自尊心
Month: March 2025
One Step Closer Final Day of Tour [Harlem, Shibuya]
The final day of tour with One Step Closer, Featuring the followings bands: One Step Closer, Tive, Shadows, Make Mention of Sight. Loyal to the Grave, Numb, Blow Your Brains Out and View from the Soyuz.
During the season of cherry blossoms, and picnics, we had a send off for the final day of tour for One Step Closer. With a stacked line up of bands, both old, regulars and new! With each band bringing different energy and moments of euphoria for the crowd.
As always i show up early and mentally prepare myself, questioning on how to photograph, what should i focus on, and mainly don’t fall over on stay or unplug a amp by accident. (I only fell over once towards the end of the show, but thank you Cole, Koba and everyone stage left for grabbing my camera prior!)
One thing that always warms my heart about the scene in Japan, people will say hello or at least acknowledge your presence. This means the world to people like me. Running around the venue trying to take photo’s, replacing the batteries in my strobe, i often over think myself if i’m in the way, blocking other photographers, annoying the crowd and much more.
Bands
View From The Soyuz - For a bunch of people who are young and upcoming, you would think they’re seasoned musicians already. Absolute talent.
Blow Your Brains Out - God damn, side to side action. The only thing missing was a stage dive from the balcony. I’m excited to see the reaction at Northern Unrest fest in Scotland this year.
Numb - What to say, seasoned veterans. It’s like going to your favorite restaurant after payday. You know what you’re going to get, and it always hits the spot.
Make Mention of Sight - I’ll be honest, never heard of them. But over the last week people had been posting that they had music up on streaming services. I know i was in for a treat. Emo hardcore x Youth crew. Loved it. Also shout out to the band that all said hello when they came into the venue! It was really nice!
Loyal To The Grave - Seeing not only 1 musician, but the whole band locked in and having a good time with smiles on each other faces. Maybe it’s a mixture of seriousness and just having fun, but you can really respect it. (Photograph, mosh, back to business and photograph).
Shadows - Another band that i never watched before, but seeing the reaction between the crowd and the band. I could tell they was really appreciated, and i felt it too. Solid set.
Tive - Stage dives and Hajime disappearing because everyone wanted to jump on him for the mic. You know you’re doing something right when you can drop the mic and the crowd sing back to you.
One Step Closer - If you wasn’t at the show, you missed out. From stage dives, mic grabbing, bloody noses (accidental), myself nearly fucking up the whole stage with my dumb ass feet and falling over twice. Absolutely restless.
Personal Highlights: Hashi upside down during the Loyal to the Grave set, singing into the mic. If you do not know Hashi, you probably have seen him at a Tokyo show! Always doing cartwheels, high kicks and explosive energy.
My second highlight was a personal one, rekindling my love for concert photography. I usually focus on documentary and personal on-going projects. But just this day felt somewhat special.
Things i want to improve on: Confidence in what i’m doing! i’m somewhat reserved contrary to belief, maybe it’s a mixture of confidence / anxiety, but looking at the sets and how i held myself when photographing. I still have improvements to make!
Hashi, under koba grabbing the mic during Loyal to the grave set.
Takumi, during View from the Soyuz. Hatsudai Wall.
CKS Show
at
Hatsudai Wall.
A two man show presented by CKS: Dozeone opening and View from the Soyuz closing.
Short. Fast. And a lot of alcohol being poured. If you’ve been to the Wall, you know once a little bit of liquid is on the floor moshing becomes your worst enemy. Today was no different even for a smaller show.
Curry brought to you by Goshikitei. (I’m yet to try, but it smelt incredible).
Beth of Mutt at Daydream Kachijoji.
Benefit show for Palestine.
Daydream Kachijoji.
A benefit show brought to you by John (Mea Culpa) and Jordan (Murakumo).
Mea Culpa, Mutt and Indignation all played and showed love for the event.
Jenn brought some sweet bakery treats which went pretty damn fast. With a lingering one or two at the end as no one wanted to be the person to finish the food for a charity event.
This was the first time in a long time, where not only was i asked to photograph personally, but got to support a cause a lot of us can get behind. There was no hostility, just positive outbursts and support for one another.
Splitknuckle tour presented by CKS.
I had been waiting for this tour since i moved to Japan.
I had requested to do merch and photograph the whole tour and not tell the splitknuckle lot. This was going to go down well or awkward, but knowing the band for a long time and growing up in the same county, i had no worries.
It would be no exaggeration to say i had been home sick, and needed a touch of reality. Japan can sometimes fell unreal, both dream like or a nightmare at times. But the humorous poking at each other, the accents of home but also hearing life updates and seeing everyone in a good spot currently during that time. (Minus Liam’s foot).
I had no idea what i was doing with the merch half the time, i had a system, then the system would go. I got to use my terrible Japanese skills but managed to get by. (Shout out to shin, who helped me at the end of the tour, my Japanese completely went).
Throughout the weekend, it was nice seeing splitknuckle reconnect with the Universe Last Ward crew / meet some new people in Osaka. One of the funniest things i heard through out the whole weekend was hearing “bomboclat” and the explanation. Truely language and gestures know’s no bounds.
Personal highlight: Seeing and photographing with my friends.
Things to impove: Don’t forget batteries.
Jordan of Murakumo at Moonstep
Murakumo at Moonstep.
After posting tirelessly on my instagram for to photograph more events, Jordan reached out! (Stand up guy). This was a week after coming of the Splitknuckle Tour, and having the itch to try photographing a different style and way as i had gotten new strobes (Godox 860iii). I hadn’t been fully succesful with them during the SKC Tour so i wanted to give them another shot.
The night was fun, slow starting but once everyone got a face full of ass and sausage from Abos the whole mood changed. Also happy birthday to Takumi and Koyo who’s birthday it was !
My personal highlight: Abos. It was just crazy, funny and wild.
Things to improve on: Don’t be shy, ask the other bands if it’s cool to take photo’s
One Step Closer, Antiknock.
[First day of tour]
The first show in Japan for One Step Closer, since since 2023. (In which i had previously photographed at Hokage, Osaka).
Featuring: Make Shift, JasonAndrew, Murakumo, True Fight and One Step Closer.
Arriving 30 minutes early, i sat down my stuff and spoke to Koba about life briefly and how i really trying to push my work out again and wanting to photograph more events. (Which later in turn would allow me to photograph the last day of the One Step Closer Tour).
My personal highlight: True Fight. They always kill it, but this day was especially tight.
Things to improve on: Don’t over expose the flash and trust the process.
Yajima, Ryota of True Fight at Antiknock
Thank you for those who decided to click the link, found the website, or just somehow ended up here.
You’re probably asking, what is this? What am i reading?
To put it shortly, this is just a monthly update on photographs i had taken, mainly focused on the Hardcore / Punk genre. I will 100% be showing other genre’s or styles of work.
It’s purely what i enjoyed, what i learnt, what i need to improve on and how i felt at that time.