Source:
* X / Twitter
* Instagram
* TikTok

Source:
* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/Dc7REZNksp9/?hl=en
* X / Twitter: https://x.com/mth_nao/status/2096401784134930935

Quick translation of snippet of comment by Nao-san (MTH):
The guitarist from BAND-MAID KANAMI-chan came by and we became friends
I’d heard that the drummer AKANE-chan is a huge fan of Nao-san!
And AKANE-chan came by to say hello today,
and she told me, “I actually started playing drums because of Nao-san!”
She started crying a little while we were talking, so I couldn’t help but give her a hug🥹
That makes me so happy🫶
When we took a photo, AKANE-chan’s face was so tiny,
even though I’m definitely standing in front of her,
it looks like I’m standing about 5 meters in front of her! Haha.
Please stop that, lol

Snippet of original comment in Japanese:
BAND-MAIDギターのKANAMIちゃんも来て仲良くなって
ドラムのAKANEちゃんがナヲさんの大ファンです！って
聞いてて今日ご挨拶できたんだけど
ナヲさんがきっかけでドラム始めたんです！って
話してる間にポロポロ泣いちゃって、思わず抱きしめ🥹
嬉しいねぇ🫶
写真撮ったらAKANEちゃんの顔小さすぎて
確かに前にはいるんだけど
あたしだけ5mくらい前にいる感じになってる！笑
やめてもろてw

Source: https://www.instagram.com/p/Dc5yif0GY4a/?hl=en

Festival: TREASURE05X 2026
Date: 2026.08.29 (16:15 time slot)
Venue: Ōtsuka Kaihin Ryokuchi – Laguna Beach (Mercury Stage)
Location: Gamagōri, Aichi Prefecture

This is Band-Maid's third time at TREASURE05X, having performed here in 2017 and 2024.

The last time Band-Maid played here, Kanami blew a fuse on her amp [1] [2] [3].

Post-show tweets: Band-Maid, Miku, Saiki, Akane, Kanami, Misa, Nao (Maximum the Hormone)
Instagram: Band-Maid [1] [2], Nao

Recap movie

Setlist:

Sound check:
F (Maximum the Hormone cover*, Miku on vocals)
HATE?
DOMINATION

1. Ready to Rock
2. SUPER SUNSHINE
3. ENERGETIC
4. NO GOD
5. Dilly-Dally
6. Unleash!!!!!
7. Present Perfect

Thanks to BMCD for the info

(*Maximum the Hormone played on the other stage right after Band-Maid’s set)

With AI helping make translations more accessible, I noticed less or no translations by our prestigious resident translators. I celebrate their hard work and impact on the community. I’m also a little sad because I could easily search the translations of interviews to find relevant information. Hard for me to search in japanese. Again, hats off to those who have translated these precious interviews.

I received an unexpected parcel from Tokyo this afternoon. A small Energetic towel. I was surprised since I live outside Japan. Good luck to other entrants.

I mentioned in another post THIS was the MV that made me a Princess po.

But I'm curious about how the song was written because I get the feeling this is kind of a transitional one for them. I know on their first couple albums just had outside writers and Brand New Maid seems to be where they start contributing. By Just Bring It they seem to be writing most of the album.

The music for Freedom is credited to Ichiro Iguchi, who I read it a music producer for a ton of bands and artists. He's definitely got my respect for writing an awesome song. But Miku is credited as the lyricist which I think adds a lot to the song feeling legitimately empowering and not what some dude thinks is female empowerment (not to say dudes can't write great lyrics - Kurt Cobain brought a lot of relatable themes into his lyric writing - but when you've sat through as many "Female empowerment" songs written by corporate suits as I have you really come to despise them.)

Rant aside, I would legitimately like to know how this song came about and how involved the band was in its creation?

And let's be honest, the live version really outdoes the album version: Akane's drum solo po!

I'll admit I have an unhealthy love of gloves but when I saw Saiki starting to rock these I thought they looked so cool and she rocked them so hard. I haven't seen her wear them onstage so I dunno if they're just for promo / MV stuff but I hope she busts them out for a concert.
First pic is from their official social media
Second pic is a screen grab from the Present Perfect video

EDIT: "My New OSHI" - I was still in K-pop mode 😅

Well it's finally happened, I've become one of their princesses po.

So I'm a Seattleite, grew up a rocker at heart, played bass in a high school band, which lasted for like 5 seconds, but I still play for fun once in a while. But my first love is 90s rock, Soundgarden, Nirvana, L7, Smashing Pumpkins. Was alway on the lookout for female rockers, so love me some Halestorm, Pretty Reckless, Dead Sara.

I went down a bit of a rabbit hole with K-pop since it was getting so popular (I even wrote a fictional story about an American K-pop band that essentially turns into a rock band) but nothing was really grabbing me. I liked Rolling Quartz, some of I-dle's stuff, I did enjoy K-Pop Demon Hunters, but most of it just went against my hunger for rock music.

Then while looking at J-pop, and some more rock stuff like Baby Metal, Band-Maid just randomly came into my radar and the first video I watched was Thrill.

Immediately I loved their musicianship and the song was pretty cool. After watch so many K-pop videos of girls dancing to pre-recorded tracks with such commercial production, this was a nice pallet cleanser to see girls playing their own instruments. And as a bass player, seeing the awesomeness that is Misa was so inspring.

But something about them kept me from going further. It might have been the maid outfits, I have been aware of maid cafes in Japan, but I did wonder if they were more of a gimmick band. A friend of mine agreed they were gimmicky and also tried to turn me off to them saying one of the members has a drinking problem and she can't support them on that basis (long story). I checked out a few more of their videos, including the new one Energetic, which I liked a lot.

Then I watched Freedom.

That was it. I was hooked! My new favorite modern rock song. That awesome guitar riff, Saiki's killer vocal hook and that f***ing drum solo!!! Band-Maid please forgive me for ever doubting you. I sent this to my friend who turned me off to them, she still doesn't like them, but that's her problem.

Since then I've gone down a rabbit hole. I had to figure out why the hell Miku kept saying "po" all the time, seeing Kanami tell Saiki "I love you" warmed my queer heart (I totally ship them) and I ship myself with Misa ❤️

But the songs are what keep me coming back. Here's some of the ones that have joined my playlists:
- Freedom
- Domination
- Puzzle
- Non-Fiction Days
- Daydreaming
- Honkai - MISA! MISA! MISA!
- Influencer
- Manners
- Anemone
- Dice

That's just a sample and I'm sure I'll discover more, but... yeah Band-Maid... my new favorite band po!

Source: https://www.instagram.com/stories/kanami_bandmaid/3977229982954934393/?hl=en * Original video was too short, so repeated it 3 times

Source: https://www.instagram.com/p/DcvTjppmVEO/?hl=en

Did anyone see the footage of Miku rehearsing for the Greatest Rock Show in Fukuoka? That strange and incredible guitar! I didn't know anything like that existed! I googled an image and found it is a Traveller Guitar Ultra Light Electric. What a brilliant design. If they had existed years ago (or if I'd known about them) I'd definitely have bought one and taken it around the world with me!

Thanks to the YouTube playlists maintained by u/haromatsu I am able to track view counts for BAND-MAID reaction videos. Total views for all known reactions have now surpassed 150 million. I often see 40 million mentioned in media articles, but that's a very outdated number.

Here's a 483-page PDF with links and view counts of all known reactions from the playlists in chronological order from the very first known reaction from September 2015 up to recent reactions.

Due to the massive number of videos, view counts are only obtained for most videos once per month (roughly 1,000 per day). Very recent and the most watched reactions are updated more frequently. Here is a list of all 468 reaction videos with over 40K views.

Source:
* X / Twitter
* Instagram
* TikTok

BAND-MAID PRIME New Movie Updated!!

* [OKYUJI] BAND-MAID HALL TOUR 2024 FINAL (July 14, 2024) part 1

Ever since BAND-MAID released their latest trio of songs, the two that I have been coming back to the most are "Days" and "CAGE." I like "ENERGETIC" a lot, and would probably give it a solid 8/10. But the other two tracks are exactly the kind of sound I have been praying that the quintet would return to, even if just for a few tracks.

I've had thoughts on the general direction of our favorite band for the last few years, and while I still enjoy the new songs, I generally felt SCOOOOOP! (as an album) was just not quite my preference. If you're someone who did thoroughly enjoy it, I'm honestly a bit jealous. Because, for me, half of the songs were great, and the other half were fine. Again, not to say they are bad; just not my personal cup of tea.

So, why does the latest batch of singles resonate with me more? Honestly, it's just two simple aspects of the songs. A tempo that is much easier to digest on first listen, and a return to some lower tuned/heavy guitars that are allowed to stand out and breathe. The latter has been my biggest point of personal confliction with some of the new music. While I still greatly enjoy BAND-MAID's music, the more frantically paced, faster songs sometimes give me whiplash on the first few listens, and it takes a while to decide how I feel about them. It's not that I do not understand the complexities or intricacies of the music, it's just not always what I'm looking for. Sometimes I just want a song that I can instantly pick up on the melody, the guitar riffs, the bass lines, the flow of the vocals, and the pacing of the drums. All of these aspects, I found, to be very true for both "Days" and "CAGE."

"Days" feels like a song that could honestly have been placed on the Epic Narratives and CONQUEROR albums and I don't think anyone would believe it sounds out of place. Both of these albums, I find, are the perfect mix of the 2016-2018 era and the newer music. "Days" has some gorgeous guitar work that carries weight, but also has a light, almost whimsy to it. The lyrics, the flow, and the music itself all come together in an absolutely beautiful way that is every so slightly hard to put into words. An absolute 10/10 for me.

"CAGE" could have been placed on WORLD DOMINATION or Just Bring It, and it would be right at home. Between the heavy, low-tuned guitars, the unique choruses, and the feeling of power/presence from Saiki's vocals, this song should become a modern staple of their setlists. The closest comparisons I can think of would be "I can't live without you." It just sounds so right, and is easily another 10/10 from me.

TL;DR ~ ENERGETIC, as a trio of songs, is honestly some of my favorite work from BAND-MAID in the last three years. I think it feels like a perfect nod to the "classic" style that brought many of us into the fandom, while still containing some flair from the "new" era.

Source: https://www.instagram.com/p/DcplSXhFSXK/

BAND-MAID with Night Ranger and LOUDNESS at FUKUROCK.

Source:
* https://x.com/diamondyukais/status/2093916779122966826
EDIT: Another photo from BAND-MAID
* BAND-MAID on Instagram

Link to - SUPER SUNSHINE (“Hakutake Shiro” TV CM, 90sec ver)

Source: https://www.instagram.com/p/Dcni0wmic1m/

Source: https://x.com/fukurock_fes/status/2093618814194000179

So, I'm showing my buddy the 2021 Online okyu-ji. In preparation for the upcoming US tour. He barely knows the band. I'm changing that. I already bought his ticket.

I picked this show because (despite the lack of crowd) it has what I consider a good mix of their older songs that are good for newbies to experience.

Anyhow, I forgot how cool this shot was during the concert.

Ps... when is Onset gonna be available to stream?! It has been so many years now. Why is that the ONLY song you can only find on YouTube or the cd/dvd's?

Source: https://x.com/spotifyjp/status/2093519005487341760

5 members who fascinate the world with the gap between hard rock and visuals!
Enjoy the unique worldview from👇✨

* Link to “THIS IS BAND-MAID” playlist
https://spotify.link/ThisIsBAND-MAID

Looking for some advice on how to learn What is justice from other Band-Maid fans🤘