GENERATIONS FROM EXILE TRIBE – O2 ACADEMY ISLINGTON – LONDON – 13/06/2015 – REVIEW
Like their peers, GENERATIONS from EXILE TRIBE are quickly becoming a staple in Japanese pop, and after countless TV appearances and sold out tours across the country, it was time this band of 7 took their performance international with a full fledged world tour that brought them to London for the second show of the tour.
These guys are big. Two times gold record big. You’d have a tough time catching these guys at a small capacity venue back in Japan these days. After doing my research I half expected a sold out venue of screaming fans ready to catch a glimpse of these young pop stars, but today GENERATIONS made their UK debut to a roomy venue of 200-300 fans, most of which being Japanese. Though it may not be the number they’re used to, if you were looking to get up close and personal with these guys, here was your chance.
Parading onto the stage sporting the ‘dressed by my angsty teenage sister’ look of Marilyn Manson and Guns N’ Roses t-shirts with leather jackets, which I’ve been told is in these days, accompanied by the roars of their devoted fans, these guys had a lot to prove, but judging by the energy that bounced between the group and the crowd straight from the get go, it was obvious they planned on doing just that.
Singing and dancing from as young as 10, the members of GENERATIONS have been mastering their trade for the best part of a decade, and it sure shows. Made up of two singers and five dancers, they gave the crowd a diverse taste of their talents, from full on dance tracks like ‘SING IT LOUD’ and ‘HOT SHOT’ to sit down duets with frontmen Ryota and Alen showing us what years of vocal training sounds like.
Everyone gave it their all, from the teenage fangirls to the kids who couldn’t have been older than 8, dancing their hearts out until the night drew to a close.
Tonight GENERATIONS demonstrated why they are where they are today. Powerful, talented- these guys have everything a successful boy band needs, but there’s still a lot more work that needs to be done if they’re hoping to catch the attention of the international market and one day sell out shows here in the UK. Although with more focus on the world stage, these guys might just be able to do it.
Words by Charles Shepherd