The band playing was called Versailles -Philharmonic Quintet-, and they are a Japanese Goth Metal Visual Kei band. Zhanyi tells me: “Visual Kei is a Japanese term given to bands who wear visually stunning costumes. For the most part the bands’ costume and make-up are on the feminine side.” Feminine side? When he showed me this video, I thought everyone in the band except the lead singer was a girl.
I had NO IDEA this world existed, and it’s pretty mesmerizing. These guys are a giant bag of contradictions. It’s like GWAR meets Labyrinth meets The Tudors meets Anime. Here’s a clip from the show. Warning: lots of coy finger pointing alternating with head-banging ahead.
According to Zhanyi, visual kei bands have a common answer to the question “Why do you dress like a girl?” Simple: The chicks dig it.
