Mizyu, Rin, Suzuka and Kanon, collectively known as ATARASHII GAKKO! or Atarashii Gakkou no Leaders (新しい学校のリーダーズ) in Japan, finally visited our shores as part of THE MARCHING OF AG! TOUR Australia 2025, with Melbourne as their final stop.
Excited Melbourne fans snaked queues around Festival Hall, eager to see the Japanese girl group that’s taking the world by storm. Once inside, some keen patrons had light wands, ready to wave them more vigorously once ATARASHII GAKKO! appeared. On stage, speaker boxes were prepared, and what unfolded during their first number ‘Go Wild’ felt like a chaotic musical press conference before Mizyu, Rin, Suzuka and Kanon effortlessly commanded the stage with their animated spirits, mesmerising choreography, strong vocals and epic energy.
Being at an ATARASHII GAKKO! concert honestly feels like you’re part of a community, and something strange but incredibly special. The Japanese girl group may have completely choreographed songs, some with surprising dance moves (especially during ‘Pineapple Kryptonite’), but that doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t join in. Whether you’re in the seats or on the floor, there’s a dance move or two you can quickly easily learn and join in on, such as the hand movements of eating during the song, ‘Candy’. My favourite dance move? During the song ‘Change’ where passionate and well-prepared Melbourne fans shot their hands up in the air to swing hand towels above themselves in a circular motion. This was damn cool to witness!
The high-octane and interactive concert included tracks ‘Omakase’, powerful voices were exhibited during ‘Essa Hoisa’, and broom choreography surprised the Melbourne audience with ‘Arigato’ which sounded like a classic Japanese pop track and their anthem. Every song was fun with various music styles from rap, dance to 80s sounding tunes, with every moment that ATARASHII GAKKO! were on the stage feeling super entertaining and incredibly refreshing. There was even a dance break for each member to showcase their dance skills that had the Melbourne audience howling with glee. This was followed by the whole room first pumping their arms in the air to ‘WOO! GO!’. By ‘Fly High’ and ‘Tokyo Calling’, everyone in the Melbourne venue was up and dancing.
Whilst not the most accessible, I genuinely love J-Pop and got into J-Pop long before K-Pop came into my life. I wish that more Japanese artists were as open to the international music market as ATARASHII GAKKO! have been, making their music accessible on services such as Youtube and Spotify, as well as touring the world. This sounds something that’s normal, but not with J-Pop! There are so many artists that aren’t on either platform, and you can only really listen to them if you have Japanese streaming services or their CDs.
The Japanese music industry is normally a market that promote to themselves, yet ATARASHII GAKKO! have been breaking boundaries and pushing Japanese music forward, more than other prominent Japanese artists have done in decades. Having performed at Coachella just earlier this year and now visiting Australia for the first time, one can only hope that these fantastic Japanese female performances continue to break the glass ceiling.
ATARASHII GAKKO!’s shamelessly fun, theatrical and camp signature flare is irresistible. The more the Japanese group provided their passionate and energy, their Melbourne audience matched them tenfold until the pinnacle where Suzuka went into the stands and into the crowd to warmly surprise and joyfully dance with lucky Melbourne fans during ‘One Heart’.
ATARASHII GAKKO!’s Melbourne concert was more than just a fun evening. It was a celebration of Japanese music expertly thriving in our music loving city, even if but for only one night.
Proudly presented by Frontier Touring, ATARASHII GAKKO! performed in Melbourne on Monday the 8th of December at Festival Hall as THE MARCHING OF AG! TOUR. This was their final date of their Australian tour.
For more information, visit:
https://www.frontiertouring.com/atarashiigakko
https://atarashiigakko.com
https://www.instagram.com/japan_leaders
Cover photography by Peter Dovgan, supplied by Frontier Touring from the Sydney show.
Gallery photography of the Melbourne concert by Valerie Lee.
