CHAI
"NEO-kawaii" band vies for a rookie win
NEO-kawaii band (NEO stands for New Exciting Onna) CHAI left their mark on the Rookie A Go-Go stage late Friday, with hopes of being voted the top new guest act to Fuji Rock. Considering the large crowd gathered around the stage in anticipation for their show, their wishes may well come true. The four piece, Mana (vocal and keyboards), Kana (vocal and guitar), Yuuki (bass and chorus), and Yuna (drums and chorus) are fresh off an American tour and previously appeared at this years SXSW festival Japanese Showcase.
Swooping through a variety of genres, from pop to hip-hop to garage rock, the girls showed tremendous stage presence with hilarious banter and synchronized gesturing at key musical moments. Dressed in all pink, they played standouts “Boys Seco Men”, a lament on the fact that all handsome boys are bad boys, and “Gyaranboo” in which they urged the crowd to angle their thumbs down as far as possible and shout ‘boo’ in unison. Closing with “Sayonara Complex”, they seemed to leave a positive lasting impression on everyone in attendance, hopefully cementing their return to Fuji Rock next year.
