HOMESICKK? \u2014 made up of four teenagers, Grace Wakefield, Kash Perry, Luci Willmott-Dalton, and Asay Ujihara \u2014 probably thought that would be as good as it got, but better was still to come.<\/p>\n
After remaining in contact with Guitar Wolf, HOMESICKK? received an unexpected invitation to travel to Japan to perform at Shimane JETT FEST, the festival afterparty, as well as a series of additional shows across Tokyo and Osaka.<\/p>\n
A life-changing opportunity, in other words.<\/p>\n
But a life-changing opportunity like that doesn\u2019t often come cheap, particularly when you\u2019re a fledgling independent band from New Zealand.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s why HOMESICKK? are trying to raise the necessary funds for the tour via a Boosted campaign<\/a>, which has raised almost $3,000 already.<\/p>\n The target is lofty \u2014 $10,000 \u2014 but the campaign still has 15 days remaining.<\/p>\n If they meet that total, HOMESICKK? will perform at the annual Shimane JETT Rock \u2018n\u2019 Roll Festival on the weekend of October 10th-11th, alongside the aforementioned mini-tour of Tokyo and Osaka. If completed, HOMESICKK? would become just the second New Zealand band to perform at the festival, following The D4 in 2024.<\/p>\n \u201cInstead of giving up, I spent days researching every possible way to make the trip happen, even contacting The D4 for advice after their own Japan tour. After presenting a detailed plan to our families, we committed to making it a reality,\u201d explains Wakefield.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cHopefully I can speak Japanese by the time I leave considering I\u2019m half Japanese,\u201d Ujihara says. \u201cI can\u2019t wait to see my family over there and meet heaps of new people!\u201d<\/p>\n @homesickk.official<\/a><\/p>\n FIRST GIG THRILLS!\ud83d\udca5 We played an awesome gig last night at Wunderbar, however if you wanna see us play again you\u2019ll have to wait a bit\u2026 We\u2019re playing on the 27th of Feb @ Space Academy, ALL AGES! We\u2019ve sold out though, so there won\u2019t be any more tickets available for the night. We\u2019re so excited to play alongside some kickass bands! Thank you to Live Fast, Die Young for this opportunity! We have more gigs to announce later on, so stay tuned! VIDEOGRAPHER: Neato Productions EDITOR: @Jettson Jones #fyp<\/a> #newzealand<\/a> #band<\/a> #musicians<\/a> #punksnotdead<\/a><\/p>\n \u266c Opening Night \u2013 Scowl<\/a><\/p>\n The tour will take place between October 3rd-12th, during the New Zealand school holidays and the first week of Term 4, convenient for the young musicians.<\/p>\n \u201cThis project will see HOMESICKK? represent Christchurch\u2019s DIY music scene,\u201d the Boosted campaign states. \u201cMore than just a series of shows, it is an opportunity for four young musicians to build lasting connections through music, gain valuable international experience, and showcase local New Zealand talent to audiences in Japan.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFundraising has been very stressful, but it will be worth it in the end,\u201d Perry admits. \u201cIt feels like a dream come true, to play in another country with such influential and talented bands.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFundraising has been hard, but we\u2019re very grateful to our parents who have been putting even more effort than we have in for us to achieve our dream,\u201d Willmott-Dalton agrees.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201c[\u2026] when we found out that we would be playing additional gigs in Tokyo and Osaka, as well as the Shimane Jett Festival and afterparty, we realised we just couldn\u2019t say no \u2014 I think it may have been a bit scary for our parents to think about their kids going across the world for music though haha,\u201d they add.<\/p>\n Donate to the campaign \u2014 if you can \u2014 here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Once the campaign ends, HOMESICKK? have another opportunity to raise funds for the tour. They\u2019re returning to the scene of their Guitar Wolf support slot, Space Academy, on Saturday, August 1st, hosting an all-ages show in the afternoon and an 18+ show in the evening. A bunch of great local bands will support them on the day, including Tealskie and Face First.<\/p>\n Ticket information is available here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Credit: Supplied<\/p>\n If HOMESICKK? make it to Japan, they\u2019ll follow some great Kiwi bands who have had great success taking their music to the Asian continent.<\/p>\n As well as The D4, \u014ctepoti Dunedin bands Dale Kerrigan and Night Lunch<\/a> have toured there, as have T\u0101maki Makaurau Auckland punks Cindy<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/japan\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/HOMESICKK-2-1024x698.jpg\")
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