Heat at a Shiga live house made performing difficult for Osaka ska-punk band HEY-SMITH in August. Their response was a sold-out return date, with the proceeds going towards the venue’s air conditioning.
Onkyou Kuuchou Bakuage GIG, or Sound and Air-Conditioning Boost GIG, is named after the upgrades the band want to support at U☆STONE, including improvements to its sound system. The idea follows a show there that left guitarist and vocalist Shuhei Igari cramping.
Igari set out the reasoning in an Instagram post on September 4th, writing that the venue’s air conditioning was basically shot on the night. It was “seriously hot” with “no oxygen”, he said, and his hands and feet cramped up.
HEY-SMITH have played in all sorts of conditions, with Igari calling himself “the type who likes those environments”, but he told the rest of the band at the post-show gathering that this was “not an environment where you can play properly”.
Shiga is the home prefecture of support trombonist UME, and Igari says U☆STONE has long been run by people he has always liked. Since the band want to keep coming back, he suggested using the proceeds from a future show to help sort the problems out.
Igari says the conversation set a clear order of priority. The air conditioning is “an absolute must”, with the sound system to be improved as far as possible on top of that. He is also upfront about the limits, writing that the proceeds from one show will not solve everything, and that he is putting it on hoping conditions improve as much as they can.
HEY-SMITH played U☆STONE on August 19th with GOOD4NOTHING as part of their 20th-anniversary ALL OVER JAPAN TOUR. The sold-out show was one stop on a 47-prefecture run that began in July and concludes at Toyonaka LIVE HOUSE LIP2nd on March 31st 2027. Three days later, the band play a separate 20th-anniversary one-man show at Osaka-jo Hall.
8/19(水)滋賀 U☆STONE
— HEY-SMITH (@HEY_SMITH_Japan) August 20, 2026
“ALL OVER JAPAN TOUR”
photo by @HayachiNne pic.twitter.com/7nN6pBtLaC
U☆STONE sits a minute’s walk from JR Ishiyama and Keihan-Ishiyama stations in Otsu and has been open since October 2005. With an adjustable capacity of between 100 and 400 people, it calls itself one of Shiga Prefecture’s largest live houses, and takes everything from major-artist tours and idol shows to local student and school graduation events.
Anyone who got in will get a shorter set than usual, as the band have given notice that they will play roughly 60 minutes on the night, down from the 80 to 90 minutes they run on tour.
Dates and tickets
| Date | Location | Tickets |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Nov 2026 | U☆STONE, Otsu, Japan |
About HEY-SMITH
HEY-SMITH are a ska-punk band formed in Toyonaka, Osaka Prefecture, in 2006. Their sound combines fast, melodic punk with a horn section. The official line-up comprises Shuhei Igari (guitar/vocals), YUJI (bass/vocals), Mitsuru (saxophone), Task-n (drums), Kanasu (trombone), and Ken Iikawa (trumpet). The band name takes 'SMITH' from the founding members' initials, with 'HEY' added because it sounded cheerful. Kanasu has been on hiatus since December 2024, and UME has performed as support trombonist since the band resumed live activity in April 2025. After circulating three demos, HEY-SMITH made their national release debut with the mini-album 'Proud and Loud' through CAFFEINE BOMB ORGANICS in 2009, followed by their first full album, '14~Fourteen~', in 2010. 'Free Your Mind' reached number one on Oricon's indie chart in 2011, while 2013's 'Now Album' reached number 10 on the overall Oricon chart. The band also began performing overseas around this period, laying the foundations for a long-running relationship with the international ska-punk and punk circuit. HEY-SMITH established OSAKA HAZIKETEMAZARE FESTIVAL in 2010 and later developed it into an outdoor festival at Osaka's Izumiotsu Phoenix. The event has become a recurring meeting point for Japanese punk and loud rock alongside overseas guests, while extensive domestic touring has remained central to the band's identity. Following the departures of bassist/vocalist Mukky and trumpeter Iori in 2014, YUJI joined in April 2015, with Kanasu and Ken Iikawa joining that December. The rebuilt line-up returned to the stage at Kyoto Daisakusen in July 2015. Fourth album 'STOP THE WAR' followed in 2016, along with another 47-prefecture tour and the band's first one-man show. 'Life In The Sun' arrived in 2018, and a World Edition was released internationally through US label Asian Man Records in 2020. HEY-SMITH signed with Pony Canyon in October 2023 and released their sixth full album, 'Rest In Punk', the following month. Its single 'Say My Name' served as the ending theme for the Tenjiku Arc of the TV anime Tokyo Revengers. The subsequent 'Rest In Punk Tour' finished in June 2024 with all 55 shows sold out. In August 2024, 'Feel My Pain' became an opening theme for Kengan Ashura Season 2, while Bad Time Records issued 'Rest In Punk -World Edition-' internationally. The band then completed a month-long 20-show US tour and their first Australian tour. Pony Canyon later documented 2024 as a 120-show year that also included performances in Korea. HEY-SMITH entered their 20th-anniversary year in 2026 with 'Unity', a split EP with US ska-punk veterans Less Than Jake, and launched the ALL OVER JAPAN TOUR, a 47-prefecture run continuing into March 2027. The anniversary cycle is due to culminate with HEY-SMITH 20th Anniversary ONE MAN SHOW at Osaka-jo Hall on April 3rd, 2027. Through their own festival, relentless touring, international releases, and collaborations with overseas ska-punk acts, HEY-SMITH have become one of the clearest links between Japan's melodic punk scene and the wider global ska-punk community.
