THE WASHINGTON POST.
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2019EZ
8If you go
BABYMETAL
Sunday at 8 p.m. at the
Anthem, 901 Wharf St. SW.
theanthemdc.com. $52-$82.Music
BY JORDAN-MARIE SMITH
B
abymetal is dark, heavy,
and ... undeniably cute?
Those descriptors don’t
seem like they would
work together, but when it comes
to this Japanese trio’s music, they
do.
The concept is kind of out
there: The band is made up of
three young women who dress in
kawaii, or cute, schoolgirl outfits.
But they don’t play instruments
— they sing, dance and make
movements in front of a set of
older musicians who are often
shrouded in darkness behind
them.
Their sound is raw and infec-
tious, accompanied by the soft
voices of original bandmates Su-
zuka “Su-metal” Nakamoto, 21,
and Moa “Moametal” Kikuchi, 20.
They sing about things like want-
ing chocolate — their 2014 song
“Gimme Chocolate!!” put
Babymetal on the map and has
over 100 million views on You-
Tube. The band toured with
Lady Gaga in 2014, and its second
album, “Metal Resistance,” de-
buted at No. 39 on the Billboard
charts in the United States in
2016.
Babymetal’s entire aesthetic
does what it’s supposed to,
which is surprise. Few would
think to put the delicate sound
of teen girls singing with brash
and thrashing guitars and
drums together, but one talent
agency, Amuse, did in 2010.
Babymetal doesn’t shy away
from the fact that they came
together not because of Su-metal
or Maometal’s love for the genre,
but for their desire to get into
the heavily orchestrated Japa-
nese pop world. In Japan, there
are several talent agencies that
will audition young women and
men to be a part of a concept
group (the most famous of these
types of groups is BTS from
South Korea).
But even though Babymetal is
manufactured, in a way, that
hasn’t stopped it from gaining
dedicated fans, including some
from Anthrax and Metallica.
Rob Zombie has come out in
support of Babymetal after fans
derided him for posting a photo
with the group. This made it seem
a bit more acceptable to like a
metal set that throws up a symbol
for their mythical muse — a fox —
rather than devil horns.“I would describe our concerts
as pretty intense,” Nakamoto said
via email. “During our perform-
ances, fans mosh and create a
wall of death and it’s [altogether]
intense in a positive way.” She
added, “One thing that brings
everyone together are the lyrics.
Even if the people singing don’t
know the Japanese words, they
still sing along.”
The chorus of “Gimme Choco-
late!!” sounds poppy, with its lyr-
ics about worrying about one’s
weight, but it also has an undeni-
ably raucous sound that makes
you want to dive into the middle
of a mosh pit and happily throw
elbows.
The mosh pits can get over-
whelming but it’s something that
Babymetal’s U.S. fans are into.
The band toured with the Red
Hot Chili Peppers and visited
Washington for one of their stops.Now, they’re coming back to
headline for the first time.
“I’m really looking forward to
visiting the city again,” Kikuchi
said via email.
Babymetal also has its critics.
For years, metalheads on forums
have said that the band’s shtick is
a gimmick and is purely for profit.
But in 2017, Korn’s frontman
Jonathan Davis stood up for the
band and called them “entertain-
ing as hell.” Korn guitarist Brian
Welch even joined Babymetal on-
stage at one show as a backing
instrumentalist.
“The way people receive our
music is different, and some peo-
ple may say that our music is not
metal,” Kikuchi said. “But I feel
that those reviews allow us to
challenge ourselves and gives us
an opportunity to grow even
more.”
[email protected]AN UNEXPECTED SOUND
Metal isn’t usually
‘cute,’ but Babymetal
is changing that
BABYMETALBabymetal is a Japanese
metal band, led by Suzuka
“Su-metal” Nakamoto, left,
and Moa “Moametal”
Kikuchi, right. Years after
opening for Red Hot Chili
Peppers in Washington,
Babymetal is returning to
the city as a headliner. “I
would describe our concerts
as pretty intense,”
Nakamoto said via email.FRIDAY
BUTTERFLY The opera classic is
stripped down and given a more
theatrical touch. Performed in English
and Italian. Source Theatre, 1835 14th
St. NW. sourcefestival.org /. Through
Sept. 22. $31-$56.SATURDAY
THE REACH OPENING FESTIVAL A 16-
day festival features the National
Symphony Orchestra performing
Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, the
Kronos Quartet, Roomful of Teeth, a
Joseph Kalichstein master class; Renée
Fleming, Angelique Kidjo and Jason
Moran in concert. At the Kennedy
Center’s Reach. Through Sept. 22.SUNDAY
MOUNT VERNON VIRTUOSI CHAMBER
ORCHESTRA Amit Peled’s chamber
orchestra performs. Bender JCC of
Greater Washington, 6125 Montrose Rd.,
Rockville. benderjccgw.org. 11 a.m. and 2
p.m. Free.CLASSICAL
Prices listed where available
SUNDAY
A TRIBUTE TO DOC WATSON The
Birchmere. birchmere.com. 7:30 p.m.
$25. BABYMETAL The Anthem.
theanthemdc.com. 6:30 p.m. $52-$300.
BRANDEE YOUNGER The Reach.
kennedy-center.org. 6 p.m. Free.
CELEBRATE AFRICA! Bladensburg
Waterfront Park. arts.pgparks.com.
2 p.m. Free. DEERHUNTER, DIRTY
PROJECTORS 9:30 Club. 930.com.
7 p.m. $35. GIPSY KINGS FEATURING
NICOLAS REYES AND TONINO
BALIARDO Wolf Trap, Filene Center.
wolftrap.org. 8 p.m. $39.50-$77.50.
NORA JANE STRUTHERS ACOUSTIC
DUO O Mansion. omansion.com. 4 p.m.
$25. SHELLSHAG Comet Ping Pong.
cometpingpong.com. 9 p.m. $12.MONDAY
JOSHUA ESPINOZA TRIO Blues Alley.
bluesalley.com. 8 p.m. $22. SIHASIN,
LES FILLES DE ILLIGHADAD Rhizome
DC. rhizomedc.org. 7:30 p.m. $20.TUESDAY
CEREMONY U Street Music Hall.
ustreetmusichall.com. 7 p.m. $15. CHE
APALACHE Hill Center at the Old Naval
Hospital. hillcenterdc.org. 7 p.m. $18.
KAMELOT The Fillmore.
fillmoresilverspring.com. 8 p.m. $35-
$100. KEALI’I REICHEL The Reach.
kennedy-center.org. 6 p.m. Free.WEDNESDAY
ALEX SKOLNICK TRIO Blues Alley.
bluesalley.com. 8 p.m. $25. BANKS The
Fillmore. fillmoresilverspring.com. 8 p.m.
$45. FONTAINES D.C. U Street Music
Hall. ustreetmusichall.com. 7 p.m. $15.
PETER FRAMPTON The Anthem.
theanthemdc.com. 6:30 p.m. $76-$176.
THE JACOB JOLLIFF BAND Gypsy
Sally’s. gypsysallys.com. 7 p.m. $12-$14.
THE MESSTHETICS Black Cat.
blackcatdc.com. 7:30 p.m. $15-$18.
THE SUPERSUCKERS City Winery.
citywinery.com. 6 p.m. $17. WILDER
WOODS 9:30 Club. 930.com. 7 p.m.
$25.THURSDAY
BLACK PUMAS U Street Music Hall.
ustreetmusichall.com. 7 p.m. $15.
CHRISTIAN SANDS Blues Alley.
bluesalley.com. 8 p.m. $25. COME
BACK ALICE Gypsy Sally’s.
gypsysallys.com. 8 p.m. $12. JUDAH
AND THE LION The Anthem.
theanthemdc.com. 6:30 p.m. $35-$100.
SNARKY PUPPY Strathmore.
strathmore.org. 8 p.m. $29-$69.
SOLOMAN HOWARD, AFRO BLUE,
THE MELLOW TONES The Reach.
kennedy-center.org. 6 p.m. Free.TOWN FROM 7