LOVEBITES at Camden Underworld
Live report and photos by Chris Woods
In the past few years, an increasing number of Japanese rock and metal acts have been forging inroads into a Western music scene increasingly receptive to metal from Asia. The five-piece heavy metal group LOVEBITES is one of the latest to garner fame outside of Japan, further validated by their win for Best New Band at the 2018 Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards. And these ladies are only just getting started.
LOVEBITES have their foot firmly on the loud pedal. Formed from the ashes of the metal group Destrose, Miho (bass) joined forces with Haruna (drums) to continue making music. Fast forward to 2016, and the group enlists the powerhouse vocals of Asami, with Midori and Mi-Ya joining soon after.
On the 18th of November 2016, LOVEBITES makes their formal debut in Japan. Almost exactly one year later, one night in November 2017, the group made their live debut outside of Japan, performing an impeccable set of tracks from their debut album, Awakening From Abyss. Showcasing their slick performance skills and heavy, riff-laden songs (penned by the group), the evening confirmed that LOVEBITES is no ‘flash in the pan’.
The band’s follow-up “Battle Against Damnation” EP is out now on JPU Records promptly rose to #1 on the iTunes Metal chart, echoing their similarly high album debut on the UK iTunes charts. Impressive for any rock or metal group, but let’s step back a few months to the group’s Camden Underworld gig – LOVEBITES‘ first full solo show outside of Japan. Debut overseas concert nerves? None on show: the band confidently tore through a breakneck set, performing tracks from their debut album, much to the delight of the sold-out audience. They even came back for an encore – somewhat of a rarity with Japanese groups, and a further nod to the influence British Heavy Metal has had on the band.
LOVEBITES website: http://lovebites.jp/
LOVEBITES twitter: https://twitter.com/info_lovebites
LOVEBITES on JPU Records: http://www.jpurecords.com/artists/lovebites
