2013 Hedoban #2 Kobametal Interview

 BABYMETAL 俺たちの夏フェス後夜祭

A retrospective report on BABYMETAL’s Summer Festivals

In this in-depth interview, Hedoban Editor-in-Chief Umezawa talks with Kobametal about the Kami Band joining BABYMETAL, their first meeting with Metallica, the May Revolution that transformed them from an idol novelty to a legitimate metal act, and more!

五月革命

The May Revolution

まずは五月革命から聞いていきたいのですが...五月革命のときにメタリカをオマージュするというのはいつ頃からアイデアがあったのですか? 

I’d like to start by asking you about the May Revolution… when did you first have the idea to pay homage to Metallica during the May Revolution?

(NOTE: the BABYMETAL T-shirts sold during this May Revolution tour were noticeably inspired by Metallica, which would eventually lead to a fateful encounter at Summer Sonic)

-KOBAMETAL: アイデアはサマソニの話しを頂いたときですね。春くらいからサマソニのヘッドライナーがメタリカだって話しを聞いて。で、クリエイティブマン(サマーソニックの主催プロモーター)の方から「メタリカと同じ日に出演して下さい」って話しがあって...「そうなんだ!」って感じだったんです(笑)。2006年のサマソニでメタリカが『メタル・マスター』完全再現やったときに僕もマリン・スタジアムのアリーナのとこで観てて。やっぱり嬉しいなとは思いましたね。頻繁にヘッドライナーでやって来る人たち多いじゃないですか? そうじゃなくて、「あ、メタリカなんだ! おおー!!」ってなりました。メタリカって、なんか分かりやすいアイコンというか...メタル・アーティストとしての知名度とか含め、あのロゴとかTシャツとか絶対、どこかで見たことあるじゃないですか!(笑)

KOBAMETAL: The idea was sparked by Summer Sonic. Around spring, I heard that Metallica would be headlining. Creative Man (promoter of Summer Sonic) asked us to perform on the same day as Metallica. I was like, “Oh, for real?” (laughs) In 2006, when Metallica played a complete reenactment of “Metal Master” at Summer Sonic, I was in the arena at Marina Stadium. I was really happy! There are a lot of people who headline shows frequently, right? But it wasn’t like an everyday thing for me, I was like, “Ah, it’s Metallica! Ohhh!!” I mean, Metallica has an easily recognizable icon… even though they’re metal artists, you can see their logo on T-shirts everywhere! (laughs)

ラーメン屋や美容室でもあのロゴの店とかありそうですからね(笑)。 

I’m sure there are ramen restaurants and beauty salons with that logo, too. (laughs)

-KOBAMETAL: きっとありますね (笑)。あの分かりやすさっていうのは気持ち良いなって。もちろん、アイアン・メイデンとかジューダス・プリーストとかいらっしゃいますけど...まあ、メタリカって名前は一生に一度くらいは聞いたことがあるじゃないですか。それこそ、タモリ倶楽部の空耳アワーとかで「寿司、鳥、風呂、寝ろ」みたいなのとか(笑)。ひょっとしたらジューダス・プリーストのロブ・ハルフォードの方が世界的には有名かも知れないですけど...もしかしたら日本においてはメタリカの方が知名度は上かな?と思って。

KOBAMETAL: I’m sure there are (laughs). The easy recognizability is great. Of course, there are other legends like Iron Maiden and Judas Priest, but… well, everyone’s heard of Metallica at least once, right? Like in the Tamori Club’s Soramimi Hour variety show, you could hear them featured in various skits, such as “Sushi! Chicken! Bath! Sleep!” (laughs). Perhaps Rob Halford of Judas Priest is more famous worldwide, but I’m fairly certain Metallica is more well-known in Japan.

(NOTE: the Soramimi Hour was part of a regular weekly program called the Tamori Club in Japan, and the skit mentioned above is relatively well known, turning lyrics of songs into misheard Japanese words, including songs by Michael Jackson, Metallica, etc. The example that Koba gives is of lyrics from Metallica’s “Through the Never”)

メタリカ・オマージュも含めて、五月革命のアイデアはどんなふうに決めて行ったんですか? 

How did you come up with the idea for the May Revolution, including the Metallica homage?

-KOBAMETAL: 正に修行ですよね。サマソニって話しが出たときに、これはもうバンドだなっていう。 

KOBAMETAL: The concept was legitimate training. When the idea of playing at Summer Sonic came up, I knew that we’d have to add a true band.

真っ先にバンドが浮かんだと。 

The live band was the first thing that came to mind.

-KOBAMETAL: そうですね。メタリカも出るし。だとしたら失礼のないようにっていうのも変ですけど... やっぱり、ロックフェスなので。それで、やっぱり全編バンドでやるなら修行しないといけないなと。でも、全編バンドでやるって凄い大変なんですよね。(BABYMETAL は)かなり難しい曲とかあったりするんで。 

KOBAMETAL: That’s right. Metallica would also be there. Summer Sonic is a rock festival, after all. As such, though it might seem odd to say, we wanted to avoid feeling disrespectful. So training was essential in order to prepare a complete show with a full live band. But it was quite a daunting task, because many of our songs are very difficult to play live.

元々は生バンドを意識して作った曲じゃないですもんね。

They weren’t originally written with a live band in mind, was it? 

(NOTE: Recall in another interview that when BABYMETAL writes songs, they don’t take into consideration if the songs will even be playable by humans)

-KOBAMETAL: そうなんですよ(笑)。人が叩けないドラムのフレーズがあったりして。だから、そういうのを全部やれるっていうのは結構難しいですよね。なので、そういう人たちをどうやってお願いしようかな?っていうとこから始まりました。そして本人たちですよね。メンバーも生バンドをバックに歌って踊るって相当不安だろうし...。カラオケだとリズムもピッチも狂わないけど、バンドさんだとグルーヴがあるので。人間がやっていることなんで、フレーズとか曲によって多少は波がありますし。それにメンバーが追いついて行くのが大変で...ダンスとかもそうだし、歌もそうだし。実際に楽器から出てる音を背中に背負って歌うっていうのは全然違うので。 

KOBAMETAL: That’s correct (laughs). There are some drum phrases that are almost humanly impossible to play. So it’s quite difficult to find people who can do these things. That’s why the first question was “where can we get musicians like that?” So that’s how it started. And then there was the question of the girls. They must be very nervous about singing and dancing with a live band backing them up… in karaoke, rhythm and pitch are consistent, but with a band, there’s a groove. It’s a human thing, so there’s some fluctuation between phrases and songs. It’s hard for them to keep up with that… it’s the same for dancing, singing, and so on. Singing with the actual sound of real instruments behind you is totally different.

神バンドのメンバーは曲をちゃんと演奏出来る...テク志向を念頭に選んだんですか? 

Did you select members of the Kami Band based on their ability to play BABYMETAL’s songs properly - in other words, with a preference for highly technical musicians?

-KOBAMETAL: もちろんバンドさんからこの人が良い!とかご紹介があって今の方に会っているんですけど。皆さんそれぞれ忙しいので流動的に(笑)。 

KOBAMETAL: Of course, it was mostly by word of mouth, where one person would recommend me to the next. Everyone’s busy, so we needed the flexibility to swap one for another if needed (laughs).

それが面白いですよねぇ。

That’s rather interesting! 

-KOBAMETAL: いろんな神様がいるっていう(笑)。その日にスケジュールが合う神様が降臨してくるんです。当番制で(笑)。

KOBAMETAL: There are various Kamis (laughs). The one whose schedule fits with ours is the one that will support us. They’re on duty (laughs).

神バンドのみなさん、何気にメイクとかも進化してますよね(笑)。 

The Kami Band’s makeup has evolved as well, hasn’t it? (laughs)

-KOBAMETAL: メイクさんも神バンド専属の方が二人...東京と大阪で別の方がいるんですよ。メイクさんなりのバリエーションがあって。あとはご本人でやりたいっていう神様は自分でやったりとか(笑)。

KOBAMETAL: We have two make-up artists that work exclusively for the Kami Band… one in Tokyo, and another in Osaka. They have their own variations in makeup. And if a Kami wants to do it for themselves, they might do so too (laughs).

神バンド、実は結構そうそうたるメンバーですよね。

Every member of the Kami Band is well-established and impressive in their own right. 

-KOBAMETAL: そうですね...。ま、公にはなってないですけど...カミングアウトしてる人もいるので(笑)、そこは各自お任せしますって話しはしてます。みなさん、実力者です。そしてかなり幅広いジャンルに精通してますね。BABYMETALの曲はスラッシュとかデス・メタルみたいな刻みしか出来ないタイプでも駄目だし。速弾きしか出来ない人は多分、裏打ちのカッティングは苦手だとか。オールマイティーになんでも弾ける人じゃないとちょっと難しいなって思いますね。特にギタリストは大変だと思います。ギタリストってキャラクターがハッキリしていますから。ウチはギターソロが出て来ない曲あるじゃないですか(笑)。ハードコア系に行けば行く程ブレイクダウンばっかりでギターソロとかやんないし。だからってそっち系のギタリストだと、今度は様式美系の曲は対応出来なくなっちゃう。様式美ばっかりやってる人は、逆にリズムがあんまり得意じゃなくて...。柔軟になんでも出来る神様でないと厳しいですよね。

KOBAMETAL: That’s right… well, it’s not public knowledge, but… there are people who’ve made it public (laughs), so I’ve told them I’ll leave it up to them. They’re all very talented, and familiar with a wide range of genres. BABYMETAL’s songs can’t be played by someone who can only do a few things like thrash or death metal. If you can only play fast, you’re probably not good at backing cuts. I think it’s a little difficult to play for us if you aren’t great at everything. It’s especially hard for guitarists - they have very distinct characters. We have songs that don’t have guitar solos (laughs). The more hardcore you go, the more you have breakdowns and not guitar solos. But if you’re a guitarist of that type, then you might not be able to handle stylistic songs. On the other hand, people who play only stylistic music might not be very good at rhythm. It’s tough unless you’re flexible and can do anything.

BABYMETAL の三人が五月革命で最初にバンドとやったときの印象はどうだったんですか? 

What was your impression of the first time the three members of BABYMETAL performed together with the band during the May Revolution?

(NOTE: the May Revolution marked a new relationship between the Kami Band and the girls because it was the first time the Kami Band became part of BABYMETAL “in full”, performing full setlists. Technically, BABYMETAL had performed with the Kamis before in shows like Legend I,D,Z - but those shows had a mix of Babybones and Kami)

-KOBAMETAL: 凄い楽しそうでしたね。若いから変な先入観も無いし「こういうもんなんだな」ていう感じで、すんなりと対応しているところが若さ故の成せる技というか(笑)。大人の人である程度経験値があったら「モニターの音がちょっとさ...」とか色々言い出しますからね。そうしたら、すんなりとは行かないだろうし(笑)。

KOBAMETAL: They seemed to be having a great time. Because they’re young, they’re free from preconceived notions of how things should be, so they can take it all in stride, like “this is just how things are supposed to be like”, which is a manifestation of their youth (laughs). If you’re an adult with some experience, you might say things like, “the sound from the monitor is a bit off…” and then things wouldn’t go as smoothly (laughs).

五月革命の開場のBGMでずっとメタリカが流れていて、いわゆるブラック・アルバムまでの選曲でしたけど(笑)。 

Metallica was being played all the time as background music during the openings for the May Revolution, and the music selection only went up to the so-called Black Album (laughs).

-KOBAMETAL: そうですね(笑)。前号の『ヘドバン』でも僕がアルバムを30枚チョイスしたときにメタリカは初期というか中期までの印象が凄い強くて。教典として聴くのであればあの辺かなと。

KOBAMETAL: That’s right (laughs). In the last issue of “Hedoban Magazine”, when asked to select 30 albums, I had a better impression of Metallica’s early or middle period. I thought that if you want to listen to them as a textbook, that’s the place to turn to.

LEGEND ‘’1999’’

YUIMETAL & MOAMETAL Birthday Celebration Shows

NHK Hall

June 30, 2013

次はNHKホールの「YUI-METAL & MOAMETAL聖誕祭」です。まずお客さんが強烈な印象を受けたのが、モーニング娘。のカヴァーだと思うんですよ(笑)。

Next up are the “YUIMETAL & MOAMETAL Birthday Celebration” shows at NHK Hall. I think the thing that left the strongest impression on the audience was the Morning Musume cover performances! (laughs)

-KOBAMETAL: そうですか?(笑) 

KOBAMETAL: Oh, really? (laughs)

あれはどこからアイデアが浮かんだんですか?

Where did you get the idea to do this?

-KOBAMETAL: あれは前回の聖誕祭でもやった通り、本人が生まれた年のヒット曲のカバーで、ラインナップで何が一番良いかな?ってとこで。この辺かな?っていう曲が何曲かあって本人にも歌ってもらったりして。一番ハマりそうかなっていうので、あの2曲になったんですけど。

KOBAMETAL: They were covers of hit songs from the year they were born, which is what we did for the previous birthday celebration. I was wondering which songs would be best to perform. There were a few that we considered, and I asked them to try singing them. We eventually decided which two songs would be the most suitable.

YUIMETALもMOAMETALもモー娘。世代では無いですよね。 

Neither YUIMETAL nor MOAMETAL are from Morning Musume’s generation, are they?

-KOBAMETAL: 聴いたことあるくらいで。プッチモニはレッスンとかでやったことがあるみたいですけどね。それこそ生まれた年に流行っていたくらいなんで、記憶の中には殆ど無いんですよ。 

KOBAMETAL: They’d heard of it, learning about Petitmoni through lessons or something like that. Since these were hits in the year they were born, it wasn’t part of their memories.

(NOTE: “Love Machine”, covered by MOAMETAL, was originally a song by Morning Musume - the same group Sayashi Riho was a part of before performing as an Avenger for BABYMETAL. “Chokotto Love”, covered by YUIMETAL, was originally a song by Petit Moni/Pucchi Moni, which was a subgroup of Morning Musume.)

遂にクリスタル・ピアノを出しましたね(笑)。

You finally got your crystal piano (laughs) .

(NOTE: Yoshiki of X Japan is well known for using a crystal grand piano. Yui and Moa’s neck braces were also homages to X Japan.)

-KOBAMETAL: そうですね(笑)。どこかに(クリスタルピアノ)は出さないと!とは思っていたんですけどね。ここかな...?っていう。あのピアノをどうしようか?って思ったんですよね。別の神様が出て来て弾くのもアレだし。SU-METALのソロの途中からYUIMETALとMOAMETALが出て来て弾いたら面白いだろうなと思って(笑)。しかも、二人横に並んで座って弾いてるみたいなのが良いなと。

KOBAMETAL:  That’s right (laughs). I knew I had to have a crystal piano in there somewhere! I thought, “maybe here?” and “what can I do with it?” It’s not like we were going to get another Kami to come out and play the piano, so I thought it’d be interesting if YUIMETAL and MOAMETAL came out and played in the middle of SU-METAL’s solo (laughs). Plus, I liked the idea of having two people sitting side by side and playing.

あの演出はとうとう出た!って感じでした。 

That performance felt quite long-awaited. 

-KOBAMETAL: ライヴ曲間の映像があるじゃないですか。あれでBLACK BABYMETALになった二人が蝋人形にされてしまって、蝋人形からどうやって復活させるか?っていうところで使いたかったんです。蝋人形になった二人をSU-METALの歌で蝋を溶かして、また蘇らせるみたいな(笑)。で、一緒にピアノを弾き出したって流れだったんですけど。 

KOBAMETAL:  There is a video played between songs, right? I wanted to use it for the part where the two who became Black BABYMETAL were turned into wax figures, and how to bring them back. I wanted to create a scene where they were turned into wax figures, and SU-METAL’s song melted the wax and brought them back to life again (laughs). And then they started playing the piano together.

聖飢魔IIオマージュの演出もありましたよね。

There was also a homage to Seikima-II.

-KOBAMETAL: あれはVTRとBGMで使ったんですけど。「LEGEND ‘’1999’’」で生まれた年が世紀末だったていう、こんな絶好なチャンスは無いなって(笑)。ただ、聖飢魔IIのネタがお客さんにどこまで認知されるのかな?って思ってたんですよね。そうしたら意外とみなさん知ってたみたいです。ライヴが終わった後に「ウォー!」って歓声がデカくなったとこはどこかな?って当日のVTRをチェックしてて観てたら、もちろん二人がモー娘。をカヴァーしたときもデカかったんですけど、聖飢魔IIのネタをやってたときもお客さんが結構ウォー!って歓声が上がってて意外だったんですよ。「お前も蝋人形にしてやろうか?」ってとこで「ウォー!」ってなってたり。知ってる人は知っているんだなって思いましたね。

KOBAMETAL:  I used it for the VTR and background music. Those born in 1999 were born at the end of the century, so I thought it was a great opportunity (laughs). But I was wondering how much the audience would recognize the story from Seikima-II? Surprisingly, everyone seemed to get the reference. After the show, I checked the recording to see which parts got the loudest cheers, and of course, when the two of them covered Morning Musume, they got a lot of cheers, but there was also a great response when we did a joke about Seikima-II. That was rather surprising. When the audience cheered upon hearing the quote “shall I turn you into a wax figure?”, I realized that there were people who understood the reference.

(A sampling of BABYMETAL references to Seikima-II)

聖飢魔IIって、ガチなメタル好きよりも、ちょっと柔らかいメタル好きがファンになってたじゃないですか。BABYMETALのファンも同じ状態じゃないのかな?って思うんですよ。頭が柔軟というか。

Seikima-II had more soft metal fans than hard metal fans, didn’t they? I think BABYMETAL’s fans are similar - they’re more flexible. 

-KOBAMETAL: 意外とそうなんですよね。他の演出のところより歓声がありましたからね。メイヘムとかストライパーのネタを出した箇所もあるんですけど、あれはちょっとマニアックすぎて反応が薄かったです(笑)。今回のVTRは聖書の創世記を元に、アダムとイブの話しからノアの箱舟とかを題材にしてバベルの塔まで行くっていうストーリーを作っていて、その中で天使と悪魔が共存するってとこでクリスチャン・メタルとブラック・メタルを入れてみたんですけど、分かる人があまりいなかったみたいです(笑)。

KOBAMETAL: Surprisingly so! There were more cheers than in the other performances. There was one part where we used a story about Mayhem and Stryper, but it was a little too maniacal for the audience and the response was rather lackluster (laughs). The video this time was based on the book of Genesis in the Bible, with stories inspired by Adam and Eve, Noah's Ark, and so on to the Tower of Babel. In this story, angels and demons coexist, and I tried to combine Christian Metal (Stryper) and Black Metal (Mayhem), but it seems few people understood it (laughs).

(NOTE: a translation of the story videos in Legend 1999 can be found here)

Summer Festivals

(Metrock~Rock in Japan)

May 26, 2013~August 4, 2013

フェスのことを聞きたいんですけど、メトロックが初の野外で、結構盛り上がったみたいで感触はありましたか? 

I’d like to talk to you about festivals now. Metrock was your first outdoor festival, and it seemed quite exciting. What were your thoughts?

-KOBAMETAL: なんか意外でしたね。ラインナップ的にJ-POPのアーティストとかが多かったんで。激しいバンドもそんなにいなくて。ちょっと客層的に違うかな?って思ったんですけどね。けど蓋を開けてみたら結構集まって下さって。ちょっと異様な盛り上がりというか...。

KOBAMETAL: It was rather surprising. There were a lot of J-pop artists in the lineup, and very few intense bands. The audience demographic at Metrock was a bit different than I had expected. But when we opened the doors, we found that the crowd was unexpectedly large and excited - it was rather bizarre...

BABYMETALが一番良かったって意見を結構耳にしました。

I heard quite a few people say that BABYMETAL’s performance was the best. 

-KOBAMETAL: 主催のテレビ朝日のみなさんとかにも観ていただいていて、そういう声が多かったんで予想以上でしたね。終演後に物販が売り切れて、初めてライヴを観てから買いに来てくれたお客さんも多かったみたいで。

KOBAMETAL: The organizers from TV Asahi also watched BABYMETAL perform, and there were many comments like that - more than we expected. We sold out the merch after the show, and there were many people who came to buy stuff, after seeing the performance for the first time.

BABYMETALを知らなかった人たちがライヴを観て巻き込まれていく現象って、メトロックから続いてますよね。次はJOIN ALIVEとサマーキャンプですよね。

The phenomenon of people who didn’t know anything about BABYMETAL getting involved after seeing you perform has been going on since Metrock. Next was Join Alive and Summer Camp, right? 

-KOBAMETAL: JOIN ALIVEは初めての北海道でラインナップ的にはメトロックに近くて。どんな感じかな?って思っていたんですけど。前の方は熱心なファンの方が集まっていてくれて、プラス初めての方も集まってくれて。

KOBAMETAL:  Join Alive was the first time we’d been to Hokkaido, and the lineup was similar to Metrock. I wondered what it would be like? There were a lot of enthusiastic fans at the front barrier, in addition to a lot of first-timers.

サマーキャンプはパンク/ハードコアやラウド・ロックのバンドが出るガチなイベントだったじゃないですか。あの面子の中に喰い込ませるのは望むところだったんですか?

Summer Camp was a serious event that featured punk/hardcore and loud rock bands. Was that something you wanted to become a part of? 

-KOBAMETAL: 元々、主催の人たちが昔から知ってる人たちだったんですよ。10年ぶりくらいに復活するって言われて。なんか面白そうだし川崎クラブチッタでもやったことないし。ラインナップ的にもやってみようかなって。あとはデーモン閣下が前フリのVTRで登場するって言ってて。遂に閣下の口から BABYMETALって言葉が出るっ! それは光栄だからやろう!っていう(笑)。

KOBAMETAL: The way it started was, the organizers were people I’d known for quite a long time, and they told me they were planning on reviving the event after a 10 year hiatus. It sounded interesting, and we’d never performed at Kawasaki Club Citta before. It was worth trying to get included in the line-up. Also, they said that His Excellency Demon Kakka would appear in a video, and he’d mention BABYMETAL. That would be quite an honor, so we had to do it! (laughs)

次はロック・イン・ジャパンフェスですが、日本で一番認知度があるフェスでもあるじゃないですか。DJブースという場所でしたけど、他のアイドルも多数出てましたよね。 

Next up was Rock in Japan, which is the most well-known festival in Japan, isn’t it? You performed at a DJ booth, and there were many other idols there.

-KOBAMETAL: DJブースってどんなとこだろ? どうしようか?って話しはしてましたね。

KOBAMETAL:  We talked about “What’s a DJ booth like?” and “What should we do?”

ロック・イン・ジャパンもTwitter等の反応見ていると ’’BABYMETAL ヤバい’’ っていうのが多くて。あの辺のロキノン系やJ-POP系にも刺さるっていうのはKOBAMETALさん的には意外ですか? 

When I searched for reactions to Rock in Japan on Twitter, I saw a lot of people saying that “BABYMETAL is badass”. Is it surprising to KOBAMETAL that the group seems to be resonating with both indie rock fans and J-pop fans?

-KOBAMETAL: なにを求めてあの場に行ってるのかは人それぞれなんでしょうけど。でも、アーティストのキャラ的にそこまで激しい音を出してるバンドって、そんなに多くなかっ たんですよね。 

KOBAMETAL: I guess it depends on what people are looking for when they go there. But there weren’t that many bands that had such an intense sound, when it came to the artist’s character.

マキシマム ザ ホルモンくらいですよね。

Only Maximum The Hormone, right?

-KOBAMETAL: そうですね。うちは最終日で初日はホルモンとかONE OK ROCKとかゴリっとしたバンド系が多かったんですけど。最終日は10-FEETくらいかな? あとは、くるりとかPerfumeとかバラエティ豊かな面子の中だから、余計に新鮮味があったんですかね?(笑)。

KOBAMETAL: Yes indeed. We played on the last day. On the first day, there were many legit hardcore groups like Maximum the Hormone or ONE OK ROCK. But on the last day, only 10-FEET could be called a hardcore band, and the rest were a variety of rock performers like Quruli or J-pop groups like Perfume. That must have been a reason why BABYMETAL felt like such a novelty to the audience. (laughs)

(笑)。アイドル・ファンと一部のメタラーには刺さってる感じがしますけど、あの辺の層にも届くんだなって。

(laughs) You left an impression not only on idol fans and metalheads, but rock and J-pop fans as well.

-KOBAMETAL: サウンドもしかり、ビジュアルとかダンス・パフォーマンスとか両面なのかな?って思うんですよね。音に反応してくれる方もいれば、キャラクターとかダンスとかにも反応して下さったりとか。

KOBAMETAL: I think it’s not just about the sound, but also visuals and dance performance. Some respond to the music, while others respond to the characters and dance.

(Perfume performing for a huge crowd at Rock in Japan 2013)

Summer Sonic 2013 Tokyo

August 10, 2013

次にいよいよサマソニですが、まずスクリーン演出が印象的だったんですよ。あの ‘’リンキン・パークはこっちじゃないぞ’’ とかも最初から決まってたんですか(笑)? 

Next is Summer Sonic. The first thing that impressed me was the performance on the screen. Was “This isn’t Linkin Park” in the story video something you decided on from the beginning? (laughs)

-KOBAMETAL: う~ん...ああいうのもだいたいギリギリまで決まってなくって(笑)。ギリギリまで考えてネタを詰めて行くんですよね。

KOBAMETAL: Hmm… that kind of thing usually isn’t decided until the last minute (laughs). I keep working on the story until we’re out of time.

サマソニに照準を合わせたってありますか? 

Did you have your sights set on Summer Sonic?

-KOBAMETAL: ありますね。修行の成果を見せようって。

KOBAMETAL: Yes indeed. It was an opportunity to show the results of our training.

お客さんの反応は想像通りでしたか?

Was the audience’s response as expected?

-KOBAMETAL: 現場はバタバタしてて...。余裕が無くて。サマソニって転換時間が殆ど無いんですよ。15分か20分くらいしか無くて。リハも無いし。だから本当にスタッフさんは大変ですよね。音が出るのか? 出ないのか?ってくらいに始めなきゃいけない。こっちはあわあわしながらで。正直な感想は気が付いたら終わってたくらいなんですよね。あっという間で。ライヴの後半にステージの後ろの方まで行って人がこんなにいるんだ!とか、お客さん入って来たな!とか。あとはをWODやってる人たちを見て「こんなデッカいピットを広げて大丈夫かな?」とか(笑)。あと、サマソニに出演していたミュージシャンの人たちも観に来てくれましたね。ワンオクのメンバーも観ててくれたし、クロスフェイスとかホルモンの人たちも観ててくれたみたいで。みんな初めて観て「ビックリした!」って言って下さって。 

KOBAMETAL: It was pretty hectic, with no time to spare. There’s almost no time between bands at Summer Sonic for changeover; only about 15-20 minutes. There are also no rehearsals, so it’s really hard on the staff. We don’t even know for sure if the sound will come out properly when time’s up and we’re forced to start? It was quite the state of panic. Honestly, it was over before we knew it, going by so quickly. In the latter half of the show, I went to the back of the venue, and was surprised to see how many people were there, and how the audience was growing in size. Then I saw people doing a Wall of Death, and thought “Is it safe to spread out in such a huge pit?” (laughs) Also, some of the musicians who performed at Summer Sonic were gracious enough to come see our show. The members from ONE OK ROCK were there, as well as those from Crossfaith and Maximum the Hormone. They said they were all really surprised when they saw us for the first time.

(NOTE: when Koba talks about other musicians coming to watch BABYMETAL perform at Summer Sonic, he uses a more polite form of speech than normal, demonstrating a higher respect to these established groups such as Maximum The Hormone, and an attitude of humbleness. This is particularly noticeable in the earlier years, before they could be considered an established unit themselves)

(BABYMETAL with Crossfaith)

最初に神バンドが登場して音出ししてたじゃないですか。ベースの神がタッピングっぽいことをやっただけで「グォーー!」って感じに客席がなってて(笑)。

There was a stir when the Kami Band made an appearance on stage. And then when the Bass Kami started tapping, the audience let out quite a roar (laughs). 

-KOBAMETAL: PAさんが音の調整をするのに「速く弾きすぎちゃって音が取れない」って言ってましたけどね(笑)。

KOBAMETAL:  When the PA was adjusting the sound, he was saying “He’s playing too fast, I can’t get the sound right” (laughs).

サウンド・チェックの時点で掴んでるなって思いましたよ。

You’d already grabbed the audience’s curiosity with your sound check.

-KOBAMETAL: サウンド・チェックがチェックにならない(笑)。 

KOBAMETAL: The sound check wasn’t really much of a sound check (laughs).

あとはSU-METALの歌が凄かったですよね。表情とかも含めて。スクリーンに映った姿は神懸かってました。 

Also, SU-METAL’s singing was amazing, wasn’t it? Her facial expressions and everything. The images on screen were divine.

-KOBAMETAL: ええ!? そこまで思いました?

KOBAMETAL: Oh, it was that impressive!?

ちょっと恐いぐらいでした。その辺のメンバーの成長とかは側で見ていて手応えとかは感じてますか? 

It was rather frightening. From your position as someone close to them, do you feel that the girls have grown in this area?

-KOBAMETAL: 本人たちも鍛えられてきたというか...フェスの色んな環境ですよね。リハが無かったりとか、野外で凄く暑いとか。会場のキャパがデカイとか。まさに、修行じゃないですけど...色んなとこで経験して自分たちなりにもペース配分とか分かってきたみたいですね。以前はとにかく全力で一曲目から最後までやりきってしまって終わった後にハァハァして体力が持たなくなっちゃったりとか。最近はそれがただ全力でやることだけじゃ駄目なんだって分かったみたいで。全力でもやりつつ、どうやってペース配分して最後までキッチリとライヴを完成させるかって、本人たちの中で学んだみたいですね。そこは大きいかもしれません。

KOBAMETAL: They’ve gone through intense training, in many different festival environments. There’s no rehearsal, it’s outdoors, and very hot. The capacity of the venue is huge. It might be an exaggeration for me to call it training, but it seems like they’ve learned to pace themselves through their experiences. In the past, they’d just go all out from the first song to the last, and would be absolutely exhausted afterwards. Lately, they’ve come to realize that it’s not enough to just give it your all. They’ve learned how to pace themselves and complete a show to the end, while still putting in a lot of effort. That’s a big part of it.

今年のサマソニの二日間の猛暑って屋内でも凄まじかったですよね。

The heat wave during the two days of this year’s Summer Sonic was terrible, even indoors, wasn’t it?

-KOBAMETAL: いや~~異常でしたね。東京も大阪も過酷でしたよ。特に大阪は酷かったです。40度近い中で野外ステージでBABYMETALの出番が午後3時くらいだったんですよ。西陽が丁度ステージに向かって刺してくるんですよ。大阪はちょっと危なかったですね。よく最後まで出来たなって。

KOBAMETAL: Ah, yeah, it was abnormally hot! Both Tokyo and Osaka were tough - Osaka in particular. It was almost 40 degrees C, and BABYMETAL was on stage outdoors at around 3PM. The sun was right on top of the stage. Osaka was a bit dangerous - I’m amazed they made it to the end.

(NOTE: refer to this interview with the girls in the same issue of Hedoban, as Yui talked about Moa looking like she was in bad shape, and dumping water on their heads after the show)

(Summer Sonic Osaka)

フェスだと1万人レベルの人たちを相手にしないといけないじゃないですか? デカイ会場で大勢の人前に出るってことは三人も慣れてきたんですか? 

At festivals, you have to deal with 10,000 people, right? Have the three of them gotten used to the idea of appearing in front of so many people at a huge venue?

-KOBAMETAL: さっきの生バンドじゃないですけど、こういうもんだってやっているっていうか...あんまり動じてないですよね。そこは本当に凄いなって思います。意外と冷静に見えていたりしますからね。 

KOBAMETAL: As I mentioned before, performing with a live backing band had ceased to be a challenge for the three of them, and appearing in front of a huge audience also seemed to be no big deal. I thought it was great that they weren’t shaken at all, and that they could observe the audience’s response fairly rationally and calmly.

普通だったら緊張でガクブルするじゃないですか。

Normally, you’d be trembling from nervousness. 

-KOBAMETAL: そうですよね。ちゃんと凄い冷静に見えてて。「この曲のあのとき、ああだったよね!」とか「今日の『イジメ~』は1サビのときから、みんなダメジャンプしてくれてたよね」とか。最近はそういう話しをしてますよ。

KOBAMETAL: You’d think so. But they’re calm and collected enough to observe the audience’s response. I’ve heard them talking amongst themselves recently about things they’ve observed during shows, like “At that part of the song, the crowd responded like that!”, or “During IDZ today, everyone was doing the ‘Dame-jump’ together after the first chorus.”

Summer Sonic 2013 Osaka

August 11, 2013

で、いよいよサマソニの大阪でメタリカに会ったわけですけど...最初はどんな感じだったんですか? 

So, you finally met Metallica at Summer Sonic Osaka… what was it like to make their acquaintance for the first time?

-KOBAMETAL: 最初はバックステージで昼ご飯を食べているときに普通に「あ、カークがいるな!」とか、そういう感じだったんですよ(笑)。メタリカのクルーもいて。僕らは全員メタリカ・オマージュのTシャツを着ていたんですよ。そしたらクルーの中のひとりがTシャツを指さして「どうしたんだ?」と声を掛けてきて。メタリカのパスを下げていたんで、これはマネージャーか誰かだろうな?って。ホント誰だか分からなかったんです。怒られるのかな?って思ったら「どこで売ってるんだ?」「欲しい!」「買いたい!」って言われて。「なんだ!? 君は誰なんだ?」って話しをしたら、「私はメタリカを撮影しているカメラマンだ」って。後で分かったんですがその人がカメラマンのロス・ハルフィンだったんです。それで話しを聞いてたら「(BABYMETAL とメタリカで)フォトセッションをしたい」って言われたんですよね。

KOBAMETAL: At first, as we were eating lunch backstage, I was just like, “Oh, Kirk’s here!” or something like that (laughs). Their crew was also present. We were all wearing T-shirts that paid homage to Metallica - one of the crew members pointed to our shirts and said, “hey, what’s up with that?” He was wearing a Metallica pass, so I figured he must be the manager or someone. I really didn’t know who he was. I thought he was going to get mad at us or something, but then he said, “Where do you sell those? I want to buy one!” And I was like, “Huh? Who are you?” and he responded, “I’m a cameraman for Metallica”. And I later found out that he was Ross Halfin, their photographer. So we talked for a bit, and he said, “I want to do a photo session with BABYMETAL and Metallica”.

突然言われたんですか? 

He brought it up just like that?

-KOBAMETAL: はい。メンバーがいたので紹介とかしたら「ラーズが来るからフォトセッションしたい。~時に来るから!」って言われて...。ホント急展開過ぎて(笑)。この展開は...なんだろうな...って。ラーズの入り時間が丁度、BABYMETALの本番と被ってしまってちょっと難しいって話したら「何時からどこでやるんだ?」って聞かれたんで教えて。「じゃ、またね!」って言って立ち去って。僕らは準備をしてステージに行ったんです。ステージに行ったらロス・ハルフィンがすでに待っていたんですよ!(笑) ずっと「PHOTO! PHOTO!」と言ってて。 

KOBAMETAL: Yup. The girls were also there, so I introduced them, and he said, “Lars is coming, so we want to do a photo session… I’ll come back around then!” It was such a sudden turn of events (laughs). How things unfolded from there… well, I wonder. When I told him it was going to be a little difficult because Lars’ entrance time coincided with BABYMETAL’s performance, he asked me “what time and where are you going to play?” so I told him. “Alright, see you later, then!” he said as he stood up and walked away. We got ready and went to the stage. And when we got there, Ross Halfin was already waiting for us, and kept saying, “Photo! Photo!”

ラーズはいたんですか? 

Was Lars there?

-KOBAMETAL: ラーズは後から来ましたね。で、本番前でけっこう時間も無いんですけど「撮らせてくれ!」って。 

KOBAMETAL: Lars showed up later. It was before the show so we didn’t have much time, but he said, “lemme take a photo!”

あのメタリカのメンバーと一連の写真はライヴ後なんですよね?

That series of photos with Metallica was taken after the show, right? 

-KOBAMETAL: そうですね。カークやトゥルージロとの写真は終わった後なんですよ。先にラーズが会いに来て。もう、「え!? どうなってんだこりゃ??」感じで(笑)。 

KOBAMETAL: Yes, that’s right. The photos with Kirk (Hammett) and (Robert) Trujillo were after the show. Lars came to see us first. I was like, “what the heck is going on here?” (laughs)

(BABYMETAL with Kirk Hammett of Metallica)

(BABYMETAL with Rob Trujillo of Metallica)

ラーズが BABYMETAL のライヴを観たのは完全に不意打ちだったんですね。

It was completely unexpected that Lars would come to see BABYMETAL perform, wasn’t it? 

-KOBAMETAL: 本当にそうですね。 ロス・ハルフィンが来てたのですらビックリしましたから。なんでここに来たんだろう?って(笑)。フラワー・ステージって大阪のサマソニのステージの中でも一番小さいステージなんですけど、わざわざそこまで来るっていうのがもう...ヘッドライナーが! 

KOBAMETAL: Oh, for sure. Even the fact that Ross Halfin was there was a surprise. Why was he even here? (laughs) The Flower Stage is the smallest stage of all the Summer Sonic Osaka stages, but the fact that they came all the way over here… they were the headliners!

そうですよね! (笑) 

Oh, that’s right! (laughs)

-KOBAMETAL: なんだったんだろう?って未だによく分かんないですけど。そこまで会話して話し込んでいたわけじゃないし。本当になんだったんだろう?っていうのが正直な感想なんですよね...。 

KOBAMETAL: How did that happen? I still don’t really know. It’s not like we’d talked together all that much. I really don’t know what it was. That’s my honest impression...

僕から見るとラーズがステージ袖でBABYMETALを観てるって相当ですよね! 

From my point of view, it was quite something to see Lars watching BABYMETAL from offstage!

-KOBAMETAL: あれ相当おかしな光景ですよ! 本当に「メタル・マスター」がわざわざ来てくれたっていうのが嬉しいですよねー!

KOBAMETAL: It was quite a funny sight! I’m really glad that the “Metal Master” came all the way here to see us!

(Lars Ulrich from Metallica watching BABYMETAL perform)

Jakarta & Inazuma Rock Festival

September 7, 2013 & September 22, 2013

ジャカルタはどうでしたか? 

How was Jakarta?

-KOBAMETAL: 去年シンガポー ルに行って色々感じたことはあるんですけど、SNSとかネット上とか海外からの反応があって意外と求められてるのかな?って感じはしてたんですよ。ま、実際には行ったことがなかったんでお客さんがどれくらい待っていてくれてるかは分からなかったんですけど去年シンガポールに行って意外と人が待っててくれたんだなって実感が出来て。で、今年はインドネシアってことで。ただ、インドネシアって国のイメージがあんまり自分の中ではピンときてなかったっていうか。でも、空港に着いたときから出待ちしてくれてた人はいたし、曲を覚えてくれていてライブで一緒に歌ってくれたことには一番驚きました。 

KOBAMETAL: We had various thoughts about our Singapore performance last year. Seeing the response from overseas on social media and the internet, I guessed they were longing for us to visit more than we’d expected. We couldn’t have understood the extent of it before, but when we visited Singapore last year, we realized how many fans were eager to see us. So this year, we decided to go to Indonesia. I didn’t really have a clear image of Indonesia in my mind. Yet there were still people waiting for us when we arrived at the airport, and I was most surprised that they memorized our songs and sang along with us during the performance.

それはアイドル・ファンですか? 

Were they mostly idol fans?

-KOBAMETAL: それが分からないんですけど...アイドル・ファンもメタル・ファンもいたと思うんですよ。スタンディング・エリアには若い子が多かったんですけど、いわゆるモッシュみたいな盛り上がりをしてて(笑)。椅子席に座ってる人はサイリウムとか持っていたりするアニメ・ファンみたいな人が多くて。メタル・ファンとアニメ・ファンが共存している感じっていうか。

KOBAMETAL: I’m not sure about this, but… I think there were both idol fans and metal fans. There were a lot of young kids in the standing area, and they were getting really hyped, like a mosh (laughs). Many people sitting in the chairs had glow sticks or something like that, much like anime fans. It was like metal fans and anime fans coexisting.

KOBAMETALさん的には次にBABYMETALが海外に行くとしたら、どの辺に興味がありますか? 

If BABYMETAL were to go overseas again, where would KOBAMETAL be interested in going next?

-KOBAMETAL: アメリカ、ヨーロッパ、南米とか...色んなところからアプローチというか声をかけてきてる方がいるので面白そうだなって思いますけどね。 

KOBAMETAL: America, Europe, South America… there are people who approach us from all over the world, and I think it would be quite interesting.

南米からも声が掛かってるんですか? 

You’re also contacted by people in South America?

-KOBAMETAL: チリとかそういうとことか。南米が熱いって聞きますけどね。

KOBAMETAL: From places like Chile. I’ve heard that South America is quite enthusiastic about us.

南米はメタルが凄いですからね。 

South America is a great place for metal isn’t it.

-KOBAMETAL: でも凄く遠いんですよね(笑)長時間のフライトにみんなが耐えられるのか?ていう。 

KOBAMETAL: It’s also quite far away (laughs). I wonder if everyone could handle such a long flight? (laughs)

イナズマ・ロック・フェスはまた今までのフェスとは違いますよね。ラウパの対極みたいなフェスで。 

The Inazuma Rock Festival was quite different from the other festivals. It’s like the opposite of Loud Park.

-KOBAMETAL: そうですね。イナズマはかなりバラエティに富んだ面子で。ポップスの方からバンドの方、サブステージにはお笑いの方もいましたし。 

KOBAMETAL: That’s true. Inazuma had quite a bit of variety. There were pop musicians, bands, and even comedians on the sub-stages.

アイドルもけっこう出てましたよね。

A lot of idols as well, right? 

-KOBAMETAL: そうですね。ブロック指定でお客さんもバラバラに散らばっている感じで。初めて観てくれた人が多かったみたいですけど、そういう意味ではアウェイな感じなのかな?って思いましたね。さっきメンバーがインタビューで言ってましたけど、ライブ中は「どんなものかな?」と様子を見てる感じなんですけど、ライヴ終わった後はにTwitterとかで「初めて観たけど良かった」って声とか、会場でCDやグッズを買ってくれたりとか反響はあったみたいですね。

KOBAMETAL: Yes, there were. The venue was divided into blocks, and the audience was scattered all over the place. It seemed like there were a lot of people who were seeing us for the first time, so in that sense, it was a bit like being away from home, I thought. As the girls said in the interview earlier, during the live performance, the audience was observing how they’d do. But after the show, I heard people saying on Twitter, “I’ve never seen them before, but they’re good”, or buying CDs and merch at the venue.

LOUD PARK 2013

Saitama Super Arena (Saitama)

October 20, 2013

ラウドパークのことを聞きたいんですが、けっこうギリギリに決まったんですか?

I’d like to ask you about Loud Park. Was it decided at the very last minute?

-KOBAMETAL: ほんとギリギリでしたね。正式にオファーがあったのが10月に入ってでしたから。

KOBAMETAL: At the very last minute! It was already the month of the show by the time we received the official invitation in October.

KOBAMETALさん自身はラウドパークには毎年行かれてるんですか?

Does KOBAMETAL go to Loud Park every year?

-KOBAMETAL: 毎年行ってますね。去年も普通にお客として行ってました。だから勝手は分かってたんです。ラウドパークにBABYMETALが出る前の日も行ってて「音がデカイ!」みたいな(笑)。「こんなデカかった?」と。確かに去年もスレイヤーのときにスゲー音がデカイなってイメージはあったんですけど。それが19日はカーカスのときとか「うわ!デカイな!」とか思いながら観てました。

KOBAMETAL:  Yes, every year. Last year, I was there as a regular visitor. So I largely know what to expect.I went the day before BABYMETAL performed, and I was like, “the sound is LOUD” (laughs). Last year, when Slayer played, I recalled the sound being quite deafening. But on the 19th, when Carcass played, I was like “Wow, this is really loud!” as I watched the show.

ラウドパークに出るにあたってメンバーには何か伝えておこうとかはあったんですか? 

Was there anything you wanted to tell the girls before you left for Loud Park?

-KOBAMETAL: 「たぶん、かなりアウェイな感じなんじゃないかな?」っていう話しはしていたんですよ。他のフェスとは違って完全に洋楽のファンが多くて、しかもメタル好きばっかり集まっているんで客層もいつもと全然違うし。何だろうな...いつもみたいな盛り上がりになるか分からないけど、でも別に気にせずと言うか...「いつも通りライヴをやってね」って話しはしてて。

KOBAMETAL: I told them “It’s probably going to be quite an away-from-home experience.” 

What made it quite different from other festivals is that it was completely dominated by fans of Western music, and most of them were metal enthusiasts; the audience was completely different than usual. My thought was that we couldn’t guarantee that the crowd might get hyped as it usually does, but we shouldn’t worry about it too much. So I just told them to go and do what they always do.

ホントっ、驚くぐらいにその通りでしたよね。 

Amazingly, it was just as you said, wasn’t it?

-KOBAMETAL: そうでしたね。フロアに降りて来る人もいれば、座って観てる人も多いんですよね。けっこうお客さんの年齢層が高いんで座ってるんですよね。僕も座ってましたもん(笑)。座って観てた方が楽しいって方もいるじゃないですか、だから降りて来ないのかな?って思ったりしたんですけど。サマソニだったら少し興味あるから観てみるか?って感じで乗り越えちゃったり出来るんだと思うんですけど。 

KOBAMETAL: Yes it was. Some people came down to the floor, but there were also many people seated to watch the show. There were quite a few older audience members, so they sat down. I also sat down (laughs). There are people who enjoy shows more when they’re sitting down, so I wondered if that’s why they didn’t come down to the standing area. If it was at Summer Sonic, I’d probably get over it by thinking, “Well, I’m interested, so why don’t I check it out from closer.”

やっぱり年齢層ですよね。

As expected, age makes a difference. 

-KOBAMETAL: 未だにヨーロッパの「ファイナル・カウントダウン」であんだけ盛り上がるっていう。でも面白いですよね、ラウドパークは。

KOBAMETAL: Loud Park’s quite an interesting festival, isn’t it? The audience got so hyped when Europe performed “The Final Countdown”.

アウェイ感はありました? 

Does it feel away-from-home?

-KOBAMETAL: まぁ、やっぱり普通じゃない感じですよね。いつもと違うという。前の前の日が赤坂BLITZでイベントだったんですけど8割9割がBABYMETALのファンで、久々にホームな感じのライヴだったんで。僕らも蓋をあけてみないと分かんないなって。けど、当日朝一でTシャツが売り切れたって聞いて。

KOBAMETAL: Well, it certainly was unusual, and different from normal. We’d performed at Akasaka BLITZ two days before, and 80-90% of the audience was comprised of BABYMETAL fans, so it felt like home. We weren’t sure how we’d be received, but I heard that the T-shirts were sold out first thing in the morning.

あれは凄かったですね! 

That’s amazing!

-KOBAMETAL: 僕も売り場を見に行ったら1時間もしないで売り切れて。そんなにみんな来てくれてるんだ!って思って、こりゃひょっとしたら!って感じは当日の朝に感じましたね。

KOBAMETAL: When I went to check out the sales floor, it had sold out in less than an hour. The sense that, “So many people are coming! This could be it!” could be felt that morning.

また、色んなアーティストの方とかと写真を一緒に撮ってるじゃないですか(笑)あれは、みなさんBABYMETALを前にすると心が緩むんですかね? 

Also, you took pictures with various artists (laughs). Does that mean everyone loosens up and relaxes when they meet BABYMETAL?

-KOBAMETAL: まぁ珍しいんじゃないですかね?

KOBAMETAL: Well, we are pretty unusual, aren’t we?

メタル・ファンよりバンド側の方が全然頭が柔らかいんだなって思いますよね。

I think bands are much more open-minded than metalheads, aren’t they? 

-KOBAMETAL: それはあるみたいですね。特に海外のアーティストだと色んな国に行ってフェスに出たりして地元のバンドとか観てて。日本でこんな小さい子たちがメタルのフェスに出ててっていうのがショッキングみたいで。ライヴの時はステー ジ袖とか関係者エリアにはかなり人が多かったですね。競演してたアーティストさんが観ててくれたりとか。それこそマイケル・アモットさんとかも観ててくれて。

KOBAMETAL: That seems to be the case. Especially when it comes to foreign artists, who go to various countries to attend festivals and see local bands. It’s shocking to see such small kids at a metal festival in Japan. At the show, there were a lot of people at the edges of the stage and related areas. Some of the other artists were watching us perform. Michael Amott, for example.

アモットも観てたんですね! 

Even Michael Amott watched BABYMETAL perform?

-KOBAMETAL: あと、トリヴィアムも観ててくれて。あとマーティーさんのバンドでヴォーカルやってたフレディさんとかも。 

KOBAMETAL: Also, Trivium as well. And Freddy Lim, who does vocals for Marty Friedman’s band.

ソニックの? 

Freddy from ChthoniC?

-KOBAMETAL: はい。フレディさんも台湾にいるときからBABYMETALのファンだったらしくて自分のライヴが終わってから速攻「写真を撮らせて下さい」って言われて(笑)。 

KOBAMETAL: Yes. Freddy had been a fan of BABYMETAL even from when he was in Taiwan, and after his show ended, he immediately asked to take a picture (laughs).

(NOTE: Since 2016, Freddy has served as a national legislator in Taiwan, winning re-election in 2020 as an independent. He still performs with ChthoniC, and is married to Doris Yeh, who is the bassist for ChthoniC. Doris gave the girls pineapple cakes and New Year’s red envelopes in a very cute video)

BABYMETAL would end up performing with Taiwanese metal band Chthonic in 2014. Freddy is second from the top-right.

あの人はももクロ推しだったハズなのに...もはやアイドルヲタですよね(笑)。アモットからライヴ観た感想とか言われました? 

I thought Freddy was more of a Momoiro Clover fan… he’s an idol otaku now, isn’t he? (laughs) Did you hear from Michael Amott what he thought of the show?

-KOBAMETAL: 神バンドの人が声を掛けられて「凄いプレイが難しい。難し過ぎて僕には弾けない」って言ってたそうです。アモットの弟のクリストファーさんに「イジメ、ダメ、ゼッタイ」を弾いてもらっているので「イジメ~」の曲は知っててくれたんですけどね。最初はアモットさんに弾いてもらうって話しもあったぐらいで。スピリチュアル・ベガーズのレコーディングのスケジュールと被ってしまって、それで弟さんに弾いてもらったりしたんですけど「いやあ、僕にはちょっと難しいな」「そんなことないでしょう!」って話しをして(笑)。あとは「メンバーのパフォーマンスとバンドの演奏がタイトだ」って言ってましたね。やっぱり若い女の子がメタルをやってるってことが新鮮なんじゃないですかね。 

KOBAMETAL: I heard that Michael had told someone from the Kami Band that BABYMETAL’s songs were too difficult for him to play. We had his brother Christopher play “Ijime, Dame, Zettai” for us before (“Nemesis” version), so Michael was familiar with the song. Actually, we had originally planned on having Michael play it (Nemesis version). But it clashed with the recording schedule for Spiritual Beggars, so I asked Christopher instead, and he initially demurred, saying, “Oh, it’s a bit too hard for me”, and I told him, “No, of course it isn’t!” (laughs) Also, the Kamis told me that Michael had said that “both the Kami Band and girls’ performance was tight.” It really is rare and refreshing to see young girls performing metal.

(NOTE: The Amott brothers were founding members of the band Arch Enemy, and their current lead vocalist Alissa White-Gluz’s growls would be featured in “Distortion” from the Metal Galaxy album)

(NOTE: The “Nemesis” version of “Ijime, Dame, Zettai” features different guitars - notably the solos - played by Christopher Amott. It is possible that it was called the “Nemesis” version in reference to the Arch Enemy song “Nemesis”, even though at this point, Christopher had left Arch Enemy to pursue his solo career) 

(Michael Amott with BABYMETAL in 2015, from official BM Twitter account)

改めて思ったのは、バラエティに富んだイナズマからガチなメタルフェスのラウドパークまで出れるアーティストはいないじゃないですか。 

Once again I’m reminded that there is no other group that could perform at everything from the varied Inazuma to the grueling Loud Park metal festival.

-KOBAMETAL: まぁ、殆どいないですよね(笑)。 

KOBAMETAL: Well, very few can (laughs).

それ凄いなって思って。振り返ってみてBABYMETALとフェスってどうですか? 

It’s quite impressive. Looking back, how do you feel about BABYMETAL and these festivals?

-KOBAMETAL: やっぱり、やって良かったなって思いますね。今まではワンマン中心で自分たちのホームグラウンドで自分たちのライヴをきっちり見せるってことをやってきたんですけど、フェスとかだと環境面も自分たちのリクエストが全て整う訳でも無いし。リハーサル無しのときや、神バンドでやるときと骨でやるときもあるし(笑)。その都度、全然スタッフも違ったり、お客さんも違うし...かなり勉強というか鍛えられたっていう。野外だったり屋内だったり、暑かったり...メンバーもそういうところで鍛えられたと思うんですよね。だからやっていくうちに、ちょっとしたトラブルとか状況が変わっても崩れなくなった。ちょっとやそっとでは何かあってもいい意味で動じないでやれてる感じはしますよね。

KOBAMETAL: I believe it was good that we did them. Up until now, we’d mainly done solo shows on home turf, and we just steadily did our thing on stage. But at festivals, we don’t have the ideal environment, and our requests might go unfulfilled. There are times when we can’t rehearse, times we perform with the Kami Band, and times we play with the Babybones. (laughs) Each time, the staff is different, the audience demographic is different, and so on. We learned a lot, or rather, we were trained a lot. They were outdoors, indoors, hot, and so on. I think the girls really were trained in this way. That’s why, as we went along, we didn’t fall apart even if there was some trouble, or the situation changed. Even if something does go wrong, I feel we can handle it in a good way without being bothered.

-チームとしてもそうだし、メンバー三人の成長も出てきてる。

The training has made you confident in any situation, and the girls and BABYMETAL as a team have grown significantly.

-KOBAMETAL: そうですね。特に海外でやる場合ハプニング続きなんですよ。日本が一番キッチリしてるんじゃないですかね。海外に行った場合は想像出来ないこともあると思うので、そういうのも笑って乗り越えられるくらいに鍛えられていけば、どんな場所でもBABYMETALのライヴが見せられると思います。

KOBAMETAL: That’s right. Especially when performing overseas - a lot happens. I think Japan is the most organized country in the world. There are things you just can’t imagine when you go overseas, so if we can train ourselves to be able to laugh at and overcome adversity, I think BABYMETAL can perform live anywhere.

Additional Credits: Capable-Paramedic (Proofreading), Shrike (Transcription)