Japanese band Babymetal is a polarizing one for metal fans but they still have a die-hard fanbase. They’re a combination metal and Japanese idol act; for those of you not familiar with idols it might be easier to think of the group as female-fronted metal (Japanese idols are a whole ther can of worms and not one I would really be able to get into). Whatever the case may be, fans do not have too many opportunities to see them in America. That changed this year with the announcement of a proper tour and a slew of dates to go with it.
Los Angeles’ The Wiltern sold out in just a few days. Pit tickets were sold out in scant minutes. San Francisco’s Regency Ballroom followed suit a few days after that. The fact it is general admission for all and not sectioned off like the Wiltern may be the only reason it didn’t go just as fast. It’s safe to say Babymetal is a hot ticket draw in California. Some of the shows in other parts of the country still haven’t sold out even though they’ve been on sale for months.
This will be the first time Babymetal has performed in San Francisco and the second for Los Angeles. The trio last played in 2014 at The Fonda Theater. Babymetal’s journey across the world will begin in the UK’s Wembley Stadium and their first sprint across America is set for May. The second set of dates are set for July.
The group started as a bit of a joke as part of the idol group Sakura Gakuin in 2010 with the song “Doki Doki Morning” and after its popularity later had the three girls now christened Su-metal, Moametal, and Yuimetal, take to the group full-time. They quickly blew up across the globe and are set to release a second album this spring.
The new album is titled “Metal Resistance” and is set for release on April 1st. The name may be a tongue-in-cheek reference to the reactions the girls are having from many metal fans. Some love them and some see them as the antithesis of metal. Now, female-fronted metal is not a new thing. Little girls are. They’re that kind of thing that most metal fans see as a novelty or something they’ll grow out of. For most, that’s true. Babymetal, however, has some staying power. It’s been a few years so far and they just keep growing in popularity. The videos for “Gimme chocolate!” and “Megitsune” currently have over 41 million and 24 million views respectively. “Metal Resistance” will contain the song “Road to Resistance” where the girls teamed up with speed-metal band Dragonforce. Not much else has been revealed yet about the album.
Get ready to put those foxes up. We’ll see you in July.
4/2 London (UK) – Wembley Arena
5/4 New York, NY – Playstation Theater
5/5 Boston, MA – House of Blues
5/7 Philadelphia, PA – Electric Factory
5/8 Concord, NC – Monster Energy Carolina Rebellion
5/10 Silver Spring, MD – The Fillmore
5/11 Detroit, MI – The Fillmore
5/13 Chicago, IL – House of Blues
5/14 Somerset, WI – Northern Invasion Festival
7/12 Seattle, WA – Showbox SoDo
7/14 San Francisco, CA – Regency Ballroom
7/15 Los Angeles, CA – The Wiltern
7/17 Chicago, IL – Chicago Open Air Festival