Bradio’s Best 3 Lockdown Offerings
If you’ve been following our Japanese music coverage here at Rice Digital lately, you’ll know we love Bradio. The funky trio are known for bringing something new and different and their upbeat attitude and energy has gotten us through the last few months of… well… everything going on.
As part of my effort to spread the good word of Bradio and convert as many people as possible into the band’s faithful Funky Party People, I’ve put together a selection of some of their more recent offerings available online. This is a band that very seldom tour’s outside of Japan, so until we’re able to lure them over here to Europe, this will have to get us through.
Fitness Funk
In a world where gyms are closed and we’re all either obsessively working out at home or just letting our bodies go to pasture and dealing with the consequences later, Bradio are here to keep the world from despair. This video appeared on YouTube just over a month ago and is their answer to a world where their tenth anniversary tour has been largely cancelled or postponed and people are just a little bit on edge.
You can see the band’s signature humour, with cheeky moments scattered throughout this socially distant music video. Few clips sum up Bradio’s positive message while delivering their funky sound so perfectly, so if your experience with them has been limited to Death Parade, this is a great reintroduction.
Bradio’s Tenth Anniversary Tour
That’s right. Its ten years of these funky souls dancing their way across stages in their bright suits and big hair and while they had a much bigger plans for their celebratory tour this year, they did manage to give a great performance at the NHK Hall in Tokyo in January. Thankfully, this was filmed and edited together for those of us who couldn’t make it for geographic reasons. While this was likely meant to be a part of a DVD performance available later on, the band released this video for fans in late April.
Time is running out to see it, however. As we have said before, the band extended its time online past the original Golden Week run to the end of May, but we’re quickly running out of May to play with. If you haven’t seen this, take the chance. Pop it on in the background while you work. Soak up that funky music and enjoy it while you can.
Sugar Spot
Now for something new. Something really special. Keeping in the tradition of Japanese bands announcing things at the last possible minute, on Thursday, Bradio told their Twitter followers that they would be premiering a new song on their YouTube channel the following day. At 11:00am BST on 22 May, the video above will go live with a new arrangement of a song that Bradio has never released before. The tune, Sugar Spot, is one that appeared on their 2012 demo single Dance ‘N’ Soul, but this version is completely rerecorded during the lockdown, so it will be worth checking out for new and old fans alike.
I’ve heard Sugar Spot before and its vintage Bradio. With a thick beat and a funky vibe all the way through, I’m looking forward to how they update it for more modern audiences. I’m also curious how the lockdown and the different members being separated from each other influenced their sound. Sugar Spot has a special place in the hearts of both fans and the band as a rare tune that doesn’t get the love and attention it deserves, so join me for a little treat for the ears.
As with a lot of Japanese bands and YouTube, there is no telling how long this song will stay up so you need to get it on while you still can.
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