A selection of memorable moments and things I've learned from my Legend in Japan experience. Crashing into the cymbals, and living in the eternal now. LiJ Performance Bingo. Doing unspeakable things to microphone stands. Climbing on the speaker stack. Flying dismount. Singing while lying down. Breaking the wall of the stage and spending half the performance in the crowd. It's like when a bottle of fizzy pop is shaken and shaken and shaken, and as soon as the cap's loosened, it goes whoosh. We had a fan swap with Kids Can't Fly, loved Of Fire And Fate, and were privileged to be at the start of Skaciety. London Stone is a basement pub, themed in a gothic / horror style, with toilets hidden behind a fake bookcase. That's the gimmick, the laughter it generates has literally no beginning. Over the last three years, we've seen venues close. In Bristol, the gig changed venue because the Cooler had closed. When LiJ went back just five months later, the replacement venue, the Croft, had also closed. People are growing up without the chance to experience of seeing live shows, and that's bad for the future. Quality bands don't just spring up out of nowhere. They have to practice, and the best way to practice is in front of a critical audience. Or just any sort of audience. The economics don't add up, either. Just to cover petrol money, you're going to need to play to an audience of a certain size; merchandise helps. When the band and the paying audience fits around a table for ten, with seats to spare, something is wrong.
"She's never seen Legend in Japan before: do you have any advice?" "Do you have socks on? Prepare to have them rocked off." When you hang around enough with wonderful people, they start hanging with you. Legend in Japan are a Kerrang band playing energetic punk with a pop edge. They don't belong on a Planet Rock bill, all noodling guitars and absolutely no showmanship. The two aren't interchangeable, and only someone deliberately ignorant of popular music would confuse them. My sense of direction is still rubbish. Travelodge remains the dictionary definition of adequate, it'll do. Premier Inn is always a little piece of lovely: comfortable beds, a fragrant smell in the rooms, and a huge breakfast kept really hot. My favourite hotel was the Mercure in Nottingham, converted from Victorian townhouses. The Holiday Inn at Three Bridges is dashed useful for Gatwick, and might just work as a base for London. The railways have improved from when I spent time with the crusties. In three years and 40 trips, I've made three delay claims. Well done, British Rail, you're reliable.
Here's why the band is ending: the bulk of Legend in Japan's set was in place by summer 2012. A few newer songs have turned up in the live sets - There's the rope, Bam chi chi la la, Yes men - but the creative spark was fading. With some of the band moving out of the UK at the start of the new year, Legend in Japan have decided to call it quits. The final set list, and stop me if you've heard this one before: * Victory victory * Echoes "I blame the insanity workout" * Fall guy, dedicated to Neil Duncan * St Genevive * Yes men * Agitation! Propaganda! It is over. Mourn not the loss, celebrate what has been achieved. "Absent friends". "Getting out alive". "Agit!Prop!". The community, the fandom, the camaradarie.
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