US Rock Band Refused Entry At Narita

[Mulboyne]

The story of why US band Lightning Bolt had to cancel their Japan Tour (first mentioned by Ptyx in this thread) has come to light. Since this is more of an immigration post, I've posted it in the Gaijin Ghetto rather than the original music thread. It's unclear what they got wrong but here's the whole thing from their website:

"Upon arriving at Narita Airport on the morning of May 29th 2006, Lightning Bolt was ushered into the grey windowless immigration offices. Japanese immigration officers had information on the band down to which Brian played what instrument, amount of albums out, ten-day tour schedule, which shows were sold out, plus photos of the band. There was no hiding. They had been waiting for us. The internet, your best friend in researching everything had betrayed us. Beware. We were officially rejected from Japan, (and) we offically appealed. We spent 48 hours in the "rest hotel" on the mysterious sixth floor. Our translator, the good humoured "mister ..47", delivered us to our quarters. The humid, stained room was no good companion. The phone was removed. The window didn't open. A revolving security guard was posted outside all the time. We could not leave. The lampshades in the room where graphittied (sic) in a wide range of languages. If a friend hadn't dropped my camera in a toilet I would have taken pictures of them. I love convenience store ume plum triangles but you can only eat so many. If only there had been a mosburger. Burdock root sandwich. We awaited the decision."

"We were re-rejected. The room cost us 750 american dollars a day. Such hospitallity. We had no choice. Pleasant, polite guards escorted us right to the doorway of the plane, we smiled and waved. One of them bought Brian G a water. They wished us good luck in getting the process right next time. Which we hope to do. Twenty-one horribly uncomfortable hours later we arrived in Boston. In a downpour. Lightning bolts flashed in the distance as Load Records' Ben drove us to Providence. He had bought us cookies."

"We are very very sorry we did not make it to Japan this time. Really sad. No one was ready for the level of vigilance at the border. I miss Japan, all the awesome toys I will not get to see. All the amazing friends. Be nice to Mucid Cuspidor and his assistant while they are there. We'll be back."

[Charles]

We'll be back.

Don't count on it.

[Ptyx]

I'm really pissed off by this. I managed to get reservations for the superdeluxe show while all the other dates were sold-out in Tokyo.
I've read the story but i still don't get why they got rejected. Do you have to get some kind of special visa to play in Japan ?
Is Japan afraid of Lightning Bolt ?

Anyway, I know i shouldn't feed the troll but Charles, if you have nothing to contribute to a thread don't force yourself. It makes you sound like a bitter old man.

[Mulboyne]

I don't know for certain but I would imagine that they attemped to enter on short term visas. However, they were coming here to perform (work) and earn income in Japan which I would imagine requires a different visa. That's why they note that immigration knew who they were and had details of their itinerary which were freely available on the net.

Edit: This is from the UK Embassy site:

11. Entertainer

Activities authorized to engage in: activities to engage in theatrical performances, musical performances, sports, or any other show business (excluding the activities described in the Investor/Business Manager).
Period of stay: 1 year, 6 months or 3 months
Must obtain a Certificate of Eligibility or read on for alternative procedure

Entertainer Visa

Members of rock bands or similar groups, including non-performing members accompanying the group (e.g. tour managers, sound technicians, etc.), must obtain a Certificate of Eligibility to apply for a visa. Entertainers who are travelling to Japan to dance must also obtain a Certificate of Eligibility to apply for a visa. Classical musicians, members of symphony orchestras, theatre groups, opera singers, or professional sportsmen or women who have been invited to Japan either to perform publicly for remuneration or to participate in a competition must also obtain visas. These applicants, however, may, in the place of a Certificate of Eligibility, present the following documents to apply for a visa. Please note that if an applicant is unsure as to what category he/she falls under, the applicant should contact the consular section directly to save time and avoid confusion.

- Valid passport
- One visa application form completed and signed
- One photograph (taken within 6 months)
- Signed contract of employment
- Letter of invitation from Japan
- Letter of guarantee from the promoter or agent in Japan
- Documents regarding the business operation of the promoter or agent in Japan:
* transcript of corporate registration
* certificate of payment of corporate tax
* balance sheet and profit & loss statement
- Schedule of performances in Japan
- A list of all visa applicants
- Documents certifying the applicants' career or qualifications

[Greji]

I'm really pissed off by this. -snip- Anyway, I know i shouldn't feed the troll but Charles, if you have nothing to contribute to a thread don't force yourself. It makes you sound like a bitter old man.

I know you're let down, but Charles is probably right in this instance. If you were a member of a group of some renown and used to some pretty preferential treatment and had this happen, would you want to return?

Their business manager and the pro-motor here, who are responsible for the preparations obviously dropped the ball on the visa application process, if they even applied at all, but they are not going to live up to it. It could have been caused by any number of reasons, such as not having waivers that are needed if any of the group have had any problems (smoking weed without a license etc.) The people who are actually responsible, will lay back because it is too easy to blame it on the "assholes" in immigrations.

But if I went through that, I would say fuck Japan, if the J-people want to see me, come overseas to a show, I'm not going back there!

[dimwit]

Jeus, what kind of a fognob manager would be so out of it the not realize that they needed a proper visa to enter. For real entertainers (not strippers) it is not difficult to do. Musicians have been getting work visas for oh 30 someodd years.

[Mulboyne]

Jeus, what kind of a fognob manager would be so out of it the not realize that they needed a proper visa to enter. For real entertainers (not strippers) it is not difficult to do. Musicians have been getting work visas for oh 30 someodd years.

Well they did write:

No one was ready for the level of vigilance at the border.

Which suggests that they were planning to get in under the radar screen. Perhaps arriving on an entertainer visa attracts more tax and they were trying to do some deals off the books. It wouldn't surprise me if other independent bands did that. Lightning Bolt are well known but they weren't using a mainstream promoter like Smash or UDO.

[dimwit]

They did visit Japan in 2004so they probably have gotten away with it in the past.

[kurohinge1]

. . . The people who are actually responsible, will lay back because it is too easy to blame it on the "assholes" in immigrations.

But if I went through that, I would say fuck Japan, if the J-people want to see me, come overseas to a show, I'm not going back there! . . .

So, you'd also blame Japan for the band's mistakes ?

Or are you saying that Japan should bendover backwards (or even forwards!) for bands who show up on their doorstep uninvited and unprepared and expect to be able to break the rules?

I suspect, if they don't fade away, they'll try again, but will get it right next time. Otherwise, their purpose may simply be as an example to other bands . . .

[Greji]

So, you'd also blame Japan for the band's mistakes ?

I was just generalizing there Kuro! How many of the horror stories about what has happened at immigrations actually is the immigrations people's fault? Not many, but those who fucked up usually go away cussing immigrations instead recognizing their own mistakes and/or oversights and Japan gets the blame!

[otakuden]

Well they did write:
Which suggests that they were planning to get in under the radar screen. Perhaps arriving on an entertainer visa attracts more tax and they were trying to do some deals off the books. It wouldn't surprise me if other independent bands did that. Lightning Bolt are well known but they weren't using a mainstream promoter like Smash or UDO.

ditto. sounds like they were trying to "sneak in" and thus, when caught like lil kids with their hands in the cookie jar, they were thusly dealt with/punished

[Ptyx]

My guess is that every band coming to japan with the kind of following that Lightning Bolt has do not apply for a visa.
When they're going to Japan most of them probably have no idea that they must apply for a visa. As for the tour organizer if they're japanese they probably don't know that an entertainer visa do exist.
Anyway if they tried to slip under the radar too bad.
But i believe they'll be back, not because i want to but because they sold out on almost every show they had planned to do. That's on top of the fact that those guys were clearly influenced by a lot of japanese noise bands and must hold a special place in their heart for the country that spawned Ruins and Boris.

Two friends of mine known as dDamage did a Japan tour last year and had tons of fun and sold more cds and merchandise than they ever did on previous live shows. There are so many clubs here that it's very easy to organize a tour and since japanese music geeks are willing to put a lot of money into their hobby it is most of the time a profitable trip.
The groupies are bonus.

<asskissingerin'>They'll be back for that pussy if anything else.</asskissingerin'>

[times-up]

This band must have either been very unlucky or had a ton of people and equipment. I know numerous small punk bands that have toured Japan and none have ever had problems its weird that this band was singled out. I run a small hardcore/punk label and toured here in 2003 for 10 days (this is before I actually lived here) and we had quite abit of equipment, merch and even two people not in teh band come along.

[billyDe]

The band manager should be beaten and fired for not preparing ahead of time. It's not that hard to take a trip to the JP Consulate in the US to make sure all is OK before hopping on the plane. There's nobody to blame but the band and specifically the manager who booked the gig.

[times-up]

The band manager should be beaten and fired for not preparing ahead of time. It's not that hard to take a trip to the JP Consulate in the US to make sure all is OK before hopping on the plane. There's nobody to blame but the band and specifically the manager who booked the gig.

In the bands defense though rarely do small bands even bother with the consulate and have zero problems. Sounds like something was up to me.

[Mulboyne]

In the bands defense though rarely do small bands even bother with the consulate and have zero problems. Sounds like something was up to me.

The entry on their website pointed out that immigration knew them and had details of their intended gigs. Lightning Bolt's recent CD had picked up a lot of press in Japan. There were 11 gigs scheduled nationwide which is a lot more high profile than one or two nights in Tokyo. One was at Shibuya O-Nest which is part of a well-known live house complex.

Entertainer visas have been a high profile issue relating to the crackdown on human trafficking but it's likely that all such visas are subject to greater scrutiny. An easy way for immigration to make sure everyone who needs one has got one is to check the listings. During their last stint in Japan, the duo appeared in the Japan Times but not much, if any, domestic media. There was a much bigger buzz this time around and many dates had sold out. It's even possible that, despite appearing on a mixed bill with local bands, they may have been classified by Pia/Lawson etc as a "foreign band" this time which would have made it even easier for immigration to track them down.

[(1VB)freels]

Just wanted to know.


Who is this band? What kinda music do they play? Why didn't they have proper visa's before going? Do they still have the same manager? Just wondering.

[Mulboyne]

The easiest description is "noise rock": a genre with a strong following in Japan.




Pictures from Shibuya O-Nest in 2004

Pitchforkmedia Review of "Hypermagic Mountain"

For years, noise didn't make headlines-- or even show up in mainstream magazines in the first place. Yet, recently, the aesthetic has enjoyed a more jovial reception by the press and from indie rock fans...This critical feedback has allowed noise bands to go on increasingly lengthier tours with larger audiences at each stop, and those higher-profile peers have fostered a larger, less incestuous noise community. For Lightning Bolt's Brian Gibson and Brian Chippendale, fortuitous cultural circumstances and their improvisational acumen have rendered them the toast of the current noise-rock crop...more...

[(1VB)freels]

Noise, huh? So if I farted into a microphone and had it put on cd with guitar and drums, I could get to be in concert also???

[Mulboyne]

Noise, huh? So if I farted into a microphone and had it put on cd with guitar and drums, I could get to be in concert also???

You would need more than one song in your set.

[Captain Japan]

You would need more than one song in your set.

Hmm...I don't know about needing more than one song. Mulboyne, have you already forgotten the Incapacitants? But certainly you'd need more than one fart.

[Charles]

The easiest description is "noise rock": a genre with a strong following in Japan.

Also known as "bruitism." If you have to perform some sort of terribly unoriginal "music," it would be preferable to pick something other than a genre that was considered modern in 1913.

[(1VB)freels]

You would need more than one song in your set.

Don't worry about that. I'll make some homemade chilli the night before. Whole Lotta beans!!!!!:eek:

[Blah Pete]

Don't worry about that. I'll make some homemade chilli the night before. Whole Lotta beans!!!!!:eek:

Daikon should be in the diet of any aspiring farting musicians.
Pickled daikon is what the real pros eat.
Add some yakimo along with chile for the stand up solos.

[dimwit]

Hmm...I don't know about needing more than one song. Mulboyne, have you already forgotten the Incapacitants? But certainly you'd need more than one fart.

An example of this would be 'Le Petomane'

Some of the highlights of his stage act involved playing a flute through a rubber tube in his anus and farting sound effects of cannon fire and thunderstorms.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_P%C3%A9tomane

for a more detail discussion of the phenomenon:

http://www.ooze.com/ooze13/petomane.html

[(1VB)freels]

An example of this would be 'Le Petomane'





http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_P%C3%A9tomane

for a more detail discussion of the phenomenon:
http://www.ooze.com/ooze13/petomane.html

My new fav!!!!! I want a fart flute!!!!:p

[Blah Pete]

An example of this would be 'Le Petomane'



Some of the highlights of his stage act involved playing a flute through a rubber tube in his anus and farting sound effects of cannon fire and thunderstorms.

They could have used tape recorded sound effects but I think he just liked having the tube up his ass.

[dimwit]

They could have used tape recorded sound effects but I think he just liked having the tube up his ass.

This was one hundred years ago, so think the guy displayed more guts than people today.

[maraboutslim]

I would have turned the band away based on their name alone. Lightning Bolt? Bwaaaaaa!

[(1VB)freels]

I really think that if you PLAN on going overseas that you should already ahave your shit straight. I guess they dropped the ball. Oh well. Guess they have to suck it up and not be morans about the whole immigration thing. It's not just an American thing anymore. It's a worldly thing. If you don't have the documention, then you might as well pack it up. See you. Sayonara!!! Glad you spent the last 12 hours on a plane just to be turned back, dumbass. All this is in Japanese BTW!!! It's an inconvience, but one that is needed to let them know that no matter how famous you are, you still suck!