Japanese trio gets ready to rock
By Tatat Bunnag
Photos by Varuth Hiranyatheb
Did you know
Rikiya’s favourite guitarist is Nuno Bettencourt from the band Extreme.
Japanese pop-rock trio Plan-B recently visited Thailand to announce their upcoming Plan-B Live in Bangkok concert, due to be held at Wine Happening in RCA on December 16.
Plan-B — singer and guitarist Rikiya Nakaegawa, bassist Ryota Uesato and drummer Koji Makino — formed back in 2012. The band has toured extensively in Japan and found success with their catchy, upbeat pop-rock tunes driven by Rikiya’s signature half-rapping, half-singing style. The trio have just released new single called “Kibou no Kuuron,” and are currently on tour to promote their latest album, Undonkon.
At Plan-B’s recent Live in Bangkok press conference, the band performed a mini concert for their many Thai fans. Plan-B won over the crowd with their cute cover of Thongchai McIntyre’s classic song, “Sabai Sabai (Relax).”
During the press meeting, the guys also told Student Weekly all about their band and their upcoming concert.
Student Weekly: When did you guys first get together?
Rikiya: We’ve been friends for a long time now. At first, all three of us were in a group called Five. We played as a back-up band for many Japanese artists before deciding to form our own proper band together a few years ago.
Student Weekly: Why did you name your band Plan-B?
Rikiya: People might think that it relates to a second option or something that we’re not serious about. But to us, Plan-B stands for having a second chance. You might make mistakes and feel discouraged, but there’s always a Plan-B for everybody.
Student Weekly: How would you guys describe your music?
Koji: I’d call it easy-listening rock.
Rikiya: We’re not the same as other Japanese rock bands. We want our songs to go straight to the hearts of those who listen to them.
Student Weekly: How was your experience touring South Korea recently?
Rikiya: It was fun! But I have to admit that playing for a Korean crowd was quite different to performing in Japan. Korean audiences tend to respond more strongly by jumping around and dancing, whereas our Japanese fans are quieter and mostly pay a lot of attention to the music.
Student Weekly: Is it true that the three of you promoted the release of your new album by riding bicycles around Japan?
Koji: Yes. There were many reasons why we decided to do that. One of them was that Rikiya really needed to lose weight! [Laughs.]
Rikiya: In three weeks, we travelled 2,400 kilometers on bicycles. We went to different provinces like Miyaki, Kanto, Chiba, Tokyo and Kyushu, and we handed out flyers with information about our new album everywhere we went.
Student Weekly: Do you guys know much about Thailand?
Rikiya: We love Thai food! A lot of the people we’ve met in Thailand are very nice and kind. We also love a lot of the music coming from Thailand. We promise to play more surprise cover songs at our upcoming show in Bangkok.
Vocabulary
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master plan (n): a detailed plan that will make a complicated project successful
announce (v): to tell people something officially, especially about plans, a decision, etc.
extensively (adv): in a way that covers a large area or includes a great amount
signature (n): a particular quality that makes something different from other similar things and makes it easy to recognise
currently (adv): at the present time
option (n): something that you can choose to have or do
flyer (n): a small sheet of paper that advertises a product or an event and is given to a large number of people
