October 20, 2023
ageHa THE FESTIVAL 2023
Featuring the return of Violently Cute, Agefarre and Fatboy Slim
By Metropolis
From October 7 to 9, Japan’s leading club brand, ageHa, welcomed festival-goers to three huge days of local and international electronic artists in Odaiba.
The first day saw the return of one of the most iconic club events “Violently Cute,” this time in an open-air format. Originally springing on to Tokyo’s club scene in Shibuya’s now defunct Lounge Neo, the eclectic appeal of the event saw it grow to take over Club Asia and eventually ageHa at Shinkiba. With nearly two years since its last outing at ageHa, nostalgia for the event was high, with tickets to Saturday’s festivities quickly selling out and a capacity crowd pouring in to see performances from headliners such as Yunomi, Tomggg, Hercelot and Snails House.
Fine weather greeted crowds on the second day, an annual collaborative event with Odaiba’s sadly defunct but legendary superclub, Agefarre. A standout of the day was Johan Gielen returning to Japan after a 5-year absence to celebrate his 30th anniversary as an artist and John Robinson transporting staunch fans back to the days of Juliana’s Tokyo in the 90s.
Monday was all about Fatboy Slim and his Fatboy Slim Loves Japan tour. Despite the inclement weather, fans came out in droves to see him perform classics like “Eat Sleep Rave Repeat” and “Praise,” as well as sampling tracks from other artists including the Rolling Stones and Frankie Goes to Hollywood. All accompanied by stunning visuals and an epic light show that saw the crowd not lose an ounce of enthusiasm throughout his extended two-hour set.