I made a living playing drums on the notorious Aussie pub circuit in the 80's and early 90's , I got jaded with all the BS and music in general, then a couple of years ago at a much older age of 62 I tumbled onto BAND -MAID and boom 🤯 my passion for music was reignited and their drummer Akane Hirose reminded me of something I missed very much - drumming is fun - so here I am three years later with my kits out of storage wailing away like a drunk in a bar fight and loving it. The talent, professionalism, inspiration, creativty and charisma of this band is off the charts, yet they remain humble and grateful particularly to their fan base, after working with a number of dic#head rock stars BM's grace is a joy. Enjoy the journey these Rock Goddesses are the real fcken deal, Viva the Maids Po 👍🎼🥁🎤🎸🍻

Have had the good fortune to see them 3 times in the last year. They killed all the performances from clubs to festivals they always bring it.

Dice is a message to the young generation of Japanese that live in the comfort zone of the family to go out and live they own life. Different is the opening of the anime Log Horizon, and the song is about of overcome in life despite all the obstacles you can find. Try the song Freedom, has a nice drumming solo from Akane aka Gorilla, the happy drummer.

Seen them live twice....both shows were outstanding. This band can take you through so many different levels, with each song holding it's own. Probably the happiest band I've ever seen....tremendous talent at all positions.

1-From Now On (instrumental MV) 2- HATE - Lollapalooza performance

This band is one of my favorites of all time. I’ve seen them four times and can’t wait to see them again.

I'm currently listening to all of their albums again. Such a great band!! 🤘

Akane is a top tier drummer. Excellent! She really “plays the song” with interesting fills and always totally engaging. Just such a great band!

I just discovered this band this weekend and I swear, your reaction is virtually word for word identical to mine. I was amazed by their musicianship and songwriting. Not to mention the harmonies they get from only two vocalists. Full disclosure: I am NOT a musician but it's odd that the drums stood out for me as they did to you. I've already downloaded their full catalog and bought a shirt! I might recommend the song "From Now On" off of their most recent release. It's an instrumental and really highlights each member's gifts.

THE best Rock band on Earth - think that covers everything! PS Kanami, lead guitar, is sponsored by PRS guitars, Miku, rhythm guitar, by Zemaitis (including a signature model), Akane, drummer, by Tama and MISA on bass by a company too. They literally do not make a bad song, only great to utterly outstanding. These 2 song performances were from the livestream gigs they did when touring wasn't possible - bless them for that - including a 14 song acoustic set. PPS - The MV's to these 2 songs have English subtitles on the cc button.

When Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin attended a Band-Maid concert in Japan, it was Akane (the drummer) he asked to do a photo op with.

Saw them live twice last year. They absolutely kill it live! Tight intricate instrumentation ... and still they can goof around with each other and the crowd without missing a beat.

Kanami (LG) PRS Custom 24, MISA (B) Black Cloud "Black Smoker", private reserve - Tobacco aged stressed (actually virtually brand new) , Miku (RG/V) Zemaitis Custom (very) Limited Ed "Flappy Pidgeon" (She designed the artwork) , Akane (Dr) TAMA STAR Bubinga - Custom and last but not least Saiki (V) .. Best Hard Rock Band on the Planet😁

All their songs are favorites but “Different” and “I’ll” are 1 & 2. I’ve seen them 3x now and I guess my favorite from a live set that I’ve attended is “endless Story”.

The fanbase of these ladies is... enthusiastic to say the least (including me). I have seen them live 5x, and I can tell you that this performance, in spite of the evident energy it brings- is dare I call it average. This performance is during COVID, where they couldn't tour and engage with their followers. This is an online only show- and consider this is the energy they bring with just the five of them in a room in front of a couple cameras. Put a couple thousand people in front of them... and hang on. As many below have said, this is the greatest band of this century, hands down. I have seen virtually every major rock/metal band of the last 30 years live, and these ladies alone in a room bring more passion, creativity, and expertise than I have seen in bands that pull in 100k+ to a show. They simply are that good.

Dice should always be done to the MV imo. Its got a better sound than any of the current lives.

❤ Band Maid Rock ❤ Just found them last week, energy and musicianship +++ ✊️💥💯

Subbing for the Band Maid journey

This was a stopgap during the covid era when they couldn't tour or do live performances - so they did live streaming shows. Another video you might like from this same performance is another two-fer, "Manners / Black Hole." But like most bands, they feed off of their audience and while these performances kept them (and us) going, they're also vaguely depressing. They end with a flourish and there's no sound except for an electric fan pointed at the drummer. You listened to "Puzzle" from a large hall (Tokyo Garden Theater) but they had only relaxed the rules (in Japan) about cheering so the crowd was unusually subdued. Go find *"Dice & Hate?" from Lollapalooza 2023. You'll see and hear the difference. By the way, most of their more recent videos will have closed captions. It really helps us English-speakers who don't understand Japanese.

"From Now On" is a must if you want to check Akane's skills... and over all is an amazing instrumental. Also don't miss "Black Hole".

They haven't come to Australia, so I haven't seen them live.Favourite "song" (instrumental, actually) is "From Now On", followed by "Blooming" ... but there are so many favourites. They have been my favourite band for a couple of years now. So yes, there are Maidiacs here.

My #1 fav song is "Bubble", but my #1 fav live performance is the extended version of "HATE?" I suggest the live video of "HATE?" from Lollapalooza (the camera work of the video is awful, but the sound quality is very good!)👍😉

Maidiac here! You might enjoy their live version of 'Freedom" for a nice drum solo by the one and only, Akane :D Fave Band-Maid song? Easily "Blooming" (harmonies are insane), official video. Also, great reaction!

Akane Hirose is her name and she boggles my teeny brain (the whole band does, actually). Fellow drummer here and she's one of the most creative drummers I've heard. She's constantly changing her drum patterns during tracks and those drum patterns are just different than a lot I've heard, let alone played. My favorite drum track (and one of my fav songs) is "Secret My Lips", but I'd also suggest "From Now On", "Influencer", "Blooming", "Puzzle" and the brand new song "Shambles", where the first verse I can't really make sense of. It "feels" like a different time signature than the rest of the band, but as previously mentioned, I have a teeny brain. Thanks for checking out The Maids, Colby! 🕊

Best rock band on the planet. WATCH DICE and HATE from Lalapalooza 2023 and you'll understand. This is an online performance during COVID with no audience.

My favorite song by Band Maid is ‘Hate?’. You have got to see the Lallapalooza version !

Seen them live twice this year. Videos do this band no justice, they are GORGEOUS and the live performances were out of this world.

"Any Band-Maid fans?" Every person who watched the MV!😂

Different was written for the opening of the 3rd season of the anime Log Horizon.

You should react to the live performance of "Dice" combined in the same video with "Hate?" at Lollapalooza 2023. The bass and lead guitar do a delicious back-and-forth in "Hate?" not normally found in that song. Wonderful!!!

I saw them live last October in Dallas. 2nd best concert I've ever been to. The first being Metallica in L.A. in 1991. Their lyrics are a combination of Japanese and English, but it can be hard to tell because of Saiki's accent.

Hej Colby ! Welcome to the world of Band-Maid ! Hope to see more Band-Maid content here in the future. Am here for it !

I don't understand Japanese, and I truthfully don't care what the words actually mean. Her voice is mesmerizing, and I look at the singing (and harmonies) as another instrument just adding to the already amazing sounds

Some Band-Maid songs with more variety in drum patterns and fills: Shambles, Influencer, Daydreaming

Yes, this band f'ing rocks. Hard.

I've seen them live a couple of times now in their recent 2 tours in the U.S. and my favorite song by them is Puzzle

We maidiacs are ALWAYS here, you can't escape us PO! They're amazing live, even better than I expected based on their live videos, which already created unreasonably high expectations for me. My favorite song is Rinne, which they happened to play for the first time outside of Japan at the show I went to. The first song, Dice, is more or less about overcoming your ego to pursue a live worth living. My read on it is that the lyrics are informed by Miku's (rhythm guitar/backing vocals) time working in a Maid Cafe, seeing people that were choosing an illusion instead of accepting the pain of living an authentic life. The second song, Different, is a bit more abstract but I'd also classify as a song largely about self-reliance and choosing to overcome adversity.

Band Maid is one of the most powerful original groups out there. Love when they met The Warning.

Ok, Kanami the lead guitarist/backing vocalist is playing a 35th anniversary PRS Custom 24 with the "Angry Larry" paint job. And if you had watched the MV for DICE, I actually have a special text file explaining it. I will post part of it here as it explains what the song is about, but without seeing the original MV you aren't getting the full context. DICE is a call to arms. The song's basically about taking risks, seizing opportunities, putting in the work to get the rewards. Roll the dice. Take your shot. In Japan they have a sub-culture of shut-ins, people who are either unemployed or under employed who basically won't move out on their own. They stay in their parent/grandparent's home basically playing with dolls or video games, instead of getting out and living life and trying to better themselves. This song is calling them out. Challenging them, "Are you gonna stay in there playing with DOLLLLLLLLLS like a little kid? Or are you going to stand up take off the blindfold, leave the dolls and games behind and step out into the real world?" It's called Hikikomori in Japan and is defined as: "pulling inward, being confined", also known as severe social withdrawal, is total withdrawal from society and seeking extreme degrees of social isolation and confinement. Hikikomori refers to both the phenomenon in general and the recluses themselves. The concept is primarily recognized only in Japan, although similar concepts exist in other languages and cultures. Hikikomori have been described as loners or "modern-day hermits". Estimates suggest that half a million Japanese youths have become social recluses, as well as more than half a million middle-aged individuals. - Definition from Wikipedia And Different was written for the opening of the 3rd season of the anime Log Horizon. And Akane is a "Sponsored" artist of Tama. She plays a "Star Bubinga" kit, with Zildjian K high hats, and crash, with a hybrid A ride, a K Trash Crash and a K china. She uses Wincent sticks, and has her own signature sticks. She also usually uses either a Ludwig Black Beauty Snare or a Gretsch Brass Snare. She had the Tama snare converted to a triggered snare, but it hasn't been seen in any videos since early 2022. In the past she also had a Pearl snare, but that also hasn't been seen since late 2019 early 2020. During the Ladies 2022 US tour Akane bought a new Ludwig snare in Los Angeles, and she also bought a new Gretsch snare during their 2023 US tour. Akane said she loves touring the US because it's easier to find vintage drums. In the past she was sponsored by Roland and used several triggers and trigger pads units, but from recent photos of her kit during their 2023 US tour and their current Japan tour, I am not seeing any triggers on her kit other than the click track trigger behind her high hat pedal.. Miku the Rhythm guitarist/secondary lead/backing vocalist, plays a Zemaitis. Her very own signature model in fact called a "Flappy Pigeon". MISA the Bassist is playing a Black Cloud Custom "Black Smoker" built to her specification that has been aged and relic'd to her spec's as well. All of her basses have a custom neck profile for her playing style.

"Which one is your favorite song by them?" I'm not sure I have a specific favorite, but my top 5 are probably Manners, No God, Choose Me, Freedom, and the instrumenal Onset.

In most of their songs they do include closed captions with translations in their videos. The drummer's name is Akane (pr. Ah-Kah-Nay) Hirose and she attended the Tokyo School of Music with Misa the bassist.

Best rock band in thé world for me i saw them in Boston last year and it was assomme

You might want to try Influencer or Shambles next. Found Band-Maid on YT about 18 months ago and they rekindled my love of rock which had faded away in the years since the 60s-70s. They are making my golden years solid gold. Too old to get out to live shows but I've collected every video of live performances I can find to enjoy at home.

Saw them 3 weeks back now, IT WAS AMAZING. It's BAND MAID's 10th anniversary, how time flies!! 🤘😀🤘

Best band this short century and I say that with full sincerity. I've seen them twice in Chicago. I highly suggest Domination LIVE (not the MV) and Shambles MV which is pretty drum heavy even for Band-Maid. Domination Live is the best example of what their performance is like in front of a proper Band-Maid audience. It's a song with good crowd participation in the mix. Moratorium is my favorite and it's one of their best live songs, but it doesn't have an official video on their channel.

Want more drums from Band-Maid? Try "Freedom" live. There's a long drum solo that really shows what she can do.

What’s my favorite Band Maid song… let’s just check what the last one I listened to before this was… Blooming. So that’s my favorite. You should react to that one, it rips. Dice is about taking a chance and not being complacent. ‘Roll the dice’ as it were. Different is an Anime intro song, so it’s inspirational and about overcoming. Which is a theme with a lot of anime intro’s. Shambles just came out and is another anime intro by band maid with a similar theme. Good one to listen to if you dig the drummer, I think it’s about 73% drum fills I’ve seen them twice live, some of the most just pure fun I’ve had at a concert. They enjoy playing for their fans and the audience gives back the energy. It’s a great time.

I just saw them live last month, way too many great songs to easily pick favorites. Though Blooming and Secret My Lips are up near the top. Domination- Live is a great place to start, for a drummers perspective Freedom-Live and their newest song/MV Shambles. Welcome to the "pigeon-hole"!! 🤘🤘

DICE isn't as different as Different is different. Nor is Different as dicey as Dice is dicey🤔But one thing's for sure... both are different as dice! 😉 Thx, Colby!

A little lesson for some boys. Women can do, even better!!!! Respect.

Speaking as someone with a musical background - Yes! I am a big BAND-MAID fan. And, I really enjoy listening to musicians react to these five talented ladies. I hope you enjoy more reactions, sir.

Seen Band-Maid 3 times live and its The Best Show! Fav song is a tough one but I'll go with Warning... for now

This song, DICE, always sounds soooo good live! And by live I mean, being present there. I have seen them also twice. What a show! The first time I flew 2000 km to see them for first time and the second one they visited the city I'm living! What a luck!

My thoughts are that you have discovered the best rock band on the planet !! They concluded the North American portion of their 10th anniversary tour a couple of weeks ago......as usual they were awesome! 😏❤️🎙🎸🥁😎🤘

My top 4 are Anemone, Blooming, Puzzle and Awkward and around 80 songs at number 5

Akane Hirose is considered by a lot of people to be( one of the best drummers) in the world she takes dancing lessons with lead singer Saiki to make her timing better .

Been following Band Maid since March 2019, saw them 3 times in Japan this year and going back to see them at 10th Anniversary Tour Final at Yokohama Arena. Best band ever. Favorite song is the last song I heard from the Ladies.

Band-Maid are incredible and my favorite band, they write amazing songs and are very catchy. They are all great musicians that never disappoint and sound great live. I saw them back in May in Austin, TX and they were one of the best live bands I have ever seen. They have so many great songs that you could literally pick any song and be impressed. I recommend Domination (live), Don’t You Tell Me (live), Hate ( live at Lollapoluza), shambles, blooming, puzzle (live), unleash, no god.

I love Akane, as a drummer and as a person, she's awesome, talented, kind and funny as hell. I have seen them live 3 times, 2019 in NYC, 2022 in NJ and 2023 in NC. they always have fun, especially live. they are awesome. great chemistry with each other, and their fans. DICE is one of my favs. Since you enjoyed this, I would recommend reacting to Manners / Black hole live next. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/n8eWbJefs7m2d3k.htmlsi=-umKYXuDRsy1wgeq Band-Maid fans will tell you, your favorite song is the last one you heard by them. I have been following them for over 8 years and they are always "growing on me" lol. such a deep rich catalog for only 10 years. I think this is the start of a long, fun musical journey for you. I hope you continue to dig into them and enjoy their music and stage presence. Especially as a drummer, I think you will enjoy her grooves and fills, she's always in the pocket and loves every second of it and she is such a happy clown when she gets the chance to shine her personality is outstanding too. welcome. and thanks for your reaction. enjoyed it. side note: many of their videos have English CC, subtitles, so you can be sure to check and turn those on if the lyrics are important to you.

I saw them 3 x in 10 months 22-23 Band-Maid is my favorite song ❤

Saw them a few weeks ago in Salt Lake City, and it was superb! My personal favorite of their is either Freedom (live) or Manners. Highly recommend seeing them live!!

I love Band Maid! They are amazing musicians and all very entertaining. I most like the band's organizer/leader Miku Kobato (guitar/backing vocals and most maid-like outfit). Fun fact: Miku was working at a maid café while seeking to form a band, so this is what established their band's name and theme.

MISA is a beast, Madiac 4 life!!!

They are awesome .

Like the Beatles, there is no favorite song when all are good.

Super shallow reaction with the occasional "don't forget to like and subscribe" in the middle of the bass solo lol. Also you don't need to say you "don't know what the song is about" nobody expects you to understand japanese but since you mention "Drummer" in your title then at least say anything slightly insightful about the music or just about the drums, there were some pretty cool off beat drum patterns in the first song and some cool fills throughout the whole thing yet whenever you say anything it's always either to ask people to subscribe/like or to comment lol. The only thing you noticed from everything the drummer did was that she has Tama drums LMAO.

Lifelong fan.

bassのmisa はピック持ちながらスラッピンする凄い人です。

Part English part Japanese. Turn on the closed captions.

The one player who they'd miss the most, should she walk, is Misa on the bass. She'd be impossible to replace. By far and away the most innovative lines on that band, though the drummer would be a close second. Favorite song of theirs is Manners, and in particular the live version with Black Hole as a 2nd song because in the live version they have a whole new opening for Manners that makes it shine over the official cut. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/n8eWbJefs7m2d3k.html

I recall Jimmy Page wanting to get his picture taken with the drummer.

Have you checked out DOMINATION official live ?? It's a must. Please check it out when you can, love your reaction to them😗!! Freedom has a DRUM SOLO🫣

FYI: Most of the newer Band-Maid videos come equipped with English language captions.

My favorite song is Black Hole

It's a PRS 24

I watched a few Band Maid reactions from you. I know little to nothing about you but it sounds like "Like, like and sub thanks. Sounds cool, bye. I assume you're a drummer so give some more commentary if your a musician, we like that.

i suggest the song Freedom with the drum solo!!

Is it an all-girls? I like the voice of the lead singer

Love the music we need some new rock and roll

You like drums hey, listen to Freedom live with drum solo.

Freedom & Manners favorite's

Do a search on wagasaki band. It will blow your mind.

🖐🏽

Yeah Dice/HATE LOLAPALOOZA

Colby check out the band lovebittes progressive metal from Japan.

Akane isn't good she's great. Jimmy Page saw them play and went back to talk to her.

Here, try a live one in front of a crowd, outdoors. Band-maid is best live and the barefoot assassin and the gorilla are my favorite rhythm srction ever and that goes back to the 50's. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/l5yXqcpqvc2YcaM.html

The drummer is Akane. Akane is gorilla. 🦍🦍🦍 No more research needed, just bring 🍌🍌🍌

MISA MISA MISA!!!!! still not much about the drummer other than "Solid" "Good" "Playes TAMA" also whats with all the rushing feels like You are just pumping out as much content as possible with no substance no analysis or even just final thoughts.