Self-described “one part music, one part dance, all part Tokyo thrash,” quartet Atarashii Gakko! may hail from Japan, but they seemed right at home on stage at New York City’s Terminal 5 on Tuesday night.
Promoting their most recent album, AG! Calling, their World Tour Part II tour is their second time in the U.S. Some fans had been lucky to catch them at previous shows or festival appearances, but whether it was their first or fifth Atarashii Gakko! show, fans were treated to something unique. Known for their dynamic performances, the four members – Mizyu, Rin, Suzuka, and Kanon – put on an hour and a half long marathon show of acrobatics, choreography, and high energy songs.
Tokyo calling
Opening with the lulling tune of “Toryanse,” Atarashii Gakko! arrived on stage in their iconic sailor fuku uniforms, newly accented with jewel toned, tasseled haori jackets.
Following the opener was a mix of tracks from their latest album like “Maji Yoroshiku” and fan favorite classics like “Pineapple Kryptonite.”
The setlist encapsulates all the elements that Atarashii Gakko! have put together: punk, jazz, EDM, gymnastics and dance routines, gentle sultry vocals and impassioned screaming. The thumping beat of EDM-style “Giri Giri” transitions into the sexier, jazzy “OTONABLUE.” Their more cinematic, dramatic tracks like “Essa Hoisa” have a complement with the poppy, catchy earworm chorus of “Omakase.” Funky guitar riffs of new track “Arigato” are acted out with a carefree choreography involving brooms as props, where “Suki Lie” has a more stilted, marionette-esque routine to fit its staccato chorus.
Choreography doesn’t even feel like the right word to describe what Atarashii Gakko! do on stage. Beyond just dance, the group’s stage antics involves human pyramids, backbends, high kicks, splits, crowd surfing, and a perfectly mimed fight scene to “koi geba” that ends with Suzuka defeated on the floor.
The audience is equally high energy, returning the passion of the group tenfold. It’s most obvious in some of Atarashii Gakko!’s more intense tracks, like the upbeat “WOO! GO!” or the marching, anthemic “Tokyo Calling.”
Leave it to ag!
Atarashii Gakko! are, above all else, a performance unit. Seeing them live in concert only drives that home. Fans may have lined up all afternoon for that coveted front row spot, but there’s truly not a bad seat in the house when Atarashii Gakko! is performing. And that’s meant literally: leader Suzuka made sure to make pit stops all across Terminal 5. Throughout high energy tracks like “Tokyo Calling” and “NAINAINAI,” Suzuka was popping up all over the place – climbing over the front row barricade to crowd surf, parting the crowd to get to the back of the room, climbing all three levels of the venue’s iconic balconies to stand on the ledge and sing to her adoring crowd.
The crowd, perfectly in sync with the group, is another layer of how truly excellent Atarashii Gakko! are in concert. When the members are hype, the crowd is. When the members are quiet, so is the crowd. From fist pumping to jumping to towel waving, the fans follow as Atarashii Gakko! lead.
seishun shurai / invasion of youth
Atarashii Gakko! are known in Japan as Atarashii Gakkou no Leaders, which directly translates to “new school leaders.” They position themselves as representatives of Japanese youth, who stand up against narrow-minded society and promote individuality. Like true leaders, their fans arrive donned in outfits that resemble the group’s on-stage uniforms. Matching armbands, socks, and even full sailor uniforms weren’t an uncommon sight.
While Atarashii Gakko!’s style and crowd may look like a more standard J-pop group, they’re far from it. Both lyrics and performance are a tongue-in-cheek take on youth, identity, and femininity.
Their performances are cheeky and decidedly unladylike, which only makes them more enjoyable. Young people, especially young women, are expected to behave a certain way and are rewarded for conforming to these standards. As representatives of youth, Atarashii Gakko! are defiant of this expectation in all their joy and fervor on stage. The spinning, climbing, and tumbling are further elevations of their entire ethos as a group, and it’s a cherry on top of such a show-stopping concert.
For more from their tour, be sure to follow Atarashii Gakko! on Instagram, TikTok, and Youtube.
Want more Atarashi Gakko!? Check out our artist spotlight of the group here.
