Several Media reports featuring Natalie.mu, Oricon from Japan, The Guardian, Gigwise from United Kingdom and more are already available online about the BABYMETAL's biggest headline show outside Japan to date at the Wembley Arena in London, England. Below a summary with the most important highlights of the features, read below.
BABYMETAL at Wembley Arena featured on International Media
BABYMETAL's performance at Wembley Arena was the first headline show of a Japanese act in England. Several media sites wrote reviews and reports of their awesome performance in London on April 2 in front of approximately 12.000 fans from several countries of the world as the photos show with flags from several countries like Japan, United Kingdom, United States, France, Switzerland and many more. In addition Japanese sits like Natalie.mu and Oricon Style make focus in the increible reaction at the 7 venues broadcasting live the BABYMETAL's perforamce via the Live Viewing experience featuring more than 12.000 Japanese fans watching the performance live. Below a summary of several reviews already online highglight the best parts of their reports.
THE GUARDIAN: "J-pop teen metallers come of age"
In their biggest UK venue to date, the sugarpop pint-sized idols prove they’re no gimmick but a metal phenomenon on a mission
Devil horns: the universal symbol for heavy metal worship. Join finger and thumb to make a snout and that hand gesture becomes a fox shadow-puppet to throw at the shrine of Babymetal for the fox god, who according to the band, delivers them the music to share with the world. Tonight, that symbol is held aloft by meaty metalheads, under-fives and kawaii girls for more than an hour and a half.
Their set reveals itself as an astonishing grey church while the girls rise from a vertical platform lift to war cries of “Babymetal desu”. Within seconds of entry, they’re snapping into cheering come cybergoth raving and their very special version of headbanging – a pendulum swing forward, ponytails delicately thrashing.
There is no longer anything about them that seems ridiculous. The band are tight and there is spotlit time enough for wailing solos and breakdowns. Given this versatile space and production budget, slick dance routines and the blending of every genre from trap to bubblegum pop suddenly makes perfect sense. The group are a true product of idol culture, each pristine girl present to see us just as much as the 12,000 of us are there to worship them. The adoration is radiating from every bloke with a tear in his eye.
The grand finale: the glittery trio revolve at the end of the walkway among their fans. It’s euphoric. Their mission statement to bring metal to the world is repeated at every live show. Considering their venue and the presence of non-metal fans and flags from at least 10 different countries at the show, which is also live-streamed to Japan, it looks as if they’re getting close. Metal resistance is futile.
UPSET MAGAZINE: "The novelty is over, Babymetal mean business at Wembley"
That’s not to say they’ve lost any of their excitement. Hyperactive, technicolour and relentlessly fun, Babymetal fully embrace the arena spectacle but they never lean on it. There are fireworks, costume changes and video interludes but it’s the music and showmanship that shine through. ‘Amore’ see Su-metal commanding the room solo while ‘GJ!’ sees Yuimetal and Moametal unfazed by the scope of the evening. Together, their chemistry shines and that isn’t something that can be manufactured. Despite the polish of the evening, their personalities still come through. A grinning human connection to their runaway success.
As the video screens welcome Wembley Arena to Metal Resistance Episode 4: Reincarnation, the funeral march of ‘BABYMETAL DEATH’ rings out. The four-piece Kami Band then launch into its chugging breakdown before a grandiose temple. We’re less than five minutes into the show and it’s already utterly bonkers. Su-Metal, Yuimetal and Moametal then rise from the centre of the arena, throw the Kitsune up, and the entire room responds in kind. The phenomenon is real.
From the playful chase and call & response of ‘line!’ through the Eurotrance bounce of ‘YAVA!’ and out, onto the parade anthem of ‘Meta Taro’, ‘Babymetal’ cover a lot of ground during their ninety minute onstage but it never feels out of reach or uncomfortable.
‘Ijime, Dame, Zettai’s message of anti-bullying comes alongside the demand for a wall of death, ‘Awadama Fever’ talks of a mint-flavoured time machine and ‘4no Uta’ comes with the Star Wars-esque backstory that both Yuimetal and Moametal have been “pulled into the dark side by Death Vader” before singing about the power of 4 (which seems like an excuse just to say may the 4th be with you, but who doesn’t love a pun.) Bigger than songs about chocolate and alarm clocks though, tonight comes with a grand message of unity.
Wembley won’t see anything else like this for a long, long time. The past is over and Babymetal could just well be A New Hope.
GIGWISE: "BABYMETAL bring a mind-expanding live experience to Wembley Arena"
"A long, long time ago, in a heavy metal galaxy far, far away," beams the introduction to tonight's...well, let's call it a spectacle. It's a fitting opening for the truly epic carnival of insanity that follows, as we're led into one of the most mind-expanding live experiences of the year from an act that "rose above language barriers and countless generations."
And indeed, all walks of life are here at Wembley tonight. Children, ageing men and women, metal heads, punks, pop fans, the anime-obsessed - flags are flying from all from across the world, and all losing their minds with neither abandon or shame. Some may have been brought here out of curiosity of guilty pleasure, but by the time the band emerge centre stage to pumping fists for the explosion of 'Babymetal Death', it becomes immediately apparent that as ridiculous as the concept may seem, it couldn't be further from a gimmick. Everything is exaggerated to the Nth degree, but with such immaculate clarity that it can hardly seem ridiculous. This is a fully-formed vision that's impossible not to get totally lost in.
Devil horns so easily become a tribute to the Fox God, seen flying high above the circle pits and dance routines. All are so arrested and involved that it almost seems like a religious ceremony or political rally, especially when it's revealed that the show is being live streamed to a street party in Tokyo, where they're all losing their mind in equal measure. This truly is a global phenomenon.
There are a few moments when you have to slap yourself in disbelief. When Yuimetal and Moametal become possessed by Darth Vader for instance, before Su-Metal shows them the light and they all unite again for a bat-shit crazy victory lap towards the finale - highlights of course the pop-rush metal menace of 'KARATE', 'Gimme Chocolate' and 'The One' uniting Wembley in all out-war against normality, whatever that is.
DAILY STAR: "Teen trio trigger insane mosh pits as cult fans hit London Wembley"
"But they don't write their own music? I don't get iiittttt," moaned a colleague as we left Wembley last night, having blagged a freebie for Babymetal and coming along last minute. Meanwhile, me and our other friend, in contrast, were fizzing with adrenaline [so much so we ended up on the wrong tube home and ended up back in Wembley an hour after we'd set off], hatching plans as to how we could run away to become the fourth and fifth member of the band. Babymetal = a trio who clearly divide opinion.
To be fair, Whitney Houston, Marvin Gaye, and Elvis Presley didn't write their own stuff. Kanye West has ghostwriters. And even Liam Gallagher sang his brother's words. As a non-weeb, non-paedo, generally-non-fan-of-manufactured-pop, for me, Babymetal are about losing your s**t to, not their lyrical genius.
The 12,500-capacity venue boasted an eclectic group of gig-goers; teens, metallers, punks, kids with parents, girls, boys, women, men, Daily Star journalists, a couple who walked out beside us, maybe a teacher, maybe a lawyer, maybe a doctor, who knows…
The mosh pits (several breaking out in different parts of the arena) were some of the most extreme I've ever witnessed, despite having been squelched up against the barrier for hardcore legends like Rage Against The Machine, System Of A Down, and Slipknot. To critique Babymetal without having seen their fans utterly immersed in the moment is a flimsy move, they are a phenomena which you either get or don't, and whether their fans' adoration stems from the novelty or authenticity of the band, there is something which truly resonates.
ORICON STYLE: BABYMETAL, became the first Japanese to perform at Wembley with 12.000 enthusiastic people /
BABYMETAL、日本人初のウェンブリー公演 1万2000人熱狂
The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, U2, Madonna, a number of famous artists have perfomed live at the world famous arena. This historical performance, in Japan the Live Viewing was carried out in the live house of 5 cities nationwide, 7 venues in total with 12.000 fans in real time towars the locals.
At the end of the show, "THE ONE English Ver." with full-length English lyrics which was recorded for the overseas edition. When the members were standing on the center of the stage began the chorus with the fans at the venue, and the Japanese fans in the real time from the live viewing were displayed on the screens, was about 24.000 people chorus together in English and Japanese, the excitement was able to be drawn.
NATALIE: BABYMETAL World Tour kicked off being the first Japanese to headline Wembley Arena
BABYMETAL、日本人初ウェンブリーアリーナ単独公演でワールドツアー開幕
This is the first Japanese artist at Wembley Arena to perform a solo concert. In the following day when the new album "Metal Resistance" was released at the same time in the whole world. The first day of its third World Tour was broadcasted live in six Zepp Hall's locations with venues with large numbers of fans despite the early morning. It should be noted that was about 12.000 people in the local and Japan live viewing venues were about 12.000 people, a total of 24.000 people witnessed the historic moment.
The repertoire of 17 songs finished with "Road Of Resistance" with the slogan "We are BABYMETAL". Su-Metal hitting the gong, fireworks went up from the stage. Among the applause and the Kitsune-Up of the three girls overlooking the arena with expressions: "You are also presious to me. I love you!!" by Moametal, "It is thanks to you that we are here today! We love London!" by Yuimetal, "We are going back to Japan, but remeber we are always on your side!" by Su-Metal were the messages to the fans and then left the stage with "See you!".
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Show report, BABYMETAL at Wembley Arena, click here.
Albums of photos, BABYMETAL at Wembley Arena, click here.
Transtion and report by: Maik Gianino.
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