Japanese pop sensations ATARASHII GAKKO! tore down the roof at the Roxy last Thursday night just a few days ahead of their appearance at LA’s Head in the Clouds festival.
The four-piece group’s career has had a meteoric rise in the short 7 years they’ve been together. Their first traditional single came out in 2017, followed by 6 more and 2 albums over the next 2 years.
2020 represented a bit of a turning point, however, as they started releasing a string of non-album singles and then signed with 88rising in early 2021. That signing has proved critical to their ascension into the public eye and eventual placement in the aforementioned Head in the Cloud’s festival.
The cozy 500-person Roxy Theatre in West Hollywood was a perfect spot for a dress rehearsal of sorts. Every moment of the performance was timed down to the second – filled with theatrics, dancing, and even drama – so every move was critical to its success.
The setlist included a mix of past and newer hits. They opened with a dizzying first three songs: “Zuizhong Renlei” transitioned into “Shiken Zenya” which catapulted into “Koi Geba”. For every song there was a narrative and plenty of audience engagement. I gotta say, I was as impressed as I was exhausted watching it.
For upcoming tour dates and all things ATARASHII GAKKO!, head over to their website here.
Photos + Review by Andrew Ameter | Exclusively for Music, Why Not!