ANGER FLARES gig in London (15th Dec 23) with interview from Yatching (new drummer)

ANGER FLARES are street punk oi! band from Tokyo, active since late 90's. They stopped playing for a while around 2007, but reformed in 2013 after relocating to Tokyo from Kobe and have since been actively touring and playing gigs.

They are one of the most hard working bands there, regularly putting out great records and playing all over the world whenever they can., bringing out what's best about Japanese oi, authenticity, pride and catchy tunes.

They are familiar to the UK's audience, they have played in the UK a few times before, including Rebellion Festival in 2015, 2017 and 2019, but it was the first time for Anger Flares to play at London's legendary '100Club' as a part of their UK Tour 2023.

Supporting Cockney Rejects on their final tour, which ended with two shows in London on 15th and 16th of December, both dates were sold out way in advance!

I wanted to see Anger Flares badly, I've been following them for a while and never managed to catch them in the UK before. I was also a bit disappointed when I went to Japan and they didn't play any gigs around the time I was there. So it turned out to be a perfect occasion and I luckily managed to get a ticket for the Friday night.

Their set included 13 songs:

United and Strong (which I sadly missed, thanks to the long queue outside the venue..)

Let's Get Drunk

We Got the Power

On the Street Again

Stay Punk

Get Back Future

Never Give In

Fighting For Survival

Go For It

Rebels With a Cause

Keep the Faith

Here Comes Anger Flares

This time along with their undeniable energy and fun, they also brought, for this mini tour, a new drummer.

I wanted to use the opportunity to introduce him with this follow up interview.

(Japanese language version below!)

Hi Yatching-san, it was nice to meet you at the show and watch you guys playing live!

How did it happen that you joined the band just before the UK tour? Did you know each other for long before?

Y: Thanks for contacting me! Since September I have been drumming (with them) at several gigs as a support, and we have come to understand each other. I think that's the major reason.

Besides, I feel like this band also uplifted my motivation.

Their former drummer was a good friend of mine and he used to invite me to ANGER FLARES gigs, which is how I got to know the members.

We haven't known each other for long, but I quickly became friends with SHINJIN (gu) and TAXX (ba) right away because we are the same age.

Could you tell me a bit more about your previous bands you've been involved in? What's your musical background?

Y: I've never been able to stick with one band for long, so I've been hopping from one band to another.

There are many reasons for this...

When I started playing drums at 17 years old, I discovered punk. Then, I explored various genres - punk, melo-core, ska-core, and then came back to punk.

But I've always had punk at the core of my music, and I've never wavered from that.

Was it your first time in England? How did you find the whole experience, what did you like the most?

Y: This is my second time in England.

I think the last time I was here was only for about 3 days. It was during a European tour with a band I played with a long time ago. We performed in Germany, Belgium and England at the time. We only did one gig in England, though.

What struck me in England was the age range of the audience at the show! Of course, I know the Cockney Rejects are a band that has been around for a long time, but I guess the audience consist of old-timers too!

There are old punks in Japan, but they can't compare to those in the UK!

Touring abroad means playing in a completely different environment. I think it's a great way to develop our playing skills by performing in the same way we always do, even in such environment. 

I believe it has allowed me to play more closely with the band members, despite having joined the band only recently.

Is ANGER FLARES to be a permanent thing now? And if not, what plans do you have?

Y: As I mentioned earlier, I've never been able to sustain a band for long, so I'm determined to make sure that doesn't happen with ANGER FLARES! Unless something special happens, we'll keep going!

I want to create and release as many new works as possible and tour not only in the UK, but also in various other countries!

UKツアーの直前に参加されましたが、バンドのメンバーとは以前から知り合いだったのでしょうか？

Y: 連絡ありがとう！

9月からサポートとして何本かのライブで叩いて来て、メンバーと気持ちが分かり合えたってのが大きいかな

自分のやる気も上げてくれるバンドだな、と思えたしね

前のドラマーが仲良くて、彼がANGER FLARESのライブに良く誘ってくれて、そこでメンバーとは知り合ったんだよね

みんな付き合いは浅いんだけど、Gu.SHINJIN、Ba.TAXXとは歳が一緒ですぐに仲良くなれたんだよね.

前のバンドについて聞かせてください。音楽のバックグラウンドはどのようなものだったのでしょうか。

Y: オレは、一つのバンドを長くやる事が出来なくて、何個もバンドを渡り歩いて来たんだよね

コレは色んな理由があったんだけど…

ドラムを始めた17歳の時にパンクロックを知って、パンク〜メロコア〜スカコア〜パンクと色んなジャンルをやってパンクに戻って来たんだ

でもずっと根底にはパンクがあって、そこはブレてないよ.

イギリスは初めてですか？イギリスでの経験はどうでしたか？一番よかったと思うことを教えてください

Y: イギリスに来たのは2回目なんだ

前回は3日ぐらいしか滞在してなかったと思う

それはずいぶん前のバンドのヨーロッパツアーの時でドイツとベルギーとイギリスでやったんだ

イギリスでは1本しかやってないんだけど

イギリスで印象的だったのは、ライブに来てたお客さんの年齢層が高いことかな

コックニーリジェクツが昔からいるバンドなのはもちろん知ってるけど、お客さんも昔からの人達なんだろうね！

日本でもオールドパンクスは居るけど、イギリスには勝てないよ.

海外でツアーをするっていうのは、環境の全く違うところでプレイするって事だよね

そういう環境でいつもと同じ様にプレイするのって、かなり演奏力が鍛えられる事だと思ってるんだ、オレは

バンドに参加してまだ日が浅いオレには、メンバーとより密なプレイができる様になったと思うよ！

アンガーフレアーズでの活動はこれからも続けて行きますか。それとも、他の計画がありますか。

Y: さっきも言ったけど、オレはバンドを長く継続させる事が出来ない人間だったから、それはANGER FLARESではそうならない様に努力するつもりだよ

特別な事がない限りずっとやるつもり！

新しい作品をできる限りたくさん作ってリリースして、イギリスだけでなく色んな国にツアーしに行きたいと思ってるよ！

(big THANK YOU to Mariko for helping with translation)

Me with ANGER FLARES after the gig