Interview with GANGLION

GANGLION is an all-female rock group founded in 2010. They became well-known for their emotional and rousing live concerts, which led them to their already second Europe tour this year.

As a warm-up: How about you introduce yourself at first?

Oni: We are GANGLION, an all-female rock band from Japan. I am Oni and I do vocals and guitar.
Sagara: I am Sagara and I play guitar too.
Ebi: My name is Ebi and I am the bassist.
Vivi: I am Vivi and I play drums.

Since you already had your first European tour earlier this year, what do you expect from this new tour?

Sagara: At our first Europe tour, we didn’t exactly know what to do and how the tour would be. We had no idea of European etiquette and how we should behave, but now we’re used to Europe and look forward to keep playing here.

Speaking of touring, what kind of memories do you have from your first time touring Europe?

Oni: Mostly that European food is just so delicious.
Sagara: We had a day off in Cologne, so we went to Kölner Dom. We really enjoyed it!
Oni: And we had Kölsch! All in all it was super amazing to see lots of traditional European buildings and having European food and beverages.

Is there an event on this tour you are especially excited to play?

Oni: We’re excited about every single show we play. Yesterday, we played at an anime convention in France and really enjoyed looking at all the beautiful cosplays.

Would like to cosplay yourselves?

Sagara: All of us have already tried it. “One Piece” and “Final Fantasy”.

Today you will play an acoustic set. Do you want to play more acoustic sets in future?

Oni: No, this is our first time and right now, we do not have plans for any other acoustic sets. So this will be a very special occasion tonight.

Why have you chosen to collaborate with a maid café tonight?

Oni: We’d never been to a maid café before, so we really wanted to try it. There’s no particular reason we’ve collaborated for this live concert. It just works well with our acoustic set tonight.

Last year, your ex-bassist Yui left on good terms, because of health reasons. Has your sound changed or evolved since Yui left?

Sagara: Yes, it has. It is a little more pop-oriented now.

Oni: And brighter! Our songs are more emotional now.

There are bands, which follow the same concept as you, in terms of an all-female line up. Do you often get compared to other all-female bands?

Sagara: We don't usually get compared to other bands. Other all-female bands are either full-fledged rock or metal bands. We try to put more emotions into our music. That’s what makes us different from other bands.

You’ve worked with the producer yuyoyuppe several times now. How did you feel about working with him?

Sagara: He is one of the best producers and makes our songs sound so incredibly good. He really helps us a lot. He’s a true gentleman.

Your latest single NEVER EVER AGAIN is about being positive in the face of agony. What inspired you to create such an emotional song?

Oni: Everyday, everyone here is struggling to give a great performance and give it all they’ve got. This can be really hard at times, when you aren’t completely satisfied with yourself and your accomplishments. I try to compensate these negative feelings with this very emotional and positive song. It’s definitely one of our more important songs.

The music videos for NEVER EVER AGAIN and SAVE YOUR HEART were both directed by Inoue Tsuyoshi. How was it working with him?

Oni: This man is just genius. He makes our videos so stylish and outstanding. Moreover, he always finds a great way to capture our overall image in his videos. We feel honored to work with such a talented director.

What are your major goals at the moment?

Ebi: I’d really like to play at many different places in the world. I love travelling.
Oni: Me too. I want to play our songs for all our fans all over the world.
Sagara: Have you heard of Nippon Budokan? It’s one of my greatest goals to have a one-man show with GANGLION at this venue. Last year we played at Shinjuku, it was such a great live! I think, to put it bluntly, we all want to become one of the greatest all-female rock bands in the world.
Vivi: I want to be the number-one drummer in the world!

Do you have any messages for your European fans?

Oni: Thank you so much, we’re really happy to be here in Europe. Stop by at one of our show - you won't regret it!

JaME would to thank GANGLION, BAJ Inc. and Riot Booking for making this interview possible.