SAKI on fire...
Un internaute sur Reddit a écrit toute la chronologie sur les débuts de NEMOPHILA, on y apprend par exemple que Saki ne devait être qu'à la production derrière le groupe... mais en "maitresse Jedi" du Metal japonais, elle a vite compris que cette Mayu avait un potentiel incroyable :
Citation:
Some details on the early history of NEMOPHILA
There are several interviews that tell the story of how NEMOPHILA got started and where they first played. But I wanted to know some more details. For example, I knew that mayu was in LIPSTICK, Hazuki in Disqualia, Haraguchisan in HöLDERLINS. But when exactly? Is there footage of their last live? Why were they interested in joining a new session band? NEMOPHILA got to play a live show real soon after they were formed. But what kind of set did they play? I tried to gather some details. I hope this is useful or at least interesting to someone else as well.
I try to include sources for everything. My main source is band's and their members Tweets. My Japanese is not good enough so I had to use auto-translation for most parts. For convenience I use transliterated names instead of ??, ????? and ?????? but stick to the original form of romaji in other cases (upper/lower case). All dates are in Japanese YYYY.MM.DD format.
Pre-history
For starters, here are short histories of band-to-be members with some more focus on their recent activities just before mayu????? (mayu session, which became NEMOPHILA) happened.
mayu:
mayu was the vocalist of heavy metal/hard rock band LIPSTICK from December 2016 to May 2019. Her stage name in LIPSTICK was Sindy. Videos of their live performances show that she liked to scream in their shows, too. Apparently the rest of the band didn't want to evolve their sound into heavier direction like her.
2016.12.18 Vocal candidate Sindy's (mayu) first show LIPSTICK tweet
2019.4.4 LIPSTCIK released a new single "MARIA" LIPSTICK tweet
2019.4.21 LIPSTICK played their last show with Sindy (mayu) on vocals LIPSTICK tweet
Some videos of LIPSTICK with Sindy (mayu):
YouTube: LIPSTICK playing "MARIA" at Shinjuku WILDSIDE TOKYO 2019.2.11
YouTube: some live clips highlighting Sindy (mayu)
SAKI:
SAKI has played guitar in metal band Mary's Blood since 2012 and she had other bands before that. She is a really busy lady and I won't try to track her activities in detail. If there is an event with guitar playing girls, it's very likely that SAKI is there. To highlight some major recent events, she was recording a new album in studio, touring with Mary's Blood and playing at NAON?YAON 2019.
2019.6.11 Mary's Blood 5th full length album CONFESSiONS released Mary's Blood tweet
2019.6.12 Mary's Blood "MY XXXXX CONFESSiONS TOUR" announced Mary's Blood tweet / tour schedule
Some videos:
Mary's Blood YouTube channel
YouTube: NAON?YAON 2019 - WGGC (with Murata Tamu on drums)
?? (Hazuki):
Hazuki has played guitar in power metal band Disqualia since their formation in August 2015, but they have been inactive since July 2017. She was also supporting live shows of Li-sa-X and RAMI in 2017-2018. Last time before mayu????? (mayu session) Hazuki had been on stage was a year earlier, that would be summer 2018 Hazuki's tweet. She probably means the World Guitar Girls Collection 2018 event. SAKI was also there, of course. Hazuki in Japanese Girls Band Encyclopedia / Disqualia in Japan Metal Indies
2017.7.7. Hazuki announces that she'll support Li-sa-X on 2017.7.30 Hazuki's tweet
2017.7.11 Disqualia tweet about suspension of activities
2017.7.16 Hazuki's tweet about Disqualia stopping of band activity
2017.7.31 Hazuki plays with Li-sa-X Hazuki's tweet
2018.2.4 Hazuki plays as supporting guitarist on RAMI's "Reloaded Tour Vol.1" Hazuki's tweet
2018.8.19 World Guitar Girls Collection 2018 Hazuki's tweet / Hazuki's tweet with event flyer / Young Guitar report.
Some videos:
Disqualia YouTube channel
YouTube: 2017 video clip from Li-saX's 1st solo show
YouTube: 2018 RAMI Reloaded Tour Vol.1 digest movie
????? (Murata Tamu):
Murata Tamu has been involved in various projects. She was a member of band SORAMIMI from 2013 to March 2017. It seems she worked as a drummer for hire after that. In 2018 Tamu was playing and singing with Ladybeard, released an EP (?????, "Innocent"), and played her own songs in "drum live" solo shows. She played drums at NAON?YAON World Guitar Girls Collection events in 2017 and 2019 (with SAKI on stage, obviously). More about Tamu's projects in Japanese Wikipedia and on Tamu's web page muratatam.com.
Some videos:
YouTube: SORAMIMI's last video from 2017
YouTube: 2018 Tamu talks about her EP
YouTube: 2018 drum solo live: INNOCENTLY by Tamu
YouTube: 2018 Ladybeard live
YouTube: 2018 Ladybeard music video
Murata Tamu's YouTube channel
YouTube: NAON?YAON 2017 - WGGC
?????? (Haraguchisan):
Haraguchisan played in HölDERLINS (as ??? "Gucci") from January 2017 until March 2018 when she and two other members departed from the band.
2017.1.15 ??? (Gucci, Haraguchisan) has became a member HöLDERLINS tweet
2018.3.9 Perhaps the last HöLDERLINS show with Haraguchi? In Taipei, Taiwan. Haraguchisan's tweet
2018.3.19 Announcement of 3 members leaving HöLDERLINS HöLDERLINS tweet
Video: YouTube: HöLDERLINS live in 2017
mayu????? (mayu session)
A playful summary of the situation at this point in time:
mayu wants to start a new, heavy all-girl band.
Haraguchisan is an obvious choice - she's mayu's old friend, she's good, free, and fun.
Murata Tamu is always looking for some more drumming to do and is actively advertising herself. The two people contacting her sound fun, and she doesn't hesitate when there's a combination of fun and drumming available.
Guitar-Jedi Master SAKI feels a disturbance in the Force: something awesome is about to happen. She knows that the Force of Metal will lead her to where she needs to be.
Hazuki has been stranded off-stage for a year and is eager to get back into action. I imagine a phone call to her would go something like this: mayu+SAKI: "We're looking for a metal guitarist for jamming and some live sho-" a sound of guitar being packed in a case and a door opening and slamming shut on the background " ... ????? Hazuki are you still there?"
How they actually got together is told in several interviews and in mayu's recent column. Some of the material is a little contradictory on details. Here is a simple summary:
mayu first contacted her friend Haraguchisan. They found Murata Tamu through her web and magazine ads, and she was interested. mayu got in contact with SAKI through a mutual friend. SAKI was first asked to join as a producer, but she got interested in mayu's vocal style and offered to play instead. The four of them played together a bit and decided that they need two guitars. SAKI knew Hazuki and invited her to join. mayu's column / Metal Hammer Japan vol 8 interview / UniJolt interview
2019.7.11 mayu announces that mayu????? (mayu session) will play on 2019.8.22 at Shinjuku Wild Side Tokyo event "Summer Game". Members of the group are: drums ???? (Murata Tamu), guitar ?? (Hazuki), vocals mayu (ex. LIPSTICK), guitar SAKI (Mary's Blood), bass ?????? (Haraguchisan). mayu's tweet / SAKI's tweet / Haraguchisan's tweet / Hazuki's tweet / Murata Tamu's tweet / first live event flyer / a fun band image composed of their old photos
2019.8.9 mayu announces that mayu????? (mayu session) will play their second live show on 2019.9.5 at Shinjuku Wild Side Tokyo event "Dig up! Your Wonderland". They were booked to play a second show before they had performed their first. mayu's tweet with event flyer
2019.8.22 mayu????? (mayu session) plays live for the first time. mayu's tweet with photos / video clip of them playing Kurenai by X Japan / SAKI's tweet with set list
Set list:
???
Trooper
????D&D
D??!
? (Kurenai).
NEMOPHILA
2019.9.5 mayu announces that members of mayu????? (mayu session) have formed a band called NEMOPHILA. @NEMOPHILA_band twitter account is created and they announce that they will play in September at METAL WEEKEND as an opening act. mayu's tweet / NEMOPHILA's tweet / first band photo with Nemophila logo
2019.9.5 NEMOPHILA's first live performance, at Shinjuku Wild Side Tokyo. mayu's tweet with photos
2019.9.11 mayu announces that NEMOPHILA will play for a full hour at "Get Crazy" event at Shinjuku Wild Side Tokyo on 2019.10.23. mayu's tweet
2019.9.14 Metal Weekend 2019 day 1 at Zepp DiverCity Tokyo. NEMOPHILA opened with a 15 min long set. Main act of the day was Loudness. mayu's tweet / report with photos
2019.9.15 Metal Weekend 2019 day 2. NEMOPHILA opened again. Main act was Hammerfall. Set list included OIRAN. mayu's tweet / Haraguchisan's tweet / SAKI's tweet with OIRAN video clip / a report with photos
2019.10.23 NEMOPHILA plays at "Get Crazy" event in Shinjuku Wild Side Tokyo. mayu's tweet / event flyer / SAKI's tweet with set list
Set list:
Guerrilla Radio
Trooper
I Was Born to Love You
Wings
SORAI
OIRAN
BOOM
????D&D!
??????????
Wings (????)
???
2019.10.24 First press photo of NEMOPHILA? Used in "White Night Fantasy" event poster. mayu's tweet with photo
2019.12.16 NEMOPHILA plays at "White Night Fantasy" event in Shinjuku Wild Side Tokyo. They had 1 hour long set. This is the last show before Tamu's maternity leave. They announce the 1st One-Man show with Miki Tsunoda "mittan" (SHOW-YA) as a support drummer. mayu's tweet with photos / NEMOPHILA's pre-event tweet / NEMOPHILA's tweet
2019.12.19 NEMOPHILA Shop opened NEMOPHILA's tweet
2020.1.18 NEMOPHILA announces that they will play in NAON?YAON 2020 NEMOPHILA's tweet
2020.1.19 mayu on stage as a guest singer at Kawagoe Departure, as "KABAYA x mayu" mayu's tweet with poster
2020.1.27 NEMOPHILA YouTube channel launched NEMOPHILA's tweet with video
2020.2.8 First video on NEMOPHILA YouTube channel released: The Trooper cover NEMOPHILA's tweet / YouTube video
2020.2.21 Announcement of 3-track CD OIRAN that will be released 2020.2.29 and will be sold in webshop and live venue. Tracks: OIRAN, Monsters, Life. NEMOPHILA's tweet
2020.2.22 OIRAN single released mayu's tweet
2020.2.23 OIRAN video released on YouTube NEMOPHILA's tweet / Youtube video
2020.2.29 NEMOPHILA plays 1st One-man show with support drummer Miki Tsunoda "mittan" (from SHOW-YA) because Murata Tamu was on maternity leave. 2nd One-man show at Shibuya REX on 2020.5.31 announced. Mayu's tweet
2020.3.8 Hazuki announces that she will be playing in the new Li-sa-X BAND Hazuki's tweet
2020.4.29 Date for NAON?YAON 2020 but it was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
2020.5.31 Date for 2nd ONEMAN Live at Shibuya REX but it was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
2020.6.26 Notice of cancellation of already postponed NEMOPHILA 2nd ONEMAN on 2020.8.22 at Shinjuku ReNY. NEMOPHILA's tweet
2020.7.11 1st anniversary of announcing the mayu????? (mayu session) group
Originally I intended to cover events only up to the release of OIRAN, but extended this to cover the first year since mayu????? (mayu session) announcement. The end is done a bit hastily and needs to be improved.
Please let me know if you spot any mistakes or missing events or have any additional information that would be useful. I would be grateful for more set lists and video clips from early shows. Also feel free to correct my grammar if something in the language bothers you. English is not my primary language and I feel my skills in writing English are a bit rusty.
Edit 2022.1.16: fixed some typos, inconsistent spellings, wrong links and formatting of some parts. Corrected the title of Tamu's EP and added links to info about the EP. Improved Hazuki's history by adding a timeline and information about her support for Li-sa-X solo show and RAMI's 2018 tour, with video clips for both.
