From slots on Coachella and Primavera Sound to a star-making performance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, ATARASHII GAKKO!’s immense popularity has spread far beyond their home country of Japan in recent years. It’s easy to see why. The group’s sailor-fuku uniforms, quirkily chaotic musical style, aggressively animated dance choreography and infectious enthusiasm have made them the toast of J-pop.
Hot off the release of their debut full-length album AG! CALLING, the surging quartet are currently in the midst of their far-reaching World Tour PT. 1, which takes them all across Europe and Asia on an impressive run of shows. This past weekend, on Saturday, 29 June, ATARASHII GAKKO!’s whirlwind journey brought them back to our shores for their first-ever headlining concert in Singapore (they were previously in town as part of the lineup for F1 Singapore Grand Prix 2023) - and it was nothing short of electrifying!
Opening with a high-octane rendition of ‘Toryanse’, it was clear that these unstoppable balls of energy were going to leave it all onstage. If the girls were tired from the exhausting world tour (as any regular human would be), they certainly showed no signs of fatigue as they barreled into a series of absurdly kinetic dance routines, all while clearly singing live, throughout 90 thrilling minutes. While it's impossible not to be sucked in by their dynamic stage presence and eye-popping visuals, we did sometimes pause to wonder how on earth these girls weren’t out of breath.
Unlike the varnished homogeneity of other pop girl groups, the thing that strikes you most about ATARASHII GAKKO! live is the way each member’s distinct personalities shine through in their bubbly stage banter and off-the-cuff interactions with fans. After vibrant performances of hit singles such as ‘Pineapple Kryptonite’ and ‘OTONABLUE’ - the band even showed off each individual’s solo dance skills during a lively dance break that was alternately breathtaking and hilarious. From Rin’s break-girl street style to Kannon’s headbanging madness to Mizyu’s pigtail-twirling theatrics - it’s obvious how the group’s diverse tastes have influenced their frantic melding hip-hop, Showa-era kayokyoku, rock and electronic music.
ATARASHII GAKKO! saved their best for last as the band performed their most popular songs - ‘Suki Lie,’ ‘Fly High,’ ‘Tokyo Calling’ and ‘NAINAINAI’ - back-to-back to bring an already raucous crowd at The Theatre at Mediacorp to a feverish frenzy during the closing stretch. Of course, primary vocalist Suzuka was the star of the show throughout, but especially during the concert’s climax - going from her signature deep singing voice, to screaming like a punk frontwoman, to dancing like an adorable maniac in the blink of an eye. Her boundless vivacity and infinite charisma is the hyperactive heart of ATARASHII GAKKO!
While Suzuka had already wandered off into the appreciative crowd multiple times during the gig, the entire band descended into the audience during their encore performance of ‘Free Your Mind’. Singing and skipping around the whole arena as they high-fived as many people as they could (bless the stage managers and security tasked with keeping up with them during this bit), ATARASHII GAKKO! were determined to soak in Singapore’s adoration in the closest proximity possible before finding their way back on stage. Finally, the fantastic four ended with a gorgeous rendition of their slow disco ballad ‘Que Sera Sera’ to cap off a memorable night for the new school leaders.
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