I've become addicted to Babymetal.

I don't like Heavy Metal, at least I didn't think I did. When I was a young impressionable 12-year-old my father purchased Smoke on the Water by Deep Purple, now while generations of guitar playing wannabes have mastered the opening chords to this song, I hate it, I hate it with a passion, having to listen to it morning, noon and night will do that for you.

Before that I enjoyed listening to dad's Led Zepplin and King Crimson LP's but torturing me with Deep Purple was not enough for Pater, oh no. We then moved on to Rainbow and Foreigner a listening torture that would cause me to forgo the pleasure of following such epic bands as Guns N' Roses and AC/DC.

I'd like to think I have a pretty varied taste in music although, as some of you will know, Bowie is my firts love, so it came as some surprise when while cruising Youtube I stumbled upon Babymetal billed as a Japanese heavy metal band for the life of me I couldn't figure out why I actually liked "Ijime, Dame, Zettai" and "Doki Doki Morning" and then I saw an interview in English with them where they talked about how their music was, in fact, a combinationn of pop and heavy metal and the penny dropped for me.

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Now I wouldn't exactly call myself a musical hermit but I'd never heard of the group however when I mentioned it to 'one of the lads' who I hasten to add is into that ridiculous rubbish Thrash Metal that my mate Jono Bacon performs: I once said to Jono "You know, it's only people who cannot actually sing that perform that Thrash metal stuff!" He laughed uproariously which was nice. Getting back to the lad in the office he said "Pete, they've been around for ages. My mate is really into them, he's even seen them in concert." well you live and learn, I clearly must be a hermit?

Even though in the interview I watched they said that they had all ages even older people attend their concerts I doubt I'll go that far but I will watch out for more videos of them, clearly this is the acceptable face of Heavy Metal for me? I'm parctising my fox hand gesture.

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