The popular Japanese all-female rock band, SCANDAL, recently completed their “Queens Are Trumps” Tour performing 15 concerts in 13 cities throughout Japan. The band performed songs from their newest album, Queens Are Trumps as well as other fan favorites from previous albums.
Haruna, lead vocals and rhythm guitar, fires up the crowd
SCANDAL consists of four members, Haruna (lead vocals and rhythm guitar), Tomomi (bassist and vocals), Mami (lead guitar and vocals), and Rina (drums and vocals). Anime fans may know SCANDAL for its hit songs “Shoujo S” and “Harukaze” that were both used in the series “Bleach” and “Shunkan Sentimental” (see video below) which appeared in the “Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood” series. SCANDAL’s song “Satisfaction” was recently chosen as the theme to Microsoft’s Windows 8 launch commercial which was aired in several Asian countries.
Mami, lead guitar and vocals
Since their formation in 2006, SCANDAL has steadily increased their reach outside of Japan and is popular not only in the furthest reaches of Asia, but the Americas and Europe as well. Although their songs are sung mostly in Japanese with bits of English thrown in, the language barrier is bypassed with their infectious energy, catchy tunes and use of wide-ranging music genres. The band has toured the United States, France, as well as countries throughout Asia. They also recently completed a concert in Malaysia in which they are reportedly the first Japanese band to ever hold a solo concert in that country.
Tomomi, bassist and vocals
Rina, drums and vocals
We were on hand to see their performances during the midway point of their tour at the Aiichi Arts Center in Nagoya, Japan on November 3 and 4. The back-to-back performances were each sold out and had a combined audience of 5,000 concertgoers. The Queens Are Trumps concerts were their most elaborate to date with an impressive stage and special effects. Along with performing their newest songs like “Koe” and “Bitter Chocolate”, the band also played their ever-popular earlier songs such as “Space Ranger”, “DOLL” and “SAKURA Goodbye” as well as an acoustic version of “Aitai” which was a real crowd pleaser.
Haruna on lead vocals
SCANDAL’s 2013 live performance schedule includes a long anticipated concert at Osaka Jou Hall in Osaka, Japan as well as a South East Asia Tour, each occurring in March. The South East Asia Tour will include stops in Indonesia, Thailand, and Singapore. The last time SCANDAL made it Stateside was for the anime convention AM2 in 2011. We hope they can find time in their busy schedule to come back to the U.S. soon.
For more information:
SCANDAL Official YouTube Channel
SCANDAL on iTunes
SCANDAL Official Website
Pinheel Surfer
Doll
Photos provided by Sony Music Entertainment Japan and were taken at the final performance of the tour at Nakano Sun Plaza in Tokyo, Japan on November 22, 2012.