Atarashii Gakko! Sets Festival Hall on Fire - A High-Energy, Unforgettable Night in Melbourne

What happens when you combine powerhouse vocals, chaotic-good choreography, punk-pop attitude and a group that absolutely refuses to take themselves too seriously?
You get Atarashii Gakko!, Japan’s genre-breaking sensation who arrived in Australia this week and shook Festival Hall like a fizzy Ramune bottle ready to explode.

Touring Australia for the very first time, with two explosive dates across Melbourne, Sydney, we were lucky enough to catch the last show of their Aussie run at Festival Hall Melbourne, and let’s just say… we left sweaty, breathless, and emotionally deceased. Our throats? Gone. Our knees? Filing workers' comp.

From the moment doors opened, the energy was electric.

Fans flooded in, grabbing merch, comparing favourite tracks, buzzing so hard the room felt like it could crack open before the music even started. When Atarashii Gakko! finally hit the stage, the crowd erupted, and didn’t stop for the next ninety or so minutes.

They tore through some of their biggest hits including:

• Tokyo Calling
• Candy
• Pineapple Kryptonite - and yes, it slapped exactly as hard live as we hoped

Every track ramped the energy higher, with the group switching from sharp precision choreography to chaotic running-around-the-stage joy with zero hesitation. Their ability to rap, scream, harmonise and dance at full speed should honestly be illegal.

From General Admission, we were bathed in neon strobes, laser sweeps and colour shifts that made the whole gig feel like a rave, except blissfully spacious, breathable, and without a single crowd crush nightmare flashback. Festival Hall felt alive, pulsing, awake in a way only a truly unhinged live act can conjure.

And then came The Moment.

At one point, leader Suzuka launched herself off the stage and into the crowd, sprinting through GA like a girl late to roll call. Security scrambled, cameras chased, fans screamed. No one, including her handlers,  had any idea where she was going next.

It was peak Atarashii Gakko! energy: wild, spontaneous, heartfelt, and a little bit feral.

Just when we thought the night was wrapping up, the group baited us into a chant that could probably be heard in Docklands. Encore? ENCORE.
This was the moment a few Colin writers officially lost their remaining vocal cords, and not a single one of us regrets it.

Final Verdict

Atarashii Gakko! Live in Melbourne = 10/10 chaos. 10/10 talent. 100/10 would see again.

We desperately hope this is just the beginning of their presence in Australia, and that next time, even bigger venues and even louder mosh pits await. If you have a chance to see them on this tour, do not walk. RUN. Preferably like Suzuka. Full tilt. No thoughts, just vibes.