KING BROTHERS Live at Asakusa Kurawood

KING BROTHERS have long been an influential band in the Japanese underground rock scene since their debut in 1997. The band’s name actually derives from their admiration of The Blues Brothers. Originally from Nishinomiya, a city in Hyogo Prefecture, KING BROTHERS consists of three members: guitarist Marya, drummer Zony, and guitarist/vocalist Keizo. This rock band without a bassist adopts a classic yet explosive blues-rock style that won international recognition, especially in the USA. Also, their extensive career includes live performances at two of Japan’s biggest rock festivals: RISING SUN ROCK FESTIVAL and Fuji Rock Festival. These resilient veterans are still going strong with the spirit of rock’n’roll, in spite of their career’s ups and downs.

The show was held on May 10th at Akasaka Kurawood, a livehouse located in downtown Tokyo. The basement venue has Japanese paper lanterns and a mirror ball on its ceiling. Some fans waited for the start of the show while smoking cigarettes and drinking. However, this mood of ennui suddenly changed when KING BROTHERS finally appeared on the stage. “Are you ready for rock’n roll!?” Keizo called out to fans. He and the other members were neatly dressed in black suits and ties. From the opening song Big Beat, rough and raw beat and groove of the guitars and drums immediately had fans swayed. Keizo sang out his deep-rooted frustration and obsession for blues-rock with his masculine voice during the next song, Big Boss. Alongside the vocalist, Marya’s tight guitar sound and Zony’s smashing drum beat made fans go wild.

KING BROTHERS continued to help fans rock out by playing the anger-fuelled Paint It Black. In response, fans enjoyed letting themselves go to the two frontmen’s raging guitar riffs. “We are going to kill your idols you believe in! Reclaim your true self!” said Keizo before launching into Kill Your Idol. During the song, Marya’s crazy shouts awoke the rebels inside fans’ hearts. Later, Marya handed a microphone to fans and had them scream on his behalf during Spy Boy Is. However, the mood in the venue changed as the band played Niji To Kumo, and Keizo sang his heart out about the bittersweet blues of an underdog. Fans’ applause filled the venue after the song.

“Thank you for the great night. We will play our fastest song: Mach Club!” Zony’s drum beat blasted out together with the cutting top-speed guitar riffs of Keizo and Marya. “It’s time for the rock’n’roller to dive!” Marya then jumped from the stage, crowdsurfing all over the venue while Keizo and Zony enthusiastically played their instruments up on stage. “Nishonomiya!” Marya shouted out the name of his hometown while crowdsurfing. The frenzied guitarist even organized fans so he could stand upon them: “Who’s the number-one rock’n’roller of the night!? Let me dive into you!!” Marya’s bandmates’ playing got more and more aggressive while all the hell broke loose on the floor. The spirit of rockn’n’roll completely possessed everyone in the venue. “I love you!!” Keizo shouted at the end of the song while beating his chest. Later, during the encore, KING BROTHERS rocked out the floor one last time with the closing number Moetsukiyai.


Set List

1. Big Beat
2. Big Boss
3. Xxxxx
4. Shinigami no beat
5. Paint It Black
6. Kill Your Idol
7. Spy Boy Is
8. Ah!
9. 69
10. Niji To Kumo
11. Mach Club
12. Get Away

Encore

13.Moetsukiyai