
Glenn Williams
MUSIC WRITER IN JAPAN

CD + BONUS CD
MÅNESKIN
RUSH!
Sony Music International Japan
In May 2021, just two months after releasing their second album, Måneskin won the Eurovison song and were thrown into the limelight. They were in demand everywhere even though we were still in the middle of the pandemic and since that has died down, the demand for them has gone through the roof. They played close to a hundred shows around the world and also recorded their third album. Rush!, I would say, was a very apt title for their current lifestyles and I hope they still have plenty of adrenalin because going on this, their third album, they are going to be frantic.
Personally speaking, although I liked their first two albums, it took me a while to warm to them but this one is instantly likeable. Seventeen tracks and at least half of those are potential singles and radio friendly. The songs are lively and catchy; the majority are in English and the sound is more polished than the previous two albums. That last point is no doubt down to their desire to appeal to a broader market and also the change in production team (this album has an additional five producer credits) and a large part of it being recorded in Los Angeles. There are a couple of slow songs but believe me, you need them because ‘rush’ is not only their current lifestyle, it’s also a good verb to describe the pace of the album. The running order is beautifully paced to emulate their - as they describe it – rollercoaster lifestyle.
As for the packaging, well Sony International Japan have pulled out all the stops for this one. Not only is there a bonus track for the Japanese edition but the limited edition set comes with a bonus disc, a live recording, ten tracks from their visit to Japan last year. Not only that, along with the European release 16 page booklet which has terrific photos, the Japanese booklet is a whopping 44 pages! Not enough for you? Well then how about another 36-page booklet, this one all photos, also from their time in Japan This bumper package all comes housed in a slipcase and I can assure you is money well spent.
Måneskin are already racing to the top of the Rock world and this one will see them hit the fast-forward button. Third albums are always crucial for bands and they have taken decision, as hard as that might be, to move forward and leave a little bit of their history behind them. It’s a very wise decision and this is the album that is going to break Måneskin worldwide.
Track List
Own My Mind
Gossip
Timezone
Bla Bla Bla
Baby Said
Gasoline
Feel
Don’t Wanna Sleep
Kool Kids
If Not For You
Read Your Diary
Mark Chapman
La Fine
Il Dono Della Vitta
Mammamia
Supermodel
The Loneliest
Touch Me (Japanese edition bonus track)
Japanese Limited Edition Disc 2
Live at Toyosu Pit 2022.8.18

GIG
SHAKATAK
TOKYO BILLBOARD 17th November
Billboard Japan
A year without Shakatak in Japan is unthinkable; three years is unimaginable but of course, due to the pandemic, it actually happened. Taking my seat with a glass of red wine, as the crowd filtered in, there is a lovely atmosphere, a feeling of ‘Shakatak is back so the pandemic is over’. No one said it, you could just sense it. There is no other eighties band more revered here than the band in the dressing room preparing to go on stage tonight for their third of their sold out ten shows during this, their 46th tour of Japan.
It’s an early show and at 6pm, the houselights go down and a hush descends over the audience. Purple stage lights fade up, the band emerge from the dressing room, take their places and WHAM! We are off and running, normal service has been resumed* with Bill tinkling away, Jill dancing and whacking her percussion, George and Roger providing that indefinable groove they have together and the support musicians Alan Wormald and Debbie Bracknell adding colour to the first song, Invitations; the past three years were erased in just twelve seconds.
Jill looks resplendent in a black dress that glimmers and glitters different colours depending on the lighting, her voice unchanged over the decades. The first two songs are sung in unison with Debbie who is the perfect match for Jill and that unmistakable Shakatak sound but when Jill does go centre stage for Without You, I notice a few guys in the audience faces light up. Meanwhile, Bill has been up to the centre mic himself after the first song to say hello and how good it is to be back in Japan. He’s grinning from ear to ear and continues to do so until the very end.
With thirty-eight albums released over forty years, choosing a set list must be a headache but they have chosen well giving a mixture of old, new, hits and fan favourites over the two shows. A wise choice given that as I leave the first show, I notice a significant number of fellow leavers immediately queuing up for the second. Both are punctuated with a solo by Alan followed by George’s bass solo after which we are into the finale and the mega-hits. When released in 1982 in Japan, Night Birds catapulted the band into the stratosphere. It closes the set and Bill apologises before they start as he can see the audience are bursting to get out of their seats and dance but can’t. Shakatak are on fire and perform a dynamite version of it which of course leaves the audience needing more. They return for a final song, take their bows and are swamped by fans as they leave the stage. Emotions were running high tonight at Billboard from both the stage and the audience. There may still be restrictions but a sense of normality is in the air and I have no doubt that along with the vaccine boosters, Shakatak live are just the shot in the arm that Japan needs. Same time next year folks!
*Normal service has almost been resumed. There are still some covid regulations at Billboard and other venues in that the audience must remain seated and wear masks but I wish to stress that it does not detract from the show in any way.
Set List – 1st Show
Invitations
Easier Said Than Done
Without You
Takin’ Off
Fly The Wind
All Around The World
Light Of My Life
Lose Myself
Dark Is The Night
Night Birds
Encore
Down On The Street
Set List – 2nd Show
Beautiful Day
Easier Said Than Done
My Utopia
Don’t Say That Again
Golden Wings
To Be Loved
Million Voices
Day By Day
Night Birds
Encore
Down On The Street