MUSIC | Babymetal
DON’T CALL ME BABY
Henry Northmore gets to grips with Japanese pop / metal phenomenon Babymetal as they embark on a UK tour with Red Hot Chili Peppers
N othing about Babymetal makes sense. A teenage trio of ultra-cute Japanese schoolgirls (Su-Metal, Yuimetal and Moametal) who sing bubblegum pop vocals while performing choreographed dance moves over brutal death metal: it’s ridiculous and stupid. But there’s something so weird and incongruous about the bizarre juxtaposition of J-pop and thundering metal riffs that catches the imagination. The video for ‘Gimme Chocolate!!’ went viral in 2014, and has now been viewed over 60 million times on YouTube. As a result, Babymetal went global.
It could have been cheap novelty, but the music stayed true to the genre, reminding headbangers that metal can be fun. ‘I think it’s not only Babymetal’s sound but also the fact that we dance to metal that represents a new way of expressing this genre of music,’ explains Moametal. ‘I guess the British audience accepted us for being refreshing and interesting.’ To truly understand Babymetal you also need to understand the concept of Japanese idol bands. A quintessentially Japanese phenomenon, these are huge multi-member manufactured pop acts – the nearest equivalent in the UK would be the Spice Girls or S Club 7, but on a much larger scale. The most successful, AKB48, currently hold the Guinness World Record for Largest Pop Group with more than 130 members who perform nightly at their own theatre, with sales of over $200 million in their home country. They are sold as accessible, super-sweet, cute (or ‘kawaii’) role models who usually sing upbeat pop, as well as modelling and acting across multiple platforms. However, Babymetal broke the mould, adding grinding guitars and pounding blast beats to the formula. Existing within their own mythological world, their history is a wonderful mix of fact and i ction. ‘The three of us were brought together
102 THE LIST 3 Nov 2016-31 Jan 2017
by the prophecy of the Fox God who is the God of Metal,’ explains Yuimetal. ‘Our actions are preordained by the Fox God’s prophecy.’
‘We have never met the Fox God in person but he assigns us inconceivable challenges, so he is crucial for the progress and growth of Babymetal,’ adds lead singer Su-Metal. In reality, all three singers were originally members of idol group Sakura Gakuin (which translates as ‘Cherry Blossom Academy’) and didn’t even really know what metal was before being asked to form the band. They originally sang live over backing tracks, but as their popularity grew, executive producer and mastermind Kei ‘Kobametal’ Kobayashi assembled the Kami Band, who dress in white robes and corpse paint, adding extra heft and weight to their live shows.
Metal fans have embraced the madness and Babymetal have appeared on the cover of Metal Hammer, collaborated with DragonForce and Rob Halford (Judas Priest), played Reading and Leeds, Sonisphere and Download, and were the i rst Japanese act to headline Wembley Arena in London. In Japan they are beyond huge, selling out two nights at the 55,000 capacity Tokyo Dome and starring in their own upcoming animated series. Now Babymetal are making their Scottish debut supporting funk rock veterans Red Hot Chili Peppers on their UK arena tour. ‘We were able to see their show for the i rst time at Fuji Rock Festival in the end of July in Japan this year,’ adds Yuimetal. ‘Their music and live performance was so awesome!! I’m looking forward to learn[ing] a lot when touring with them.’
Babymetal support Red Hot Chili Peppers at the SSE Hydro, Glasgow, Thu 8 Dec.