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The “ultra dark Japanese idol group” NECRONOMIDOL travelled to Stockholm, Sweden to perform, and I travelled there to see them. Before October 23rd I didn’t know much about the group, except that they have some seriously great songs, but now I know that:
• I love them.
• Their names are Meica Mochinaga, Malin Kozakura, Himari Tsukishiro and Nana Kamino.
• Himari Tsukishiro is one of the coolest stage persons I’ve ever seen.
• I stood very close to her and the heat from that moment still hasn’t left me.
Think I’m overreacting? Go watch NECRONOMIDOL live yourself and come back!
As a part of the Japanese “alternative idol” scene, NECRONOMIDOL is partly a standard pop group that’s accessible, service-minded and cute, and partly a weird group in the outskirts, adding cool stuff like hard rock and metal, alternative music, being yourself and experimenting. A digestible compromise of artistic integrity and commercialism, like the best from both worlds, ultimately creating a whole new world. And it’s not just weird stuff + normal stuff = “alternative idol formula” when it comes to NECRONOMIDOL. They’re among the most free-spirited groups in an already free-spirited scene. On the Stockholm live show, I heard both black metal blastbeats and 80s electropop, and it just worked together. They’re a unique group, and they’re also way too good to play for only 50 people after travelling half the world from Japan to Sweden (as a part of their Europe tour).
While they’re residing at the edge of dark and experimental music at most times (whether it’s by using corpse paint, making long artistic music videos or just putting ideas before potential mass success in general), on stage they’re 100% servicing the fans. Professional, well-rehearsed and always in character (they only turned off their stage-face to quietly drink water in the corner a few times). No live band, no visual effects, only them singing and dancing to instrumental backtracks on an empty stage. And while there’s nothing particularly “pure” or superior with being minimalistic, it’s still impressive how they made so much out of so little, out of just themselves. The show was so compact that there was little time for cheap tricks to engage the audience, they just doing their thing was convincing enough (and saying “hi” and “thank you” in Swedish while being ridiculously proud of doing so was enough to make the crowd go completely nuts).
Himari Tsukishiro is a big reason why I’m writing this text at all. She’s NECRONOMIDOL’s “veteran” (relatively speaking, she joined 2017 and is by no means an original member), while Nana Kamino joined 2020 and Meica Mochinaga and Malin Kozakura as late as in April 2021. They’re all unreasonably great for being so new together, but what Himari Tsukishiro has, apart from all these musical and performing qualities, is “that extra something”. She has top-level charisma. The kind that radiates one hundred percent and not ninety-nine percent true confidence on stage. The kind where you don’t really have to ask yourself if you liked the show or not, because you’re immediatelly convinced. There was sparks between me and Himari Tsukishiro that night in Stockholm. She was performing for me. And if not only for me, at least mostly for me. Or, she’s a damn professional who knows exactly how to affect people in this way. I think ‘ll go with the first alternative. However, that kind of international star power was something we hadn’t made us deserved of.
This kind of music doesn’t really exist in Sweden (please tell me if I’m wrong!!) That’s why I travelled from coast to coast to catch a glimpse of it, and now I’m eager for more! I don’t want you to be NECRONOMIDOL (they’re already themselves), but y’all should at least just watch them perform and get inspired to do something. The energy of groups like NECRONOMIDOL is too cool to be as unknown as it is. Integrity and marketing often stand in their respective corners when it comes to music, but when they meet you get groups like NECRONOMIDOL. You can be cute, dark, commercial, “real”, honest and accessible at the same time, and there’s no compromising in it, because the combination is better than its parts.
Check out NECRONOMIDOL’s Patreon and appreciate their effort in reaching out to international fans!