INDEX
The Makuhari Messe concert where “a punk band without instruments” became clear, and the start of solo activities (2017-2018)
-What about the key events here in 2017-2018, when the group is getting back on track?
Nishizawa: I think our 2nd major album “THE GUERRiLLA BiSH” was a big one. Matsukuma-san found a new axis in the song “My landscape” that used strings and was different from the alternative music that had been released up to that point. Furthermore, at this time, we were able to hold a guerrilla live performance on a boat in Dotonbori, Osaka, and to realize on a large scale the homage to the Sex Pistols that Junnosuke had originally wanted to do. I think the timing of this release has been a major accomplishment of that.
Iida: I would have to say Makuhari Messe (“BRiNG iCiNG SHiT HORSE TOUR FiNAL “THE NUDE”).
-I went to that concert myself, and it was amazing. I will tell you my impression first, but after seeing that show, I finally understood what it means to be a “punk band without instruments”. The audience’s enthusiasm was just like a punk band’s live performance.
More than anything, I understood the meaning of the fact that Aina came up with the choreography and the members danced to it. The members come up with their own choreography and dance to it, just like a band writing and performing their own music. I felt like I finally understood the essence of what kind of group BiSH is.
Iida: At Makuhari Messe, I thought that we might go to Tokyo Dome and become a big star. I felt the same as you, Mr. Shiba, that my concept had changed. I felt that I could do cool things, that I was no longer an idol. The quality of the music was outstandingly different from what it had been up to that point. I still remember the last song “NON TEE-UP”.
-Around this time, solo activities of Aina and Chichi, and individual activities of each member such as Auni’s PEDRO started.
Iida: I feel that Aina’s career blossomed around this time. The same goes for dance. She started to give emotional live performances around this time. They started to improvise and dance, but that is not idol dance. Idols are supposed to dance in a conventional way.
This also helped her to improve her abilities, and her songs began to reach various people and receive praise. At this time, I feel that Aina was leading the team in terms of musicality. With that, Chichi also started a solo career, Ayuni started PEDRO, Momoko wrote a book, and I have the impression that each individual’s personality started to explode.
Nishizawa: I think 2018 is the halfway point between independent and mass. I think it was a time when we were thinking about how to adjust to the situation or what we should do.
The most impactful thing about this period was the release of “NON TEE-UP” without prior notice. At that time, we had released our 4th major single “Life is beautiful / HiDE the BLUE” and both songs had tie-ups. At that time, “NON TEE-UP” didn’t have a tie-up, so we said, “Lick my tits, get your dick wet,” which was a mess.
Iida: I didn’t think “NON TIE-UP” was a good song at first, but at Makuhari Messe, I thought it was a great song. It is a great song. Even those of us who have listened to a certain amount of music were like, “What are you doing? Even those of us who have listened to a certain amount of music were like, “What are you doing?
Nishizawa: Looking back on it now, I think it was a time when the group was getting bigger and bigger, and I felt like I was going through growing pains with my solo work and “non-tie-up” stuff.
Ametalk! Finally Death” (2019), which expanded their range of expression and appearances on
-In 2019, “Ametalk! (TV Asahi), and there is also the impression that the number of fans has increased in a wider field. What kind of impression do you have of BiSH at this time?
Nishizawa: The 3rd album “CARROTS and STiCKS” was an experimental album. It had a bit of noise-like sounds, such as “Death at Last”.
Iida: BiSH is one of those things that you don’t know until you see them live. I wondered who would be featured on this song and how, and Rinrin was right in the middle. I thought, “I see, this is what I wanted to do. I thought it was great that the most inconspicuous girl, Lynn Lynn, suddenly started to have a death voice and changed her mind.
-If I had to choose a song from this period, it would be “Death at Last”. The live performance of the song was also very impressive.
Nishizawa: When I asked the members during a recent interview, many of them said that this work was significant. They said it expanded their range of expression. I also feel that they were in a position to lead the junior members and other groups, rather than BiSH alone.
Iida: During an interview around this time, I said to the members, “You’re selling well,” but everyone’s clothes and belongings were the same as usual. The girls themselves were not aware that they were selling so well. No one was getting carried away, and they seemed to be working desperately.
