5 Things to Know About ONE OK ROCK Before Their Big Dome Show

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It’s going to be a rockin’ Tuesday night for fans of ONE OK ROCK as the Japanese band is set to take over the Araneta Coliseum on September 26, 2023.

Taka Moriuchi (vocals), Toru Yamashita (guitars), Ryota Kohama (bass), and Tomoya Kanki (drums) will perform at the Big Dome as part of their “Luxury Disease Asia Tour,” in support of their album of the same name.

The tour will kick off with a two-night show in Taipei, Taiwan, and will also bring them to Jakarta in Indonesia, Bangkok in Thailand, Hong Kong, and Singapore.

In the country, tickets will go on sale on June 25, Sunday, via TicketNet. Tickets are available at Php9,500 (Platinum Zone), Php8,000 (Gold Zone), Php7,500 (Patron A), Php6,500 (Patron B), Php4,500 (Box A) and Php3,000 (Box B).

Before their hotly anticipated comeback in Manila, here are five things to know about the Japanese quartet.

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Their name is a nod to their humble beginnings

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Have you ever wondered what the story is behind their unique name? ONE OK ROCK is a homage to the time when they were doing rehearsals at 1 o’clock in the morning. One of their main reasons for choosing to practice in the wee hours of the morning is that band studios tend to have a cheaper rate.

It was during that period that they would hone their sound and shape up their own take on Japanese rock. In a 2014 interview with Tokyo Journal, the group cited that their music is a mix of American and Japanese emo. They’ve also mentioned Red Hot Chili Peppers and Limp Bizkit as some of the bands they grew up listening to.

The outfit was formed in 2005 but only officially debuted in 2007.

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A Rurouni Kenshin theme song and their “Ambitions” album expanded and cemented their global reach

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By 2012, five years after their debut, ONE OK ROCK had already established their name as one of the most prominent rock acts in the country.

One of their edges is the way they use both Japanese and English lyrics (Taka grew up in Osaka and San Francisco, California, hence his fluency in the language). Add that to their impeccable live-performing skills, it was only a matter of time before they’d fully dominate the local music scene. And with albums such as the platinum-selling “Niche Syndrome,” they proved to be a huge commercial success.

During the same year, their single, “The Beginning” (off the album “Jinsei×Boku=”), was chosen to become the theme song of the live-action adaptation of the hit manga Rurouni Kenshin, and the band captivated more international audiences.

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They would later lend their music to the rest of the successful film franchise with the songs, “Mighty Long Fall,” “Heartache,” “Renegades,” and “Broken Heart of Gold.”

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In terms of albums, “35xxxv” was the first one to break into a Billboard chart (it peaked at No. 11 on the Heatseekers Albums chart). However, it was 2017’s “Ambitions” that would earn them a spot on the more prestigious and competitive US Billboard 200.

They’ve got high-profile collaborations under their belt

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“Ambitions” saw ONE OK ROCK work with global acts, especially those coming from the pop-punk and pop-rock scene. “Jaded” is a collaboration with All Time Low’s Alex Gaskarth, while “Listen” (which is part of the album’s Japanese version) featured Canadian superstar Avril Lavigne.

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5 Seconds of Summer (5SOS) and the Japanese band joined forces for “Take What You Want,” an emotionally charged song about a love gone bad.

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For the Rurouni Kenshin theme song “Renegades,” they had Ed Sheeran as one of the song’s co-writers. Back in 2019, ONE OK ROCK served as the British musician’s supporting act for his Asia tour.

The break-the-system anthem is also a part of their 2022 album, “Luxury Disease.” Their most recent record has many other stellar songwriting collaborations, including “Neon” (co-written by Panic! at the Disco vocalist Brendon Urie), “Let Me Let You Go” (with 5SOS drummer Ashton Irwin), and “Prove (with Bring Me the Horizon keyboardist Jordan Fish).

Apart from officially released materials, ONE OK ROCK and vocalist Taka have also had several collaborative performances with other big-name acts, both local and international, over the years. Taka even had a duet with Pinoy pride Arnel Pineda for this rendition of the Journey hit, “Open Arms.”

“Luxury Disease” marks their return to their rock roots

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As Taka told Apple Music, their 10th album is a “fresh start.”

“For the past six or seven years, we’ve been continuing our activities while hoping to perform not only in Japan but all over the world. We finally got the opportunity to work with the team in the US and with this album, we were able to get a new start,” he shared with the music-streaming platform.

During the commentary, Taka also related the album to the situation they experienced when they launched “Zeitakubyō,” their first-ever album in Japan.

“We felt uncertain about lots of things. So, this time, we’ve translated (the ethos of) “Zeitakubyō” in English to show that we’re determined to do our best on the world stage,” he continued.

Sonically, the album serves as a return to their rock-centered sound. In their previous albums, they’ve incorporated more mainstream pop elements in an attempt to gain more footing in the US.

https://open.spotify.com/album/6mDmC69i1FO1uF1MMqa9DO?autoplay=true

“When we first started trying to move into the US music scene, rock music, which we’d grown up loving, was on the verge of disappearing. We wanted to bring it back from the brink… However, we figured that, honestly, as a Japanese rock band, even if we played over there, our spirit just wouldn’t come through. That’s why we saw this period as a time to learn about American culture, the local situation, and what was popular in the U.S. scene. As a result of that, on our last album, ‘Eye of the Storm,’ we moved away from the rock sound, packing it with what we’d learned in America,” Taka candidly revealed in a Billboard interview.

“This time, though, we had a feeling that when the album was to be released… rock would be making a comeback in the US. That’s why we started working on the album with this spirit of really pouring our love for rock into it,” he explained.

They first debuted in the Philippines in 2016

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In Japan and across Asia and the rest of the world, ONE OK ROCK is recognized for their hard-to-ignore live-stage charisma. They’ve conquered many arenas, domes, and music venues, but it was only in 2016 — during the promotion of their seventh studio album, “35xxxv” — that they debuted in Manila.

As detailed by writer Mei Manuel, fans have started gathering at the Mall of Asia (MOA) Arena as early as 12 midnight on the scheduled concert date. This was enough proof of how the band’s Filipino supporters have long awaited their concert in the Philippines.

In 2018, they returned to the country and once again took over the MOA Arena for a concert in support of their “Ambitions” album. Both shows were packed with adrenaline-pumping moments that had the crowd singing and jumping along to the band’s songs. Just check out one of the most-watched fan cam videos here.

ONE OK ROCK was originally scheduled to tour Asia in 2020 but had to cancel due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

ONE OK ROCK’s Luxury Disease Concert in Manila is promoted by AEG Presents Asia and Pulp Live World.

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Written by Emmy Borromeo

Editing by Pauline Bolaños