THE MODS 45th Anniversary Event 'ONE TIME ROLL'

2026 marks the 45th anniversary of THE MODS' debut. On June 21, 1981, they released the album 'FIGHT OR FLIGHT' and the single 'Kuzureochiru Mae ni'. I can still remember the scene the day after the release, talking with a friend in the corner of the classroom about our thoughts on 'FIGHT OR FLIGHT'. Up until now, we've held concerts at the Hibiya Open-Air Concert Hall for anniversary years like the 15th or 40th. Since the 'Rainy Yaon' in 1982, it has become a promised land for fans. What would happen this year, when that Yaon is unavailable (apparently due to renovation work)?

The answer was a special event in their hometown of Hakata called 'ONE TIME ROLL'. It wasn't just a live concert; a DJ set was held as an after-party following the performance.

THE MODS ILLEGAL EVENT 2026 “ONE TIME ROLL”
2026.06.21 (Sun) Fukuoka UNITEDLAB
Cast:
THE MODS
opening act: KOZZY IWAKAWA (THE MACKSHOW・THE COLTS)
AfterParty DJ:
T.Moriyammer
KIKO
KOZZY IWAKAWA (THE MACKSHOW・THE COLTS)
YAMA-CHANG & JOHNNY (THE COLTS)

The first song of the live show was 'Pipeline'. An instrumental right from the start. I believe it was something they played live during their amateur days, and it's based on the version by Johnny Thunders.

They played four covers in the first half (the three members sang songs by Eddie Cochran, The Ramones, The Clash, etc.), and I felt their respect for the roots music the band has loved. I took it as gratitude for their 45 years of activity.

On this day, there were few standard live staples, and they fired off rare numbers one after another. Since it's an "ILLEGAL EVENT", it's different from Yaon. Originally, The Mods don't put together a 'Best of the Best!' setlist even for anniversaries. I often play a 'guess the first song of the day' game with friends, but I've never gotten it right. They are a band that chooses songs they 'want to sing right now', and I think that spirit is why they've been able to continue for 45 years. I was also happy to hear the new song 'CRAZY HOT SUMMER '79' early. It's a song about their Hakata days, after all.

A long-awaited 'Ga-Man-Suru-N-Da'. In the early days, it was usually the first or second song of the live show. That 'Da-Da-Daan!' riff really fired me up. When guests KOZZY IWAKAWA and YAMA-CHANG & JOHNNY joined for 'Blues ni Afurete' and 'BLACK DICE', it was full of soul feeling, and I felt the depth of the band's musicality. Yes, the foundation of the band was built by absorbing British beat and R&B from before punk.

And the tempo of every song was fantastic. A beat carved over 45 years. I remembered Keith Richards saying, 'I stand on stage thinking, tonight I'm going to play 'Jumping Jack Flash' at the right tempo'.

'Respect for the music we love' was also felt in abundance during the after-party DJ time. Mr. Kitazato played The Temptations' 'My Girl', and Mr. Moriyama played Steppenwolf's 'Born To Be Wild'. And a happy surprise was that Mr. Moriyama played RC Succession's 'Ameagari no Yozora ni'. And he even sang along halfway through, shouting 'Bin-bin da ze!'. CHABO also sang 'Ameagari no Yozora ni' at his live show last Sunday.

To think that the day would come when Mr. Moriyama would blast that song at high volume and CHABO would sing it... As a rural punk high school student who was blown away by The Mods and RC, it was deeply moving. This photo is of the tickets for RC and The Mods that I went to see when I was a teenager.

A special day for both the band and us fans. I'm happy to have experienced 'ONE TIME ROLL' in their hometown of Hakata. And, furthermore... from the official Mods Instagram.

Back to the live show. The shout of 'Koko e, koko e kita no sa' in 'LOOSE GAME' was more powerful than ever. I thought that the feelings of the moment are packed into a live performance. The struggles within the long 45-year game. To always move forward, to make better works, to think that today's live show will be better than yesterday's, must require unimaginable effort. Because you have to raise the bar yourself. When I listened to the new songs by The Mods and The Stones, 'CRAZY HOT SUMMER '79' and 'IN THE STARS', in succession, they felt very fitting. It wasn't that the songs were similar, but I thought they shared the same will and spirit. The path that excellent rock bands aim for is the same.

my note #430