On Friday nights, there is a platter performance at Meguro Narukan.

Meguro Narukan opened in 1980 and has been focusing on live rock performances ever since. Because of its fame in the underground music scene, many well-known bands performed here before they debuted and became famous, and it is also regarded as a mecca for underground bands.

And the more it is regarded as a holy place by underground bands, the more powerful bands are attracted to perform, which greatly increases the chances of well-known bands coming out of here.

That being said, the venue rental fee of 150,000 yen per night on weekdays and 250,000 yen per night on Fridays, Saturdays, and holidays has already blocked out all kinds of unknown bands that cannot guarantee a box office.

Takao Tajima's band ORIGINAL LOVE is not unknown in the underground music scene, but it is definitely not enough to perform alone at Meguro Narukan, and on weekdays, their range of activities is mostly in small livehouses in the Kitazawa, Shinjuku, and Nakano areas, and performing alone in Meguro Narukan is just a goal.

ORIGINAL LOVE is a band centered on Takao Tajima, and he is responsible for the vocals, guitar, and most of the songwriting, so it can be said that it is undoubtedly the center of the band.

Sometimes, a band like this, with a central figure doing almost everything, makes one wonder: why not go to SOLO?

Don't underestimate the contributions of the musicians, and don't ignore the credit of the teammates behind the lead singer.

Because instrumental performance is ever-changing, even the same piece can be played with a variety of flavors. That's why live performances have become the most attractive part of the band, and good musicians will definitely increase the charm of the band, and with a tacit band, they must contribute more wonderful performances than simply following the accompaniment team of SOLO singers.

The popularity of the band is higher than that of SOLO singers, and it is definitely not because the band is a group battle and SOLO is as simple as fighting alone.

Because of the charm of the scene, some live SOLO singers often have a fixed cooperation team, and everyone cooperates with each other by virtue of the tacit understanding after many run-ins.

......

ORIGINAL LOVE'S AGENT TOLD THEM THAT THERE WAS A PLATTER PERFORMANCE AT MEGURO KAMAKAN ON FRIDAY NIGHT, AND THEY WOULD NOT PARTICIPATE IN THE BOX OFFICE SHARE, AND THEY WOULD PAY THE PERFORMANCE FEE IN ONE LUMP SUM AND SING FOR 30 MINUTES.

"Do you want to go?"

"Of course. Takao Tajima and his companions were of the same opinion.

Even if you go to the platter, you are one step closer to the goal.

So, on Friday night, all the members of ORIGINAL LOVE arrived backstage at the Meguro Karumukan and began to prepare for the performance.

Tonight, the band Mimi CLUB, which has already debuted, came to participate in the performance.

Before signing with CBS Sony, Mimi Club had already performed at Meguro Narukan, and after signing the contract, under the arrangement of CBS Sony's agent, they continued to perform at LIVEHOUSE while recording records and touring.

It's just that the humble underground stage of the past is no longer up, but is performed on a regular stage such as Meguro Shikameikan.

Having a band that has already debuted come to perform also means another thing, that is, there are people from the record company in the audience. It was an invisible audition, so the bands who came to perform were all riveted.

Platter gigs are often also competitive gigs, which is an unspoken rule between bands and bands.

ORIGINAL LOVE is also working hard.

The performance was very enthusiastic, and the audience, as always, who came to watch the performance, as long as they contributed a high enough performance, then even if they didn't know anything about it before, they would not hesitate to applaud and cheer.

ORIGINAL LOVE's standard is good, and as they wished, they conquered the audience tonight, but in Takashio's heart, this is not enough, and he can't get a sense of accomplishment from it.

His goal is not just to perform alone at Meguro Narukan, but to be higher and farther away.

......

After the performance, the band members, as well as a few other people who participated in the performance, went to a bar to drink, and before the performance fee they had just received was hot, they flew into the store's purse.

Slightly drunk, Takao Tajima said goodbye to his companion and boarded the train back to his apartment alone.

Takao Tajima was born in Tokyo, but before he could remember, he moved to Fukushima Prefecture with his family, where he spent the time until he graduated from high school.

He has loved music since he was a child, and when he was in middle school, he picked up the guitar and formed a band with his friends. Friends regard banding as a hobby, and he is the only one who takes every rehearsal and public performance more seriously than anyone else.

Fukushima Prefecture is a rural place in the truest sense of the word, and there is no stage for it to perform in the countryside.

When Takashi Tajima was a child, he often heard his mother talk about his time in Tokyo, and he had a longing for Tokyo. And after he had his dream, the city of Tokyo became a place he had to go.

It's not a city, it's a center, it's a big stage that can hold tens of millions of dreams.

With this belief in mind, Takao Tajima went to a university in Tokyo, came to Tokyo from Fukushima, and met his current teammates here to form the team of ORIGINAL LOVE.

They decided to make a living from music, so they performed while working part-time, and no one looked for work. Once you have a formal job and become a tram, then trying to jump off that track again is an "accident".

Because of this, young people with dreams that seem unrealistic to outsiders or even their families regard not looking for a job as a credo that must be followed.

......

Takao Tajima lives in Shimokitazawa, a somewhat modest apartment. His parents cut off his living expenses after graduating from college, and now he is satisfied with living in such a house.

It was a long way from the station to here, and he had already drunk some wine, and he felt dizzy at such an event.

Just as he was about to go upstairs, he glanced at the mailbox, retracted his steps, came to the mailbox, opened it, and inside was a letter along with the ski resort brochure.

The sender's letter was written by TV Asahi.

A while ago, Asahi TV advertised with great fanfare, and the TV station, the radio station, and the underground music circle spread the word of mouth, knowing that they were going to broadcast a band talent show, hosted by the big host Yuji Miyake, and there were well-known producers like Sakuma Masaoei among the judges, and amateur bands of various styles were welcome to sign up.

One stone stirred up a thousand waves, and in the underground music circle, there were endless disputes over this talent show, some people saw it as a great opportunity, and some bands dismissed it, thinking that the TV station had extended its claws to the band.

Takao Tajima and his ORIGINAL LOVE are the ones who see it as a great opportunity. After receiving the news, the band immediately recorded a video of the performance and sent it to TV Asahi to participate in the primary.

And now...... TV Asahi sent a letter.

Takao Tajima's heart was warm, and he held the letter and the brochure in his hand.