[Breaking] The Saiin Fest 2017: Live Report — Yoshida Shonen Band

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[Breaking] The Saiin Fest 2017: Live Report — Yoshida Shonen Band

• Music Festival Master / Editor-in-ChiefKeisuke Hane
  Editor-in-chief of RAG MUSIC and in charge of music festivals. When I attended my first music festival as a freshman in college, I was captivated by its charm—“I can’t believe there’s a place this free and this fun.” I share information about wonderful music festivals every day to help grow the community of festival fans.

The Saiin Festival 2017: “Shonen Yoshida Band” Live Report

Gradually transforming the atmosphere of the venue

After Katayama Breakers & The☆Rokenroll Party, the next act to take the stage was the Shonen Yoshida Band.

Still riding the excitement from the earlier hype, they began the live show at their own pace.

In “Tears of the Soul,” even while holding an acoustic guitar, they made full use of effects to create a mysterious atmosphere and finished the performance; in the lingering afterglow, the second song, “The Moon and the Sun,” began.

The shimmering synth sounds gently sway the audience's bodies.

The place gradually transformed into a venue completely filled with their atmosphere.

A rich array of sounds envelops the venue.

I already mentioned the striking guitar sound in the transition from the first to the second track and the sparkling synth tones, but throughout the show they entertained the audience with a wide variety of timbres.

With mallets, the drums produced a soft cymbal sound and a rich, resonant tone from the toms, and with deft use of rods, delivered a light, airy snare sound.

In the fourth track, “A Little Love Story,” just when you think it’s delivering an exquisitely refreshing, transparent sound, sharp high-gain tones occasionally break through, ensuring the listener is never bored.

And in “LUNA,” the mysterious sounds that seemed to come from nowhere made their live performance even more striking.

I'm frustrated it's raining, but I'm also happy.

During their performance, it was drizzling outside.

Then vocalist-guitarist Shonen Yoshida said, “Whenever we play at the Saiin Festival, it always rains… But in terms of leaving an impression, I’m a little happy about it.”

Once again, they performed a live show in the rain that left a lasting impression on us, and the song they played here was “Natsu ga Kuru” (Summer Is Coming).

An incredibly refreshing and nostalgic track—it matched today’s sky perfectly.

They delivered a live performance just for today.

The piece performed as the final song was “Itsudekka.”

In the middle of the piece, there are solo sections for piano, guitar, bass, and drums, making it feel like a jam session.

The variety of sounds was impressive, but it was the individual performers’ high level of musicianship that made the live show truly captivating.

…And just when I thought the live show was over, they suddenly decided to play one more song, “Tsubame no Citta,” since there was still some time left.

It was a time wrapped in refreshing, pleasant music right to the very end.

A quick word after the show!

https://twitter.

com/studiorag/status/893762672268726272

Shonen Yoshida Band Profile

Shonen Yoshida Band Official Website

Yoshida Shonen Band Official Twitter

https://www.

youtube.

com/watch?v=558xCVa_z50

https://www.

youtube.

com/watch?v=xL0BIGncmac

The Saiin Fes

Sun 11/23 The Saiin Fest

saifes.net

Saiin Fes is a free (tip-based) music festival held around Saiin in Kyoto. Since 2017, it has been held in spring, summer, and autumn. Not only live music venues but also cafes and shrines throughout the Saiin area become stages, filling the town with music for two days.