Live at Wembley: Babymetal World Tour 2016 Kicks Off at The SSE Arena, Wembley
Live album cover
Live album and video by
Babymetal
ReleasedDecember 9, 2016 (2016-12-09) (live album)
November 23, 2016 (2016-11-23) (video)
RecordedApril 2, 2016 (2016-04-02)
VenueWembley Arena
Genre
Length77:18 (live album)
103:19 (video)
Language
  • Japanese
  • English
Label
ProducerKobametal
Babymetal album chronology
Metal Resistance
(2016)		 Live at Wembley
(2016)		 Metal Galaxy
(2019)
Babymetal video chronology
Trilogy: Metal Resistance Episode III – Apocalypse
(2016)		 Live at Wembley
(2016)		 Live at Tokyo Dome
(2017)

Live at Wembley: Babymetal World Tour 2016 Kicks Off at The SSE Arena, Wembley (commonly referred to as Live at Wembley) is the second live album and fifth video album by Japanese heavy metal band Babymetal. The album contains footage from the Babymetal World Tour 2016: Legend Metal Resistance and was released on November 23, 2016 in Japan by BMD Fox Records and Toy's Factory, and on December 9, 2016 in the United Kingdom by earMusic. The album features the live performance at Wembley Arena on April 2, 2016, kicking off the band's world tour.

The received generally positive reviews from music critics, and peaked at number five, one, and two on the Oricon weekly album, DVD, and Blu-ray charts, respectively, in Japan.

Background

On August 26, 2015, Babymetal announced a headline show at Wembley Arena, set for April 2, 2016,[1] marking the first time a Japanese band headlined a show at the venue.[2] Tickets were made available on September 5, 2015.[1] Su-metal mentioned in an interview the importance of the United Kingdom's audience to the band, and the response to the headlining show.

"We visited Wembley Arena for the first time last June or July to see a show and said, 'It would be great if we can play at big venues like this place.' It was like a dream, so when we heard the news that the Babymetal show is confirmed at Wembley, we were flabbergasted. I thought, 'This is not a dream!'"[3]

Later that year, the band announced a new studio album, Metal Resistance, and the Babymetal World Tour 2016: Legend Metal Resistance, confirming the performance at Wembley Arena as the first tour date.[4] Su-metal further commented after the announcement, "We are looking forward to meeting our fans abroad again next year at Wembley Arena right after the release of our second album, so you can expect to hear our new songs for the very first time live there!!"[5][6] Approximately 12,000 people ultimately attended the show,[7] and the band set a venue record for the most merchandise sold in a day.[8]

On September 14, 2016, a video album release was announced on the band's official website, in a DVD edition, a Blu-ray edition, and a "The One" fanclub-exclusive box set set for release on November 23, 2016.[9] A trailer was released for the album on November 11, 2016, which simultaneously confirmed a live album release to be available in Japan on December 28, 2016, and in the United Kingdom on December 9 and December 30, in physical and digital formats, respectively.[10][11] Initial pressings of the video release included a commemorative sticker,[12] and those of the live album release in Japan came in a sleeve jacket cover.[13] The video album would later be released digitally online for download and streaming, along with the shows Live at Tokyo Dome and Live: Legend I, D, Z Apocalypse.[14] The album was later re-released on September 8, 2021 in vinyl format to commemorate the band's tenth anniversary.[15]

Development

The stage resembles "towering, weathered temple ruins", along with pyrotechnics appearing throughout the concert. For the narration played during the concert, much of the story takes inspiration from Star Wars, particularly with mention of the name "Death Vader" in homage to Darth Vader. The audience reportedly included both the "pumped-up metalhead" and the "costumed kawaii kid". When asked about the crowd, Su-metal commented, "I felt like there were a lot of first-timers to our show at Wembley, so some were, at first, a little lost and unsure of what was to come at the start. But, as the show went on, there was that one moment when I could feel that we got everyone to become one together."[16]

Additionally, during the performance of "The One", the crowd was shown holding various different flags. Yuimetal commented, "I was very happy when our fans raised up many different countries’ flags while we sang".[17]

Content

Babymetal and Kami Band perform the final song, "Road of Resistance", which concludes with Su-metal ringing the gong.

After an introductory video subtitled "Metal Resistance Episode IV: Reincarnation", as three masked figures in white robes appear on the stage, only to disappear. Next, the three members ascend from beneath the stage,[16] performing "Babymetal Death" with ABBA-style dance moves with Kami Band supporting them.[18] Kami Band support the three members, playing most of the music, as well as performing solos during "Catch Me If You Can".[16] Songs from Metal Resistance performed included the Black Babymetal song "GJ!", the Su-metal solo "Amore", and an English version of the song "The One", with narration played between songs to transition between their musical styles.[16] The show's final song "Road of Resistance" contains a Wall of Death formation in the audience, and Moametal, Yuimetal, and Su-metal thank the audience afterwards, saying "You are also precious to me. I love you!", "It is thanks to you that we are here today! We love London!", and "We are going back to Japan, but remember we are always on your side! See you!", respectively.[7]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[19]
Metal Hammer[20]

Live at Wembley received generally positive reviews. Tim Sendra of AllMusic noted that the "guitars are a touch more brutal and the overall sound is rougher, but the vocals come through loud and clear", and stated that although the release "wasn't as fun as the [studio] albums", it was made for appeal from the band's "ridiculous sound, boundless energy, and catchy songs".[19] Eleanor Goodman of TeamRock called the album "an uplifting burst of energy that's most welcome in these bleak midwinter times", only criticising the silent gaps between tracks, as well as the removal of some songs from the band's debut album.[20]

Hannah Evans of The Guardian praised the band's performance, stating that the girls "prove they’re no gimmick but a metal phenomenon on a mission". She further described the "slick dance routines and the blending of every genre from trap to bubblegum pop" as complementary to the venue and production budget.[21]

Commercial performance

The video album release of Live at Wembley charted at number one on the Oricon DVD chart and number two on the Oricon Blu-ray chart for the week December 5, 2016, with first-week sales of 14,000 and 36,000 copies, respectively; the former became the band's first number-one ranking on the chart. The live album release of Live at Wembley managed to peak at number five on the Oricon album chart for the week January 9, 2017,[22] and peaked at number five on the Billboard Top Albums chart and number eight on the Billboard Hot Albums chart for the week January 9, 2017, with sales to date of 9,913 copies.[23][24]

Track listing

Live album[13]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Babymetal Death"Kitsune of Metal God6:46
2."Awadama Fever"
4:19
3."Yava!"
  • Nakametal
  • Mk-metal
  • Kxbxmetal
  • Norimetal
3:54
4."GJ!"
3:01
5."Doki Doki ☆ Morning"
  • Nakametal
  • Norizō
  • Motonari Murakawa
3:54
6."Meta Taro"
  • Kxbxmetal
  • Ryu-metal
4:18
7."Amore"
  • Norimetal
  • Mk-metal
  • Kxbxmetal
5:32
8."Megitsune"
  • Mk-metal
  • Norimetal
5:43
9."Karate"Yuyoyuppe4:21
10."Ijime, Dame, Zettai"
  • Nakametal
  • Tsubometal
  • Kxbxmetal
  • Takemetal
7:03
11."Gimme Chocolate!!"
  • Mk-metal
  • Kxbxmetal
  • Ueda
5:14
12."The One" (English ver.)
  • Kitsune of Metal God
  • Kxbxmetal
  • Mish-Mosh
10:21
13."Road of Resistance"
  • Kitsune of Metal God
  • Mk-metal
  • Kxbxmetal
  • Mish-Mosh
  • Norimetal
  • Kyt-metal
12:52
Total length:77:18
Video album[12]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Babymetal Death"Kitsune of Metal God6:46
2."Awadama Fever"
4:17
3."Iine!"
  • Nakata Caos
  • Mish-Mosh
4:32
4."Yava!"
  • Nakametal
  • Mk-metal
  • Kxbxmetal
  • Norimetal
3:58
5."Akatsuki"
  • Nakametal
  • Tsubometal
7:27
6."GJ!"
3:01
7."Catch Me If You Can"
  • Edometal
  • Narasaki
5:56
8."Doki Doki ☆ Morning"
  • Nakametal
  • Norizō
  • Murakawa
3:54
9."Meta Taro"
  • Kxbxmetal
  • Ryu-metal
4:22
10."Song 4"Black Babymetal7:08
11."Amore"
  • Norimetal
  • Mk-metal
  • Kxbxmetal
5:32
12."Megitsune"
  • Mk-metal
  • Norimetal
5:43
13."Karate"Yuyoyuppe4:21
14."Ijime, Dame, Zettai"
  • Nakametal
  • Tsubometal
  • Kxbxmetal
  • Takemetal
7:03
15."Gimme Chocolate!!"
  • Mk-metal
  • Kxbxmetal
  • Ueda
5:14
16."The One" (English ver.)
  • Kitsune of Metal God
  • Kxbxmetal
  • Mish-Mosh
10:21
17."Road of Resistance"
  • Kitsune of Metal God
  • Mk-metal
  • Kxbxmetal
  • Mish-Mosh
  • Norimetal
  • Kyt-metal
12:52
Total length:103:19

Notes

  • The 2-CD audio version included with "The One" limited edition is different from the live album, as it splits the performance between tracks 9 and 10 of the Blu-ray release and does not remove any songs.
  • The vinyl format includes all 17 songs from the video album.[15]

Personnel

Credits adapted from Live at Wembley: Babymetal World Tour 2016 Kicks Off at The SSE Arena, Wembley booklet.[25]

  • Suzuka Nakamoto (Su-metal) – lead vocals
  • Yui Mizuno (Yuimetal) – lead and background vocals
  • Moa Kikuchi (Moametal) – lead and background vocals
  • Tue Madsen – mixing
  • Tucky (Parasight Mastering) – mastering
  • Dana (Distortion) Yavin – photography

Charts

Chart (2016–2021) Peak
position
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[26][27] 5
Japanese DVD (Oricon)[22] 1
Japanese Music DVD (Oricon)[28][29][22] 1
Japanese Blu-ray (Oricon)[30][22] 2
Japanese Music Blu-ray (Oricon)[22] 1
Japanese Albums (Billboard)[23] 5

Release history

Region Date Format Label Edition(s) Catalog Ref.
Japan November 23, 2016 Blu-ray, CD
"The One" limited ONEB-0007
ONEC-0003
ONEC-0004		 [31]
Video TFBQ−18184
TFXQ−78140		 [32]
United Kingdom December 9, 2016 CD earMusic Live album (13 tracks) EMU0211680 [33]
Japan December 28, 2016
  • BMD Fox Records
  • Toy's Factory
  • Amuse, Inc.
 TFCC-86581 [34]
Digital download Amuse, Inc. — [35]
United Kingdom December 30, 2016 earMusic [36]
Japan Streaming Amuse, Inc. [37]
Taiwan
Hong Kong
Singapore
Malaysia
Worldwide April 12, 2017
  • Digital download
  • streaming
 Video [14]
Japan September 8, 2021 LP
  • BMD Fox Records
  • Toy's Factory
  • Amuse, Inc.
 Live album (17 tracks) TFJC-38078/80 [15]

References

  1. 1 2 "BREAKING NEWS!! BABYMETAL will headline Wembley Arena on April 2 2016!!". BABYMETAL. 26 August 2016. Archived from the original on 14 January 2018. Retrieved 5 March 2018.
  2. ↑ "BABYMETALウェンブリー公演、ライブアルバムも発売決定". Natalie Music (in Japanese). Natasha Inc. 11 November 2016. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
  3. ↑ Shiba, Tomonori (1 April 2016). "Babymetal Talk World Tour, New 'Metal Resistance' Album & Meeting Ariana Grande". Billboard. Billboard. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
  4. ↑ Sherman, Maria (14 December 2015). "Babymetal Announce New Album, 2016 World Tour". Fuse. Retrieved 6 March 2018.
  5. ↑ "BABYMETAL Confirm Brand New Studio Album — Kerrang!". Kerrang!. 13 December 2015. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
  6. ↑ "Babymetal announce second album for release in 2016 and world tour - BBC Newsbeat". BBC Newsbeat. 14 December 2015. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
  7. 1 2 "BABYMETAL、日本人初ウェンブリーアリーナ単独公演でワールドツアー開幕". Natalie Music (in Japanese). Natasha Inc. 3 April 2016. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
  8. ↑ Murray Stassen (6 June 2016). "Baby Steps: Meet the team behind Babymetal's phenomenal UK success". Music Week. Retrieved 19 June 2016.
  9. ↑ "BABYMETAL、日本人アーティスト初の英・ウェンブリーアリーナライブが映像作品化！伝説のライブを完全収録！ | Qetic". Qetic (in Japanese). 14 September 2016. Archived from the original on 16 September 2016. Retrieved 1 December 2018.
  10. ↑ Kielty, Martin (11 November 2016). "Babymetal reveal Live At Wembley album". Metal Hammer. Retrieved 5 March 2018.
  11. ↑ "「LIVE AT WEMBLEY」トレーラー映像公開＆ライブアルバム発売決定DEATH！！". babymetal.jp. 11 November 2016. Archived from the original on 21 November 2016. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
  12. 1 2 "BABYMETAL Blu-ray･DVD 「LIVE AT WEMBLEY」". ASMART (in Japanese). Retrieved 31 October 2017.
  13. 1 2 "BABYMETAL CD Live Album「LIVE AT WEMBLEY」BABYMETAL WORLD TOUR 2016 kicks off at THE SSE ARENA, WEMBLEY". ASMART (in Japanese). Retrieved 14 February 2018.
  14. 1 2 "Babymetal: Live at Wembley". YouTube. AmuseStore. 11 April 2017. Retrieved 27 February 2018.
    "Babymetal:Live at Wembley on iTunes". iTunes. 12 April 2017. Retrieved 27 February 2018.
  15. 1 2 3 "BABYMETAL BEST ALBUM「10 BABYMETAL YEARS」SPECIAL WEBSITE". BABYMETAL BEST ALBUM「10 BABYMETAL YEARS」SPECIAL WEBSITE (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 25 August 2021. Retrieved 2 October 2021.
    "BABYMETAL、全ライヴ映像作品のライヴ・アルバム・アナログ・シリーズ"10 BABYMETAL LEGENDS LIVE VINYL SERIES"サブスク配信決定！". 激ロックニュース (in Japanese). Retrieved 2 October 2021.
  16. 1 2 3 4 Shepherd, Tom (16 April 2016). "Lives". Kerrang!. No. 1615. Seymour Distribution Ltd. pp. 46–47.
  17. ↑ Michel, Patrick ST. (17 July 2016). "Babymetal is having a really good year". The Japan Times. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
  18. ↑ Beaumont, Mark (4 April 2016). "Babymetal Live At Wembley: Vanishing Tricks, Flag Parades And ABBA-esque Dance Moves". NME. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
  19. 1 2 Sendra, Tim. Live at Wembley Arena at AllMusic. Retrieved November 26, 2017.
  20. 1 2 Goodman, Eleanor (7 December 2016). "Babymetal – Live At Wembley album review". Metal Hammer. Retrieved 26 November 2017.
  21. ↑ Ewens, Hannah (3 April 2016). "Babymetal review – J-pop teen metallers come of age". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
  22. 1 2 3 4 5 "【オリコン】BABYMETAL、英ウェンブリー公演DVDが総合1位 BDは自己最高初動". ORICON NEWS (in Japanese). Oricon. 30 November 2016. Retrieved 9 February 2018.
  23. 1 2 "Billboard Japan Top Albums Sales". Billboard Japan. Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
    "週間アルバムチャートでうたプリ1位に、武道館実現のBABYMETALも善戦". Billboard Japan. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
  24. ↑ "Billboard Japan Hot Albums". Billboard JAPAN (in Japanese). 9 January 2017. Retrieved 6 March 2018.
  25. ↑ Live at Wembley: Babymetal World Tour 2016 Kicks Off at The SSE Arena, Wembley (CD liner notes). Babymetal. earMusic. 2017.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  26. ↑ "LIVE AT WEMBLEY(BABYMETAL WORLD TOUR 2016 kicks off at THE SSE ARENA,WEMBLEY)". Oricon (in Japanese). Retrieved 1 November 2017.
  27. ↑ "オリコン週間 CDアルバムランキング 2016年12月26日～2017年01月01日". Oricon. Archived from the original on 10 January 2017. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
  28. ↑ "「LIVE AT WEMBLEY」BABYMETAL WORLD TOUR 2016 kicks off at THE SSE ARENA,WEMBLEY". Oricon (in Japanese). Retrieved 1 November 2017.
  29. ↑ "12/5付週間DVD総合ランキング1位は『「LIVE AT WEMBLEY」BABYMETAL WORLD TOUR 2016 kicks off at THE SSE ARENA, WEMBLEY』". Oricon. Archived from the original on 2 November 2017. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
  30. ↑ "「LIVE AT WEMBLEY」BABYMETAL WORLD TOUR 2016 kicks off at THE SSE ARENA,WEMBLEY". Oricon (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2 November 2017. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
  31. ↑ "WEBメンバー限定グッズ THE ONE 限定 Blu-ray「LIVE AT WEMBLEY – THE ONE LIMITED EDITION -」". ASMART. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
  32. ↑ DVD: "LIVE AT WEMBLEY（DVD）" (in Japanese). Retrieved 8 June 2018.
    Blu-ray: "LIVE AT WEMBLEY（Blu-ray）" (in Japanese). Retrieved 8 June 2018.
  33. ↑ "BABYMETAL TO RELEASE LIVE AT WEMBLEY CD!!". babymetal.com. 11 November 2016. Archived from the original on 17 November 2016. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
  34. ↑ "LIVE AT WEMBLEY" (in Japanese). Retrieved 8 June 2018.
  35. ↑ "BABYMETALの「LIVE AT WEMBLEY」をiTunesで". iTunes (in Japanese). 28 December 2016. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
  36. ↑ "Live at Wembley by BABYMETAL". iTunes. 30 December 2016. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
  37. ↑ "LIVE AT WEMBLEY & LIVE AT BUDOKAN ～RED NIGHT～ Streaming is now available for all KKBOX Territories in Asia!!". BABYMETAL. 30 December 2016. Archived from the original on 5 January 2017. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
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