The Bad Penny (beta)

With Treefort Music Fest kicking off in less than a week, we’re thrilled to share one of the most exciting installments in our series profiling international artists participating in the festival. Today we introduce you to Tokyo’s DYGL (pronounced “day-glo”), an indie-rock group that — after years of clamoring — are finally touring the U.S. for the first time.

Treefort will have the honor of hosting one of the group’s performances, taking place Friday, March 24, at the Shredder at 9 p.m. Similar to Big Joanie, the London punk trio we featured yesterday, you won’t wanna miss DYGL’s sole set at Treefort: They’re blowing up big time, and Treefort festival-goers who ghost the gig will be haunted forever by their mistake.

DYGL consists of vocalist/guitarist Nobuki Akiyama, drummer Kohei Kamoto, bassist Yotaro Kachi and guitarist Yosuke Shimonaka. The Bad Penny recently caught up with the band, which is playing South by Southwest this week before trekking to Boise.

[Go here for a primer on this series of Treefort Music Fest previews. Check back for new profiles of international artists playing the festival every day leading up to the fest’s kickoff on Wednesday, March 22.]

Artist: DYGL
From: Tokyo, Japan
Genre: indie-rock
Treefort info: Playing Friday, March 24, at the Shredder at 9 p.m.
Website: DayGloTheBand.com

Why did you decide to play Treefort Fest this year?

NOBUKI AKIYAMA: Because it sounds fun! We’ve been so keen to play in the States but haven’t got any opportunity till this year. We’re very happy to participate.

What excites you the most about participating in it?

NOBUKI: This is the very first time for us to go to Idaho, so we’re so excited to see everything there. We’ve been mainly toured the coast side area so must be really different. Let us know if you know cool places around!

Is this your first time playing Treefort? If so, how did your booking come about? If not, why did you choose to return?

NOBUKI: Our agent, Anniversary Group, connected us to the festival. Our management company actually asked them to look for the opportunity to play any festivals in the U.S. We’re so grateful that Treefort is one of them.

Did you face any challenges or headaches in securing a visa to come here?

[Band’s manager, YUKI]: YES! The touring visa fee is insane right now. Seriously, the U.S. government is squeezing every penny out of international artists. I guess most of the artists are coming over with a serious financial risk, so please support them by getting merch or shouting out the songs you love on Instagram or TikTok.

What expectations do you have for your experience here and at Treefort?

NOBUKI: Every show can be a good experience that gives us a new point of view. We’re so excited to meet the audience there and to feel the difference compared to the other places we’ve played. I’d like to feel the festive atmosphere in the States.

How would you describe your state of mind going into Treefort?

NOBUKI: Just having fun, being ourselves. We wouldn’t do anything different from what we do usually. We’ll do what we do.

What other artists on the Treefort lineup are you excited to see? Are you friends with any of them?

NOBUKI: We’d be touring with the band BOYO while we’re in the States this time and so excited we can both play Treefort! Also I’m so excited that Unknown Mortal Orchestra and Built to Spill are gonna play. I’d definitely love to see them!

What do you enjoy most about performing at music festivals in general?

NOBUKI: Meeting new people is what I enjoy the most. Meeting old friends at the festival is really beautiful too. Needless to say, I’ll be so excited to enjoy every performer we hear there! 

What can Treefort attendees expect from your performance?

NOBUKI: The joy of life.

For more coverage of international artists playing Treefort, check out our recent conversations with:

• London’s Big Joanie
• Germany’s Sea Moya
• Swaziland’s Dusty & Stones
• New Brunswick’s Motherhood
• Toronto’s Debby Friday
• Mexico City’s Son Rompe Pera
• Ireland’s Modernlove
• Montréal’s Thanya Iyer
• Mexico City’s Petite Amie
• Vancouver’s Mauvey
• Italy’s Dumbo Gets Mad
• Brazil’s BIKE
• Chile’s Sistemas Inestables
• British Columbia’s Mother Sun
• Norway’s Orions Belte
• Treefort Co-Founder and Festival Director Eric Gilbert

This entry was posted on 03/16/2023 at 10:08 am and is filed under Interviews with tags DYGL, Treefort. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.