Puffy To Play 2015 Billboard Show

This is not exactly new news, but Puffy will be playing the 2015 Billboard show in Tokyo on April 9th.  My hope is Ami and Yumi are prepping for a new album, which is only based on their oblique statements last year while talking about a photo shoot they wrapped up.

Much as I am glad they are keeping their hand in the game, it is also frustrating that they are not playing much of a game.  We shall see, hopefully 2015 will be a good year.

P.S.  The only good thing about Puffy not being musically productive is I have been listening to lots of other interesting things.  Right now Judy & Mary are on heavy rotation.

Arima Kinen Special Concert At Tokyo Racecourse

Puffy wrapped up the year with a concert at Tokyo Racecourse* with a concert to celebrate the end of the season race: Arima Kinen.  The curtailed career spanning set list consisted of:

     1. Ai no Shirushi
     2. Circuit no Musume
     3. Kore ga Watashi no Ikirumichi**
     4. MOTHER
     5. Kuchibiru Motion
     6. Nagisa Ni Matsuwaru etcetera
     7. Asia no Junshin
     ENC. Dareka Ga***

Thanks to Bonsai for the encore correction, not a new song at all.

Tacking onto a bust end of year schedule, Puffy also appeared on the twentieth anniversary special for "Hey! Hey! Hey! Music Champ."  I am not sure at this point what they performed.

Hey Hey Hey costumes.  Picture via @yumi_puffy

The net results for the back half of 2014 have been encouraging both in terms of news trickling out of Puffy and their performance schedule.  They have definitely kept their hand in the game.  Now, as Ami and Yumi approach their remarkable 19 year run as Puffy there appears to be gas left in the tank.

Let the show go on!


* Horse not auto racing 
** I think...
*** Updated

Puffy Track From Yoshimoto Cover & Best: Now Romantic

After doing a little digging I came across the track that Puffy did for the Yoshimoto Cover & Best compilation album. We had discussed it way back in May, but do good things come to those who wait?

Before I comment take a listen.

Post by PUFFY のルール.

This is a really, really good song. It somewhat reminds me of a rock version of a Pink Lady song (not a bad thing). Now Romantic also give sme some home that Puffy is willing to re-embrace that guitar heavy songs that I think Ami and Yumi flourish in.

A Couple Of Very Different Puffy Covers That Are The Same

AI no Shirushi has always been an odd duck of a song for me. I really enjoy the album version but live, it never really does that much for me. Anyways here are two differently stripped down versions for you to take a listen to.

Not much going on with Puffy at the moment. I was sort of expecting them to do holiday shows again this year as that is a good revenue stream for more than a few artists in Japan. I have to wonder if Puffy's shows last year sold well, all I can recall is they enjoyed doing them.

I read that Puffy is doing a festival in Okinawa in January, but as to the cryptic messages from Ami and Yumi for next year... your guess is as good as mine.

Puffy Tour 2014, Swag Setlist

Sometimes there are gems of information in the official Puffy blog, in this case the set list from the Swag tour this fall:

1. I Don't Wanna
2. my journal
3. Akai Buranko
4. Sayonara Summer
5. Ai no Shirushi
6. Kuchibiru Motion
7. Tenshi no Wink
8. Sui Sui
9. Hasanjyauze
10. Tararan
11. Choushuu
12. Circuit no Musume (REMIX ver)
13. Nagisa ni Matsuwaru etc.
14. boom boom beat
15. UREI
16. My Story
17. Bye Bye
ENC1. Oriental Diamond
ENC2. Asia no Junshin

Over all I'd say this is a pretty good array of songs with some unexpected entries like "Urei" and "my journal."

The only song I am blanking on in Choushuu and my Google fu is weak tonight.

Now... the bad news in all of this is that it is probably going to be slow news wise as it appears there is not much going on between now and sometime next year. I have not read if there will be holiday shows, but I think Ami and Yumi are are a point in their careers that I would expect it (assuming the shows last year were well booked).