Continuing on with our Animé LA series after our interview with BRATS, we report on their debut in America which left a big impression on attendees with their heavy dose of punk, aggressive Jrock.
On January 10, 2020, in the main convention hall that night, FEMM opened up the show, bringing their mannequins with emotions to life with intense and provocative J-Pop. As their set ends and the mannequins are being carried off stage, you can feel the crowd buzzing. With a couple of drum beats pounding across the room and the pinging of guitars being tuned, the stage was now ready for the next performance. The three young ladies of BRATS—Rei Kuromiya on vocals, Aya Kuromiya on bass, and Hinako on guitar, come on stage to warm applause from the audience after FEMM opened the show.
At first, the crowd was almost stunned into silence as if they could not believe what they were seeing. As the girls played on, the sound in the modestly sized ballroom was rocked to the max. Energetically they delivered new music as well as their popular tunes including Ainikoiyo from the anime To Be Hero, Nounai Shoukyo Game from action film Slavemen, and Doudatte Yokatta (どうだってよかった). The applauds increased and cheers became louder after each song. Finally ending with Kimarigoto (決まりごと), the young ladies took a bow and walked off stage to big cheers from the audience.
- Aya swings her hair in style.
- Rei commands the crowd to jump.
- Hinako smiles as she checks out the crowd.
Then something incredible happened, the crowd shouted out for an encore, “One more song”! After a few rounds of chanting, the house lights dimmed and they returned to stage. As they played the hard rocker, Ms. Downer, the audience got out of their chairs and came up to the stage. With encouragement from Rei, they jumped and cheered along to the beat.
It was an amazing night, and even though there were some in the audience who knew of them, new fans were brought on board after that show! As we asked some in the crowd about the show, responses were “Amazing” and “Very good performance”. Yet, this was just the beginning of what BRATS had in store for attendees at the convention. Following the performance, they had an autograph signing and the next day, they were on a panel to answer questions from the fans.

BRATS answering questions from the fans at a Q&A panel.
Just a day before this event, they released their lyric video for Excuser (エクスキューザ) on YouTube and streaming platforms. This is the first of seven new songs to be released each month this year. Have a listen to it below!
No doubt fans will want to see BRATS back again in America. And this is just the beginning of a busy year for the ladies with new music on the way. For anyone in Japan, there is the special “Shooting BRATS” live concert music video at Shibuya CLUB CRAWL on February 11. Plus, the two-day “Monster’s Nest Vol. 1” collaboration event on March 21 and March 22 at Shimokitazawa Flowers Loft hosted by BRATS.

BRATS leave their mark at Animé LA during an autograph signing.
Setlist
- Anthem
- Kaihou seyo (解放セヨ)
- Unfair (アンフェア)
- Excuser (エクスキューザ)
- Lost Place
- Big Bad World
- Pain
- Ainikoiyo (アイニコイヨ)
- Ms. Downer
- Nounai Shoukyo Game (脳内消去ゲーム)
- Doudatte yokatta (どうだってよかった)
- Kimarigoto (決まりごと)
Encore
- Ms. Downer
More Info:
Official Website
YouTube
Facebook
Twitter
Twitter (Rei Kuromiya)
Twitter (Aya Kuromiya)
Twitter (Hinako)
Instagram
Official Fan Club
Read more from this series:
Report: Animé LA 2020
Interview: FEMM
Live Report: BRATS
Interview: BRATS
Interview: Japanese Lunchtime Rush
Photo source: David Cirone of Resonance Media