Perfume are performing at Coachella this year. They may not have the media attention nor the main stage that BLACKPINK have, but that should not be used as any indication of the level at which they operate when it comes to a live performance, because their professionalism? Far too much.
Perfume have been in the game for 15 years which is pretty unprecedented for a girl group period, much less a J-Pop one. As cute as BLACKPINK are, they don't put on the type of shows that Perfume do. In fact, there is no group that puts on the types of shows that Perfume do and this is what separates them completely from your faves.
If that wasn't enough to intrigue you, let's go through all of the reasons why you should watch Perfume do their thing, whether your nasty ass is sweating in California or you're sat at home with time to spare for a YouTube livestream.
1. The vibes and the experience
If you've never been to a Perfume gig or watched one of their sets before, then you may not know what to expect. But you will come out of it feeling good and as though you partook in a unique experience. Perfume know how to put on a good show that just gives off nothing but good vibes. Even the Perfume concerts that I wasn't the biggest fan of still gave me good types of feels. And on the two occasions that I got to see them live, my wig caught fire and burst into pixels like some shit out of Minecraft.
You would never think that a group that looks how Perfume look would be able to get a whole entire venue on its feet, but they do. Every. Single. Time. Don't let the plain ass hairstyles, the deadass tearaway dresses and the dusty heels fool you. Perfume know how to work a crowd and wear yo' ass out.
There is a sense of togetherness that Perfume's shows cause. Even though you may not know the words to the songs, you're surrounded by people who are soaking up the music, the atmosphere and just having a great time, so you just get completely caught up in it all and do the same. And if you're in the presence of fans, there's a likelihood you'll end up singing in gobbledegook made-up Japanese and fist pumping with them like you know they ass.
You will have you a good time at a Perfume concert. Always. And you'll come away having watched a Perfume performance online wishing that you could experience it live someday.
📝 My personal accounts of Perfume snatchery: World tour 2nd | World tour 3rd
2. The dancing
A girl group dancing is nothing new nor original. 'Who the fuck cares!?' But there's no girl group who dance quite like Perfume. Their moves are precise. Their routines are intricate. Their poses are sharp. Perfume's choreography is a part of Perfume's identity. Their routines are as important as the songs. I don't think there's a single Perfume song that doesn't have itself a routine.
Perfume's choreographer is a lady by the name of Mikiko, who also choreographs for Babymetal and the dance troupe Elevenplay. Mikiko has choreographed Perfume's routines since they were youngsters girls performing in malls and trying to get signed, so they respect her greatly. There is a high level of trust that Perfume place in her and it goes both ways. But the girls also have amazing trust in each other, as their routines often place them in tight knit formations and performing canons and they never hit each other or miss a beat. You know that meme of the woman seeing math equations 'n' shit? I swear that's what Perfume see when they dance, only with far less confusion. Unless of course it's Nocchi. Po' thang always looks confused.
Perfume's style of dance is different to your regular-degular ass dance routines. They still look strange to me and I've been following Perfume and watching them perform for years. But their movements are mesmerising because of how strange they are. You're enjoying what your seeing whilst wondering how the fuck they manage to do it and keep in perfect time and synchronicity. And these girls dance for pretty much their entire set. Whether that shit is 20 minutes long or 2 and a half hours. There may be one or two songs where they just stand and sway from side to side. But that's about it. These girls dance their asses off and you won't catch a second of fatigue. They sweat that hair all the way out until a-chan starts crying at the end.
3. The music
What Perfume look like and what they sound like do not correlate. Did you ever think for a second that a group of cutesey looking girls who dress in Super sentai ranger and looking like they're about that Kawaii life and serving you Yoshi's Island type bops would give you shit like this...
The disconnect and expectation of what Perfume look like versus the music that they put out was a massive part of Perfume's appeal and it's still (kind of) the case. The songs themselves however do stand on their own as great pop songs. Perfume's sound has gone through some changes over the years, but there are still traits and themes which have remained consistent over the years. Perfume's music is Dance at its core. Perfume have songs you can fist pump to, head bang to, get buck wild to and mosh to. If you've not listened to Perfume's music before, then I recommend you start from Game and work through their albums chronologically from there. Their earlier music is some of their best, but it will also give you a sense of the changes to their sound over the years. Alternatively, you could just check out my Spotify playlist which has all the good shit.
🎧 Give it a listen: Perfume Pussy poppers
4. The stage production
There is no group in the game right now that put on a show like Perfume. These girls may look like super sentai rangers and you may not think that 'fierce' or 'snatchery' is in their repertoire, but they will leave you bald with barely a strand of hair for you to clip a bundle to. Perfume have an amazing team around them who always delivery. The stage setups. The lighting. The visuals. And the thing with Perfume's shows, is that it doesn't matter how big or small the venue is, they will give you a spectacle. Put them in an arena or a dome and they'll give you scale. Put them in a small venue and they'll give you an intimate scalping. When Perfume performed at SXSW in 2015, they were on the smallest of stages; but they delivered a spectacle that most wouldn't be able to match with 10 times the amount of space. Bitch. Look at this shit.
Your fave could never serve this level of production in a space the size of an Applebee's disabled toilet.
5. The charm
Perfume don't have the most open social media presence and there is actually very little that is known about their personal lives. Whilst Perfume could easily be compared to androids void of emotion, they exude a lot of charm in some of their music videos and this really comes through in their live performances.
The 3 girls of Perfume each have a distinct personality and as you watch them over a period of time, you see that they each bring something different to the stage in terms of how they dance and how they interact. a-chan is known for being the most energetic and emotional. Nocchi is the odd ball. Kashiyuka is chill. They balance each other out.
Every Perfume gig usually features a section called P.T.A. corner where the girls talk to the audience, engage with them and have everybody do some form of activity; whether it be chanting a short song, random onomatopoeic words or mimicking a move from one of their routines.
What the girls talk about during these sections make no sense and are of no relevance to literally anything. But they're so charming and endearing that you just go along with it. And these sections make it all the more crazy that they're able to just shut off, straighten their faces and then give you the sharpest performance you've seen.
Japanese and Korean acts be working HARD when it comes to live performances - giving a level of polish early on that few Western performers are able to. This is usually because these artists spend a considerable amount of time in training in a form of boot-camp before they officially debut. In the case of Perfume, they went through this, but also performed extensively as kids when they were signed to an independent label before they signed a major deal and released the album that we know as Game. So by the time their now signature song "Polyrhythm" came around, the girls were more seasoned and accustomed to stage performances than most. It's part of the reason why Beyoncé is a next level consummate performer, because her father did the same thing to her and put that bitch in a bootcamp before she debuted. The same goes for Michael Jackson. So leave any hang ups you may have as to whether this Japanese act who you've never heard of will be able to deliver. Because Perfume will.
If you happen to be at Coachella, get your ass to whatever crusty little tent Perfume gon' be at and watch them do their thing and turn your wig into a bunch of ones and zeroes. If you're not, then be sure to tune into the livestream of their performance.
ℹ️ Perfume will be performing at the Gobi tent on Sunday, April 22nd @ 8:25 pm PDT
📝 Random J Pop album reviews: Game | Triangle | JPN | LEVEL3 | Cosmic explorer | Future pop
🎧 Random J Pop playlist: Perfume pussy poppers
💿 The albums, but a little different: Revised editions of all 6 of Perfume's albums
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