Writer of the music blog 'An Extension of Mustafa: From Myself to Those I Hold Dear' | Medical student | email: sincerimusty
@gmail
.com | AKA Mustafa-niki | 🇵🇸
I interviewed
@chinesehoodie
, a really exciting and defiantly unique band that I knew I wanted to speak to from the moment I first heard their music! I really enjoyed exploring a different side of Tokyo's live scene through speaking to them!
Returning to the UK now as I’m about to board my flight. Thank you so much to every single person I spent time with during my stay, even if it was only just a brief conversation or a greeting!! I’ll never forget this visit to Tokyo, and of course I’ll see everyone again!!!
Meeting everyone today was deeply special, and of course finally getting to speak to the band that’s supported and inspired me so much over the past three years:
@Wienners_WNS
!!
@TAMAYA2060
,
@_asamisae_
,
@_560
@No_3654
, thank you all so much for being so kind!!!! SUPER THANKS!!!!
During their set, the lead singer of
@sxc__official
spotted me in the crowd and exclaimed “A foreigner!!!!!!”; shortly after he requested to climb onto my shoulders so I could carry him around the middle of the venue as the crowd opened up and we formed a long running line!!
Returned home for the weekend so I was able to get a photo of all the music I bought on my holiday! I arranged them in the order I got them in, from left to right and top to bottom!!!
My third music interview is a personal dream come true!! I spoke to Mass of the Fermenting Dregs
@MOTFD_official
to learn about the band, their music, their history, and their plans for the future!! I’m so proud of this interview, which you can read here!
I spoke to Azusa Suga
@chelseaguitar
in the biggest interview I've ever done! I have so much respect for him and his art, and wanted to do his music justice through this article! I'm really happy to share it with everyone! You can read it here!
Hearing Underdrive and Ex-Rengoku performed twice on the same day was already unforgettable, but getting to spend time with three genius musical minds afterwards? Nothing short of an honour and absolute pleasure. THANK YOU DOWNT!!!!
Today we help a special party for
@ryushiro_catt
!!!! I wanted to express my gratitude to him for having helped me out so much with his translation and interpretation for the interviews I’ve done!!
@payapayamudmd
helped so much with organising the event!! Thank you everyone!!!!!
I recently interviewed Tana of Penguin no Yuuutsu (
@mofmofpenguin
) to learn more about her journey, art, and inspirations! It’s an honour to share this as the second interview written for my blog, which you can read here:
Confirmed that I’m going to be visiting Tokyo for two weeks in August!!! I have no idea which bands will be playing live shows during that time, but I’m excited to see as many as possible! Praying that Wienners will be doing at least one show during that time, too!!
Had a day of downtime yesterday to recoup from the 4 back-to-back lives, but today I’m back on the live journey, this time seeing
@ivy_atlantide
!! I heard them earlier this month on the livestreamed downt live, and I knew I had to go see them as soon as I saw the flyer for today!
I don’t know if I’ll ever really consider myself an ‘idol guy’, but I’m glad I got to attend two idol shows and get chiekis for the first time!
Chieki thread:
The first was with
@kaname_pmb
from Ponderosa May Bloom!!
Landed back in the UK!! To everyone who was able to see Wienners perform yesterday: I hope it was awesome!!!! I saw the setlist and it seems Soten Delight is still absent, but Far East Disco’s presence is thankfully still going strong!!!
Bumped into a familiar face
@chelseaguitar
again at the Airattic live today! A highlight was seeing ‘Film Reel of Our Youth’ and ‘Ghost Girls Generation’ performed on stage, which Azusa wrote!!
Everyone at the JasonAndrew/KUZIRA/Chinese Hoodie event today was so friendly and supportive of eachother throughout the most energetic 3 hours I’ve ever seen! Met lots of new people who I got to speak to and forge strong camaraderie with as we braved the mosh pit together
Taken me a day and a half to recover from jet lag and my body’s somehow still sore from all the shows and walking.
I think whilst I’m waiting to recover, I’ll take photos of all the stuff I got on my trip, and maybe finally take photos of my music collection as well!
@mofmofpenguin
,
@ryushiro_catt
,
@aprilblueband
, and
@catmeows_band
will be playing together at a special live show coinciding with my visit to Tokyo!! It’s such a special gift that I can’t believe will be happening!! If anyone will be in Tokyo on August 10th, please do attend!!
✺ New Live! ✺
2024.08.10 Sat
Rinky Dink Studio下北沢 1st 2F "2st"
FROM US TO YOU
OPEN 16:00 / START 16:30
Ticket ¥2400 + 1 drink
Catt
ぺんぎんの憂鬱
エイプリルブルー
cat meows
夏にCattと共催で自主企画(スタジオライブ)します!
チケットはこちら
When I first got into Wienners, I was happily surprised by their song ‘Koi no Bhangra Beat’ because Bhangra originates from the Punjab, and my family is from the Pakistani side of the region! I love how Tamaya is so inspired by the area!!
An entire year later, the oppression against Palestine still continues and has now even spread to Lebanon. No matter how difficult these events are to reflect on, we can all do our part even if it’s just by sharing awareness of what’s happening.
One of the best bands I’ve ever heard, with it almost having been two years since I discovered their life-changing sound:
@layla_band
!!! After all the times I’d watched YouTube videos of Emma and Seaside performed live, I finally got to sing along to them in person!
In my latest interview, I had the joy of speaking to Mochizuki and Tsuchimaru from the band
@uchudan
! It was an unforgettable experience being able to discuss the band's powerfully cosmic work with them, which you can read here!
FU-RE-FU-RE!
How did I never know Shinjuku Loft is right in the middle of Kabukicho???? How it’s not made an appearance in a Yakuza game yet is beyond me. It’s literally 30 seconds away from that one car park that I always get stuck in when playing the game.
Check in for hotel is after 3pm so literally jumped off the train as soon as I heard it’d arrived at Shibuya, so I can quickly head to Towet Records before visiting Tokyo Camii mosque for the Friday prayer!!
I had the pleasure of speaking to Aria and Miura from
@layla_band
for my fourth interview! Their music has confidently sculpted entire Worlds of defined emotion through every song they've expressed, and I could not be more honoured to have spoken to them!
With
@kuni_band
today!! I’m smitten with bands that have vocals which make the Earth feel like it’s being torn asunder, and they’re absolutely one of them! I saw their drummer later that evening at the
@memori_tokyo
live, and their guitarist saw me at
@the_slow_films
on 8/31!
New uni semester starts tomorrow!! Alongside various projects related to my visit to Tokyo, I’ve had a few other articles in the works which should be ready to be published soon!!
downt
Their name alone is all that’s needed to describe their art. To say they embody their philosophy is a euphemism: they push expression beyond that stage, and it’s clear as day in their body language and expressions as they perform.
I wrote about my experience watching MASS OF THE FERMENTING DREGS perform live in Manchester on Saturday!! To spend time with such kind and sincere people was unforgettable, and watching them play live was a dream come true! You can read it here!
I forgot to upload a few photos from the trip, like these with
@alt_artisan
who I saw perform on 8/27 with
@uchudan
and
@y_and_flamings
! Today they announced that their lead singer is leaving the band, which I’m kinda sad about because he and the band had amazing chemistry!!
Went to the
@layla_band
pop up store in Shibuya today and bumped into
@___162l_
and
@yu_donguri_07
again!! We went hunting for the hidden 0 yen items in the store, and then went for sushi and dessert afterwards!! The power of Layla to bring people together!!
Woke up to find out that QUBIT used AI for their latest music video. Mr. Sonic deserved better than this fate; AI art always leads to the blandest experiences possible, devoid of all charm. I really hope this doesn’t become a trend amongst musicians.
Came to see
@pmbtokyo
today and bumped into a familiar face
@chelseaguitar
when I walked into the venue!! (My throat is insanely sore from all the shouting at Chinese Hoodie yesterday!) So much promise from his new idol group!!!!!
The Fancy Rockstar:
@manatsu_injapan
!! I treasure her musical contributions through her solo work and all her other music groups! Today was an acoustic live!
Her friend Ari was in attendance too!! They were in Sebastian X together, and currently form the duo Otosata!!
In honour of one of the greatest drummers of all time, Sayako Sawamura of Negoto, I finally managed to find Van Houten Cocoa on sale at the Ebisu train station.
She’d always have a carton during live performances and her social media was flooded with posts about Van Houten!
Ordered these a few months ago but finally got around to opening them after returning home from uni for the holidays, made even more special by the fact that it’s my birthday today! Thank you
@MOTFD_official
and
@haru_nemuri
!!!
I only just found out that this weekend Tricot will be performing very close to where I currently live! I haven’t been to a live show in a really long time so I’m suddenly really nervous, yet excited!
tricot Zang-Neng Tour in UK
🚨UPDATE⚠️
The November 11 gig has been changed from Jimmys to the Arts Club.
11 / Nov./ 2023
Liverpool / Arts Club
Doors 7:30pm
Tickets:
#tricotUK
I’m incredibly grateful and excited to finally share the first interview I’ve written for my blog; it was such a joyous opportunity to speak to
@haru_nemuri
about her new album Shunka Ryougen!
I caught an infection the day before my flight to Tokyo, so my trip has been delayed until next week. I sadly won't be able to attend the 8/10 live show as a result, but regardless I'm so, so thankful to
@payapayamudmd
and
@ryushiro_catt
for hosting such a special event.
Attending FREAKY AND GROOVY today!! However I’ll be arriving a little late because this morning I’m seeing
@the_slow_films
, who are easily one of the new bands who have the most incredibly bright future!!!!
This entire week has been full of friendship
I’m definitely a very sentimental person but I don’t tend to be vocal about it on Twitter
But now I want to say that I’m still blown away by all the friendly people I’ve met. I’m grateful to have witnessed and shared joy with everyone.
TODAY!!
I’ll finally be seeing Wienners perform!! To all my mutual follows who also plan on seeing the show: please feel free to say hello if you see me! I want to meet as many other Wienners fans as possible today!
I had this tweet sitting in the drafts for a while so in honour of ’s disbandment announcement: here are my favourite album/EP covers from them which I consider to be some of the best I’ve ever seen.
Whilst in an operating theatre yesterday I suddenly remembered this one clip I saw years ago, and today I finally found it again.
It is, without even a hint of hyperbole, one of the funnest videos I have ever seen.
“BYE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
One final event before returning to the UK:
@fabnekotalkie
came to visit me as I was making my journey to the airport!!! He also gifted me a special WIENNERS TOKYO HOLI sticker from the lives, as well as a special MAXIMUM THE HORMONE CD from his collection!!! Thank you so much!!!
Back at Shimokitazawa Three to see downt for the second time in 24 hours!!
Definitely feeling tired but hearing Underdrive and Ex-Rengoku again is all I need to feel energised!!
I am dazed beyond belief
My first ever Wienners live show turned out to be even more special and spectacular than I ever could have imagined. I got to watch such amazing performances with such an insane crowd, who were all so welcoming!!!
My neck is still recovering from all the divers I got hit by in Yokohama on 8/29, so being in the front row today was genuinely painful, but I’ll forever remember enjoying every single second of the performance.
After 3 years
I finally managed to find a copy of the physical Wienners Battle and Unity release that was exclusive to live shows! It’s a really special release to me because it includes a live DVD that features my favourite performance of my favourite Wienners song!!
Hung out with
@who_is_enyachan
today!! She helped me out after I was mega dehydrated from the live!!!! Super friendly, kind, and mega fun to talk to!!!!!
Spending time in Kabukicho after the Airattic live was amazing as an opportunity to explore all the places I’d been to in the Yakuza games, but man you get approached by SO MANY RANDOM PEOPLE on the sides of the street who refuse to back off even after you politely tell them no.
Tempted to put ‘Mustafa-niki’ in my bio because
1. The story behind it is incredibly dear to me
2. It is SUCH A COOL PLAY ON WORDS
3. It actually highlights how to properly pronounce my name: ‘Aniki’ starts with the same sound that my name ends with!!
I MADE IT ONTO THE OFFICIAL TIKTOK ACCOUNT OF
@sxc__official
!! Being able to see this special moment of one of the best evenings ever from another angle is so crazy for me to witness!!!!!!! Thank you
@hhtm_2k
for letting me know! I miss you all already!!!!
I remember seeing Yuua from RAY tweet that she always enjoys reading interviews with a particular band and learning more about them. I wonder if my next interview will reach her.
Hung out with
@Leap250
today!!!! We were going to attend a live together but I sadly had a change of plans right at the last second so I couldn’t make it!! He very kindly and generously was willing to let me use his extra ticket to see
@muque_official
!
Nearly 10 years ago I bought a few items from the official Daft Punk merch store, and I’ve had this pin tucked away ever since because I never decided on where to put it. Yesterday I finally stuck it to my backpack and while it’s small, it feels really really significant to me.
Thank you to everyone who came to the live today, and to those who performed too! I was so happy to see the crowd that attended the show! I’ll be attending lots of live shows when I arrive in Tokyo next week, so I hope to meet everyone there!
✺ タイムテーブル公開!✺
2024.08.10 Sat
Rinky Dink Studio下北沢 1st 2F "2st"
FROM US TO YOU
OPEN 16:00 / START 16:30
Ticket ¥2400 + 1 drink
16:00 OPEN
16:30-17:00 ぺんぎんの憂鬱
17:15-17:45 cat meows
18:00-18:30 エイプリルブルー
18:45-19:15 Catt
Once again I’m blown away by how miraculous is it to have shared memories with so many people on this holiday. Having even just one thing in common is all it takes to be connected for life. I don’t want to forget even a single second of every moment I shared with you all.
Passepied have remained a deeply special band to me ever since I discovered them, and they’re doing a free live show on YouTube soon! I ended up staying awake all night though, so I’ll have to somehow correct my sleep schedule with a nap ASAP to be up in time!
#パスピエFREEdom
Made a quick stop at Tower Records today before the Uchudan live to pick up Passepied’s new album, as well as finally getting a copy of a very very very very special album: Sachiko Aoyama is one of the musicians who brings me the most comfort upon listening.
Signed copy of the new MOTFD album finally arrived! Profoundly grateful to not only be able to listen to this beautiful piece of art, but to also have a signed copy too! (Now to just wait for the vinyl and cassette to arrive)
@MOTFD_official
During my stay in Tokyo, I was just as excited to discover new bands as I was to see my favourites live. There were moments when I was wide-eyed in amazement in the middle of giant crowds, and listening to their music since then keeps bringing tears of joy to my eyes.
I got a follow notification after the downt set, whilst Cwondo was doing the sound check, and after seeing their tweets about this very live I realised they were in the room with me, and it turns out they were stood right next to me!
With
@ykq2_
!! Today was a much more somber live event than I anticipated, with how Yukiguni finished off the day with their performance!! The members are so genuine, and after
@a_chaaa_
and I shared music recommendations it turned out he’s also a huge fan of
@Catt_the_band
!!!!