Two Polish friends, Peter and Marcin, share a passion for Japanese music and are each organising their own event featuring Japanese rock and metal bands. Not in Poland, but these music festivals will soon be taking place in Japan, specifically at the venue named ThunderSnake Atsugi, around 45 kilometres from Tokyo. On 31 October 2026, the second edition of Peter’s Dream will take place, and on 1 November, the first edition of Metal No Kumite -五人組手- (Gonin Gumite) will take place, featuring a total of ten bands, five on each day. Both music festivals will also be available to watch via a live stream on YouTube.
But what led Peter and Marcin to start organising events in Japan?
Peter’s dream of organising a show for Japanese bands grew gradually after years of travelling back and forth across Europe to attend gigs by various Japanese bands. His original idea was to help Japanese bands who had not yet had the opportunity to perform in Europe. For a long time, this didn’t seem possible because it would have been a costly endeavour, Peter explained. And that is hardly surprising. Not only have the costs of everyday living soared in recent years, but the costs associated with travelling to Europe and touring there have also risen significantly. This makes it much harder for many lesser-known musical acts to take the plunge and tour abroad.
And yet, Peters’ dream did come true: “During my visits to Japan I became friends with a wonderful person: Watanabe-san of ThunderSnake Atsugi. Thanks to his support, I was able to reforge my dream into a smaller one. If I can’t bring bands to Europe, maybe I can bring some bands together and give them a stage to perform in Japan.” The first edition of Peter’s Dream took place in October 2025. For those not being able to join the event in Japan, the full show was streamed for free on YouTube.
The first edition was a great success, which is why Peter is very enthusiastic about the new edition: “With a diverse and strong lineup of the bands, Hadichi, LETITOUT-lelia-, Nekomeshi, Mady Luna, and Whiskey Dust, I hope once again to show the power of Japanese music to people around the world. And to show the bands that they have fans all over the world too.”
Marcin’s interest in Japanese metal music was sparked when, whilst watching a video of his favourite band on YouTube, he was recommended a video about Japanese folklore and horror. It was 2016 and, at that time, Marcin knew very little about the Land of the Rising Sun apart from his karate activities: “A transdimensional portal takes me to a world I would never want to leave,” says Marcin. Since then, over the past ten years, this Japanese music enthusiast has travelled to Japan six times, criss-crossed Europe to see his favourite Japanese metal bands live, and has started learning Japanese.
Inspired by Peter’s first successful event in Japan last year, he began to think: “Why not do the same? Japan has so many excellent bands that simply deserve to be recognised! I saw a social media post by two drummer friends of mine, Ami from ACHILLES and Natsumi from Meny Da Familliar, chatting in a café. I couldn’t resist to ask: ‘Ladies, how about playing at the same event this year?’ And since Ami also practices karate, together we came up with an event name which combines karate and metal as the two have a lot in common: pure energy and a fighting spirit!”
Marcin explains why he chose a subtitle for his event and the bands. “The subtitle “go-nin-gumite”, meaning 5-man karate sparring, refers to five bands taking part. The selection of bands for the event is also not random: Nadeshiko Doll, Meny Da Familliar, Moth_in_Lilac, ACHILLES and Cilvie not only showcase the diversity of styles within the Japanese club scene at its finest, but are also the kind of people you’d love to get to know off-stage too!”
Full details of the event Peter’s Dream 2nd Night
Five bands are scheduled to perform: Hadichi, LETITOUT-lelia-, Nekomeshi, Mady Luna and Whiskey Dust on Saturday 31 October. Doors open at 17:30 (Japan time) and the show starts half an hour later at 18:00 (Japan time, which is 10:00 CET and 09:00 BGMT). Tickets are available via Tiget. The livestream will be available to watch on the YouTube channel of Whiskey Dust.
Band introductions
Hadichi began performing in the summer of 2025 under the banner of ‘New Paranoia Sound’, thereby continuing the artistic vision of Shoujo S, the previous band of singer Satoki. With Hadichi culture,the traditional tattoo art of Okinawa, as their visual theme, the band aims to express the strength, beauty and transience of women through their music. The band focuses primarily on visual kei rock, featuring hard-hitting yet melodic music.
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The rock band LETITOUT-lelia- got started when the band members were still budding musicians, with Miyazaki as their homebase. The band delivers a sweet yet extreme sound, forged through constant experimentation. The band is currently touring non-stop in Japan. To date, they have released a handful of singles, an EP and an album; they have provided songs to the local idol group Dancing Fairies; and they regularly organise their own events in Fukuoka. In January 2027, they plan to hold their first solo concert in Fukuoka.
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The metal band NEKOMESHI(222) started their activities in 2017, centred around guitarist and composer Zakuro. The current band line-up consists of vocalist Raizo, guitarist Zakuro, bassist JUN and drummer VAYA. After releasing several singles, a mini-album and an album, they released their second album Convergent Evolution in August. With the new album, the band wants to show their musical growth and demonstrate how they like to drawn inspiration from different genres in their music.
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Consisting of vocalist 247, guitarist Ranm and bassist Alice, the rock band Mady Luna started their activities in the summer of 2024. Although they are rather enigmatic, with a visual style inspired by Alice in Wonderland, they regularly take to the stage for performances and presented several costume sets. The band also released several singles, Boogie Night, noble and Etude, with hopefully a full-length album release in the near future.
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The band Whiskey Dust also performed at the first edition of Peter’s Dream and consists of vocalist Gsbeq Aya and guitarist Erika van Halen. The band’s musical style pays homage to the hard rock music that dominated the 1970s and 1980s, offering a fresh take on it. The band avoids digital technology and focuses on recording live music without any additions.
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Full details of the event Metal No Kumite -五人組手- (Gonin Gumite)
Also for this event, on Sunday 1 November 2026, five bands are scheduled to perform: Cilvie, ACHILLES, Moth in Lilac, Meny Da Familliar and ナデシコドール (Nadeshiko Doll). Doors open at 17:30 (Japan Standard Time) and the show starts half an hour later at 18:00 (Japan Standard Time, which is 10:00 CET and 09:00 BGMT). Tickets are available via Tiget. A live stream will also be available, but no details have yet been announced.
Bands introductions
The grunge/heavy metal band Cilvie are no strangers here at AVO Magazine; we’ve written several articles about them and even interviewed them. The band are heavily influenced by American rock music, but also combine a variety of musical influences from each band member.
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The dark horror rock band ACHILLES were formed in 2013 in Tokyo. Their sound is a blend of dark, heavy and aggressive music, influenced by bands such as Korn, Slipknot, Motörhead and Alice in Chains. They travelled to Los Angeles to work with the American producer Brent Muscat (ex-Faster Pussycat, Bubble). In 2018, they released their debut album, ALERT, which was followed in 2024 by their second album, CREATURE’S BANQUET.
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Embracing the beautiful, the ugly, the dark, and everything in between, the band members of Moth in Lilac describe themselves that way. Comprised of Japanese, British, and Thai musicians, the band’s sound is a combination of nu-metal, alternative rock, metalcore, industrial metal and goth. The five-piece band is a fully self-produced band working on everything from start to finish.
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With a sound based on rock and metal, visual rock three-piece Meny Da Familliar started activities in the autumn of 2023. To date, the band has released one mini-album, New World Order, but they have been performing very regularly. On stage they are known to work with the audience to create a whirlwind of intense headbanging.
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The rock/metal duo Nadeshiko Doll consist of vocalist Yuzuha and guitarist Rie, along with support musicians during live performances. They are known for their energetic performances and a stage presence that blends glamour with a touch of danger. The Sapporo-based band organises their own events and regularly headlines shows across Japan. To date, the band has an extensive discography comprising two albums, four mini-albums and 13 singles.
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