itself decided they needed a different sound for the lead and the studio provided options and the girls picked (tricked) Saiki.
For the first 3 albums the studio had writers write music for them, but it was collaborative, the girls had a lot of input and weren’t forced to play anything. They will still say this helped them learn a lot about that process. They would write their own stuff over that time and the studio rejected all of it until a song (Alone) on the 3rd album was approved and they’ve taken over completely since then.
Since that time I believe only 1 song that they wrote prior to taking over that responsibility has made it to an album, so I think it’s safe to say that even the girls agree that their earlier writing wasn’t good enough or that they’d just moved on to newer ideas.
So they’re not manufactured and are their own thing, but their original label was involved in helping them reach the awesome that they are today even if they almost cancelled the contract before their first music video went viral.
My understanding is that Miku approached her talent agency about creating a maid costumed all-female hard rock band. The year was 2013 when Babymetal first started blowing up in Japan which might have helped convince the talent agency to give it a try. The talent agency showed her UA-cam videos of possible artists to approach about joining the band and Miku was very impressed with Kanami's videos. The talent agency was also starting their own inhouse label called Gump and that became Band-Maid's first label. My feeling is that a talent agency creating a small label is a conflict of interest since a talent agency should be sending its clients to the best labels possible. Gump is the label that would not accept Kanami's songs. I personally believe that not using any Kanami songs on the first two albums was a big mistake.
The one good thing that Gump actually did was use songs by a then 36 year old composer named Kentaro Akutsu. It was Akutsu that wrote the music and lyrics to a song called Thrill. Band-Maid liked the song and believed that it was the type of song that fit the band. They believed in the song so much that they insisted a music video be made with the song. Of course the music video went viral and Band-Maid was approached by a more well established label called Crown Stones. It was the Crown Stones label that said yes to the first Kanami song, Alone, which would be the final track on Brand New Maid. On the next album, Just Bring It, Kanami would compose 9 of the 13 songs (Miku would also become the primary lyricist).
In my opinion, Kanami was very likely writing songs good enough to be included on the first two albums. Saiki thought so too because she repeatedly urged Kanami to keep writing because her songs were good. The success of Band-Maid occurred not with the help of Gump, but despite the ineptness of Gump. As far as I know, Gump ended as a label when Band-Maid left. The success of Band-Maid is due solely to their talent, determination and smart decisions, with a very big assist from Akutsu. Kanami respects Akutsu as a composer and the two of them cowrote two songs on World Domination.
@@danw6048 i find this to be an exceedingly pessimistic view. I think it’s all a lot more gray and n terms of what transpired. The ladies have spoken highly of the writers on early songs who did a lot of good work. Gump certainly made mistakes and thought they should go a different way and were ultimately very wrong in that belief, but there are a lot of great tracks on New Beginning beyond Thrill, many are popular today still. So I strongly disagree that they succeeded despite Gump, and it’s not like they haven’t changed labels since then either.
@@evilducks3710 I didn't say anything at all against the writers of the early songs and I think many of those songs are very good. But the fact is that Maid In Japan did not chart at all and New Beginning only reached #64 on Oricon. If it wasn't for the miracle of the Thrill mv, New Beginning would have been the last Band-Maid release. What exactly did Gump do to help Band-Maid?
Band-Maid has only changed labels once since leaving Gump, when they changed from Nippon Crown to Pony Canyon between Conqueror and Unseen World.
Watch this next: MANNERS + BLACK HOLE (a two-fer from a Covid live stream that shows two musical extremes) - ua-cam.com/video/iaf94nNSRGE/v-deo.html (no need for the MV)
After that, you might be ready for LOVEBITES (another all-female Metal band whose live performances outshine the studio recordings). Start with HOLY WAR. Here’s the pre-Covid one -
ua-cam.com/video/bgAxpEpEcno/v-deo.html
This sounds interesting
Love this song, can't wait till yall check out and discover one of the best all female Japanese metal bands in Nemophila and their song Adabana or Dissension!
They got over hundred great songs doesn't matter what song you pick
Ya, they're the real deal. Almost too good to be true. But it's true.
awesome
Agree that there are a lot of different styles and elements mixed in to any Band-Maid song. One of the elements I really love is the groove provided by Bassist Misa, Misa, Misa and Drummer Gorilla ( Hirose Akane's nickname). Akane loves bananas and is strong enough to tote her drums around.
My description for the band is not stank. Band-Maid are a bunch of hooligans, which means they are a blast live. Their concerts are called servings and their audience Masters and Princesses. When, not if, but when you see them live you will not be disappointed.
Lead Guitarist Kanami goes by the nickname Mincho. She is the mad-scientist of riffage. She comes up with a lot of their music then takes it to the band who make changes to complete the song. Miku, known as Big Pigeon . . . .
"Kobato Miku not Big Pigeon! Miku Little Pigeon, po."
Sorry Miku.
Little pigeon then writes the lyrics. Lead singer Atsumi Saiki has penned a couple of song lyrics, too. Saiki has a great voice and excellent stage presence. She's a boss up there.
Suffice it to say, the songs written by Band-Maid are much better than what was originally written for them on their first couple albums.
Definitely did enjoy your reaction.
Good job guys!
Oh no, 100% organic. These 5 woman are the creators of this music.
They had management company help with songwriters and co-writers on their first 3 EP’s but they found each other and then they got out of that original record deal so they had total control. Except for just a few co-written songs, at their request, they develop everything amongst the five of them since their 1st full-length album.
Domination is a 2018 song off their 2nd full album when in full control.
Band-Maid is the real deal in every respect…as composers, songwriters, arrangers, instrumentalists, orchestration, players and performers. They have every influence. We’ve shared much about that in some prior comments - check those out for more info, if interested.
Band-Maid is essentially a rock band, not a metal band. There are several all-female, organic metal bands in Japan 🇯🇵. Metal is alive and well with the ladies in Japan. You should check out:
- Nemophila
- Lovebites
- Hanabie
- Aldious
- Bridear
- Lisa-X band.
Lots of great bands but none quite as broad in influence and expression as the Maids. The Maids always bring the goods. 😀 and, really guys, it’s not “dance” - that’s silly - it’s mainstream radio rock - call it pop-rock but not “dance” 😂😂😂
Take care and rock on 🤘🏼🔥🎸🎼🥁🎤🎹🧠😎✌🏼
Rinne is a great song. Hard as a rock and a great music video too👍
If you're into Metal try either 'Black Hole' or 'Different', or for some straight up Thrash try 'Rinne'.
I think Rinne should be next, then Warning both MV, then whatever you like 😛
The first time I heard/watched From Now On, it reminded me of Finale by Polyphia
When they gather around drummer they are making faces at each other. Why? Cause it's fun.
The bassist, drummer and main guitarist all went to music college.
That’s super cool
😁
I just found you guys so I'm going to ask you If you haven't done freedom from the same concert lots of must Great drum solo.
You want English I believe it's called the Dragon cries... I'm okay I can't remember everything maybe somebody double will see this and clarify the song name but it's in English
The MV Choose Me or Manners and the live performance of Freedom.
So you had Band Maid and Ladybaby, the next one in line should be Passcode. A bit of an acquired taste with the autotune vocals. “Taking you out” is a fan favorite with former screamer Yuna, and “Clouds Across The Moon” is their latest track with former LadyBaby screamer Emily Arima.
But I’m still doing a pitch for Broken By The Scream as well, cause they are awesome and they somehow remind me of IWABO. “Kanjou Cross Counter” is one of their latest songs. “Ki-Ra-I” has a live video and proves they are the real deal too.
I would suggest reacting to the Manners/Black Hole official Live video by Band-Maid. This is a 2 for 1 video and the songs are so different from each other. They are also some of my favorite songs by them as well. ua-cam.com/video/iaf94nNSRGE/v-deo.html&ab_channel=BAND-MAID
Anybody else living under your rock(boulder)?
Welcome. To the BEST HARD ROCK BAND in the world.
No one put them together. They're not a label concoction like BabyMetal is. They formed organically. Miku used to work in a Maid Cafe'. She's the founder. It was all her idea. BAND-MAID consider themselves to be a Hard Rock Band, but they have so many influences besides Metal. Power Pop, Punk, Funk, Classical & Jazz. They do it all, and morph seamlessly from one to the other, even within the same song. They're genreless, or rather a genre unto themselves. They even have acoustic ballad versions of heavy songs. But Rick Shaw, don't miss the BAND-MAIKO songs. It was their April Fool's Day joke, that they were switching from Maids to Geishas. One song is just a reworked BAND-MAID song with traditional instruments, but the other song is strictly exclusive to BAND-MAIKO.
You are wrong. In the beginning their agency/record company were rejecting their songs. After "Thrill" hit, 2 million views in 2 wks, which Miku wrote some of the lyrics. Their first song they wrote accepted by the record company was "Alone". Also their agency dumped the record company.
FYI - They are a Rock Band, not a metal band. Their definition!!
Want straight up metal, try Lovebites - "Holy War". Japanese and All Female.
Apologize for the mix up but we’ve already been chatting about how they actually formed in some other comments. Thanks for all the knowledge! And yes we have a love bites song reaction coming next week? Or maybe 2 weeks.
Girl rock and metal bands are very common thing in Japan lately. And not like Baby metal, female singers with a male band, yet full shreding very good female bands. I like Band maid very much, but there is two for me better bands.
First is Lovebites, heavy/power/ trash twin guitar attack ua-cam.com/video/bgAxpEpEcno/v-deo.html&ab_channel=LOVEBITES
Second is Nemophila, heavy/modern metal also twin guitar attack (but with 7strings) ua-cam.com/video/26aMuahxz8c/v-deo.html&ab_channel=NEMOPHILA
And these three are just the best of many of them. Japanese rock/metal rabbithole is veeeeery deep...
P.S. No hate on Baby metal, just facts.
Japan is full of all female metal bands that just love metal. I mean check out Nemophila, Lovebites or Mary’s Blood and you will metal is from a “guy” only thing in Japan.
From two comments below. .stupid spell check thing. Won't let me write it you'll find it with the other japanese metal and rock groups
Live....
Formed organically, their record company tried to make them into a pop act, which bombed their first album. Before the second album, the girls were able to sneak in a hard rock B side to a single and the B side went viral internationally. But no, they weren't put together by a producer. They were already playing live when they landed their contract. Thanks for the listen.
Show him Nemo phillipino bit harder
Only 117 songs to go...
I always laugh when someone says im getting Babymetal vibes. They are from the same place. Thats all. The two bands are nothing alike.
Your missing out, the live show is the shit. I saw them in Oct in Phoenix and they are ligit and your missing out.
The mv for Domination doesn't compare to the live. Don't You Tell Me live is pretty killer.
the bass drum come out much more clearly in the MV.. and that alone makes it worth it imo
not korean, see they can play instruments👌🏽
They never had a ghost writer.
The thing which is annying me most is, that you stop in the middle of the Solos. First Misa's Bass solo then Kanami's solo, before shredding with Miku. Don't do that.
And don't compare, there is nothing to compare with. Band-Maid is not Babymetal (or anythieg else). Two total different bands, only to mention playing instruments and composing/writing the songs.