Visual Kei

Visual kei is a style movement in Japanese music. KISS would be proud of their heavy makeup. Although the hair styles might be a bit too much work for the old school rockers. Visual kei is also full of flamboyant costumes and often makes you wonder what sex the musician really is.

Some people consider visual kei as a music genre as opposed to just a fashion. Visual kei bands are often punk or heavy metal.

The style ranges from glamorous to goth and to cyberpunk. The glam visual kei bands often remind me of 80’s rockers like Dio with their over-the-top music videos. Visual kei groups often dress in feminine clothing: Victorian dresses and other gender bending outfits. Each band has their own theme or time period they draw inspiration from.

The style is pretty open ended. Some look almost like zombies. Other bands like Malice Mizer look more at home in old world England. Still others sport neon pink or red hair with modern fashion or what looks like a run in with a 60’s body painter.

For better or for worse visual kei is slowly making inroads to the West. Although I think we have long had our own flavor with KISS, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Dio, and other groups. Visual kei can have KISS style heavy makeup to Dio’s focus on the medieval and over the top hair. Although I don’t see visual kei groups going on stage with just a well placed sock like the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Visual kei is almost exclusively related to Japanese music and the fans.  Just like KISS fan donning face paint, visual kei fans will dress in ways that are inspired by their favorite group.  Otherwise it is hard to pin down specifics since it ranges across various subcultures (lolita, goth, punk, heavy metal, emo, etc).  Seeing it is better than any description I can write.

Visual kei is definitely visual and certainly grabs your attention.