Just a note of some of the funnest content I’ve consumed lately (in no particular order):
– As part of Tokyo FM’s 55th Anniversary celebrations, Atarashii Gakko, Babymetal, and Maximum The Hormone joined forces for a three act “festival” at the Tokyo Garden Theater. Although they all played separate sets, AG and MtH’s drummer Nao Kawakita did appear on stage with BM for an encore performance of “Gimme Chocolate!!”. Sadly we haven’t seen any pro-shot footage of the event as yet, but there are a couple TikToks of AG and BM dancing together to tide us over (“Tokyo Calling” (link) and “From Me to U” (link)).
– Atarashii Gakko also posted a series of unusual clips from their live shows last year: First was a solo performance of “Wakaranai” by Mizyu (and a mannequin “band”) during which she randomly shifts the microphone stand around the stage (and retreats into shadow during the instrumental break) to reflect the song’s theme of indecision and doubt… maybe…? Then she teamed up with Kanon for a duet on “Rakuen Nite, Watashi Jigoku”, which was much more dance-y and even included a heart-stopping stunt! Then the whole group gathered behind their podiums for a more traditional staging of “Change”, that nonetheless featured a startling split-screen shot!
– War Child released Help(2), a charity album in aid of children living through war, which serves as a “sequel” to their previous release The Help Album (1995). My fave tracks (i.e., the ones I actually bought on Bandcamp) were Olivia Rodrigo’s cover of “The Book of Love” (by The Magnetic Fields), and Beth Gibbons’s cover of “Sunday Morning” (by The Velvet Underground).
– Jenny Nicholson submitted a feature-length video-essay on her “favorite Twilight knockoff”, a micro-budget independent “supernatural romance” called The Incubus (2010) (not to be confused with the many other movies with similar titles). Apparently this was a “passion project” for writer/lead-actress Shayne Leighton (literally in fact, since she cast her then-crush/future-husband as her onscreen love interest), and I hugely admire her chutzpah, as well as her commitment to a fantastically elaborate goth-y wardrobe. Although it’s easy to mock some of the more amateurish acting on display in the clips Jenny uses, I was genuinely surprised and disappointed to discover that Alexandra Santanna – the actress who played lead “incubus” antagonist ‘Bianca’ – only has a single IMDb credit to her name. I thought she showed a lot of promise in this debut performance, besides looking drop-dead gorgeous in the fabulous outfits her character is constantly changing into! Sadly, The Incubus isn’t (currently) available for streaming in the UK, and it doesn’t seem like it was released on DVD in this country either… but maybe now there’s been a bump in interest (with Jenny’s heartfelt tribute racking up over a million clicks in a couple of days), some enterprising types will grant it a wider release, so we can all enjoy it…?
– Anya Taylor-Joy had a charming chat with Seth Meyers about impulsive makeovers, her speedboat-racing father, and the rigours of voice acting.
– Sarah Nixey talked to The Strange Brew about her latest album (Sea Fever), the forthcoming Black Box Recorder reunion, and how her relationship with song-writing has evolved over the years. Then she wrote a thoughtful and fascinating rundown of her favourite albums for The Quietus, listing some of the seminal artists who’ve left a lasting impression on her over her “half a century listening to music”.
– Frayle released the promo video for their latest single Souvenirs Of Your Betrayal, prompting me to realise that I’ve (shamefully) never mentioned them on this blog before, despite greatly enjoying their “heavy, low, and witchy” take on doom metal. Tbf, their songs aren’t the sort of adrenaline-pumping ear-worms that usually inspire me to bash out a post… though previous single “Boo” (with guest vocals by Jason Popson) does have a pretty catchy chorus! Both tracks were taken from their third studio album “Heretics & Lullabies” (2025), which lead-singer Gwyn Strang “unboxed” for the official Napalm Records channel. Fun fact: Both Strang and Sarah Nixey cite Beth Gibbons as an inspiration to them, despite working in very different genres… in fact Frayle recorded a cover of Portishead’s “Wandering Star” for their The White Witch EP (2018).
– I finally caught up with all the eps of Ghoulbanger’s Ball, the YT series in which veteran VJ Vanessa Warwick braved burning heat and freezing cold to report on (almost?) every stop of Ghost’s Skeletour (2025-2026), interviewing (and playing games with) fans around the venue, before getting “ritual ready” and treating us to a pro-shot clip from the actual live show. Tbh, I tended to mute the interview segments because they could get quite emotional, but it’s heart-warming to know that Ghost’s music is proving to be such a positive touchstone in so many people’s lives… and I was amazed by how elaborate a lot of the fans’ costumes were, with painstakingly precise skull-face makeup. I could never! The sight of so many “Papa” (and rat) plushies being waved around in the crowd was also pretty damn adorable, and always made me smile. Sadly the tour is over now, and the band are taking a well-deserved break, though I believe that concert footage filmed at the Mexico City shows could be released on physical media at some point this year…?
– Perennial faves include: Vegans In Your Regions [NSFW] (link), The Lonely Island and Seth Meyers Podcast (link), Pitch Meetings (link), and Honest Trailers (link).
Valet of the Ultra-Vixens 
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