The 6th Toso Art Rock Festival Divas in Shibayama Event Report

The Toso Art Rock Festival, or the 0479 Art Rock Festival, is a music festival held twice a year in the Toso area of Chiba Prefecture, once in the spring and once in the fall (why 0479? I'll explain later!). The venue for the 6th festival was held on June 23, 2024, which is the cultural center in Shibayama, a town that hosts Narita Airport along with Narita City, where Sound House is headquartered.

It was the beginning of the rainy season and the weather was drizzly, but the parking lot was completely full 30 minutes before the show began!
I parked in the temporary parking lot of the neighboring town hall and hurried to the venue.

In the audience, people of all ages, from students to adults, are waiting for the show to start while looking at the program.

'Welcome to the show in such inclement weather! We're really glad you're here!"

When it was time for the show to begin, Shinichi Ichikawa, the representative of the 0479 Club, appeared on stage to applause.

"There are three reasons why we are doing this music festival: first, we want people to come to the Toso Sanmu area and see the beauty of this region; second, we want the local people to hear great music; and third, we want to promote interaction between the communities."

Although Mr. Ichikawa is from Yokoshibahikari-cho in the same Sanmu county, he claimed thathe had never been to Shibayama.
He hopes that by coming to this festival, which changes venues each time, he will be able to interact with other people in the community.

"Today we have three different female vocal groups performing. I hope you will enjoy the excellence of the female vocalists and the performance from one of Japan's leading bands!"

Mr. Ichikawa introduced the first group, Mio, to the stage.

The group was composed of an unusual pairing of guitar and violin.

The first song was a theme from a famous movie.
The two stringed instruments played a light introduction, and Mio's voice stretched out and filled the hall.

The pure acoustic sound was just superb!
I was overwhelmed from start to finish by the dynamic nature of the group, which I could not believe there were only three of them.

The great thing about acoustic instruments is that because there are so few sounds, so we can listen to each and every one.

The 40-minute performance time ended in a blink of an eye, with well-known movie music, songs, and original compositions.

I would like to listen to more songs!

Check out Mio's latest news here!

Tokyo Funky Dolls!

With a gorgeous intro, a funky trio with oversized Afro hair jumped out onto the stage!
Dressed in sequined costumes, the venue instantly turned into a giant disco under the bright lights!

Soulful vocals and chorus, and breathtaking soul dance moves with shimmering costumes.
During the MC, the Kansai groove kept the audience involved.

The positive power of the song pulled up even the most depressed hearts, who naturally smiled and clapped their hands.

The numbers they performed were songs that everyone could hum and their originals cheered up the audience with plenty of nourishment for the soul!

By the way, the female soul-steppers are so cute.

Oh, is that a tall guitar player...!

Click here for the latest information on Tokyo Funky Dolls!

Last is Mimimi, a vocal unit of former Yumin (Yumi Matsutoya) 's chorus members.

This unique name came from the fact that all the members have the sound “Mi” in their names.

I was wondering if they were a group of quiet singers…

Dynamic choreography!
Performer spirit running from one end of the stage to the other in pinwheels!

The bold action and friendly talking won the hearts of the audience!

The outstanding chorus, which has been accumulated over the years since the formation of the band, is a sign of strong bonding and trust.
Very comfortable harmony.

They had to stop their activities because of their respective lives, but they resumed their activities saying, “We still want to do it after all.”
I think everyone must have thought, “What a waste to give up,” as they enjoyed the present moment.

Click here for the latest information on Mimimi!

The last act was a special live performance by all the vocalists.

The song was that famous song that makes you want to feel protected!

After watching the live performances of the three groups this time, I thought that the receptiveness of female vocalists was amazing!
I felt warmth as if someone was gently nudging my back in the right direction.

Well, the next 6th Toso Art Rock Festival will be held on October 27 (Sun.) at Togane Cultural Hall in Togane City for the “61st Year Anniversary Concert”! Please don't miss it!

Check out the 0479 Club homepage for the latest information.

Contact 0479club@gmail.com for any inqueries.