A Band Tee Thrown Out by Parents: Our Stories, Part 2

Last Updated on 2026-11-01 by a-indie

“Where’s that T-shirt?”

“I threw it out. You never wore it.”

Hello from the BELONG Media editorial team! A T-shirt you had treasured and tucked away, quietly thrown out by a parent at some point… Part 2 begins with exactly that kind of frustrating memory.

A roundtable where BELONG Media staff talk about the theme of “band T-shirts we’re attached to.”

In Part 2, along with Takita’s frustrating story, we’ve packed in memories of NUMBER GIRL and Nirvana, and even the mystery of the “red bloomers” (the tight gym shorts once worn in Japanese school PE classes) that yabori witnessed at Summer Sonic (a major Japanese music festival) in 2007.

The Day a T-Shirt Got Thrown Out by Parents

yabori

Alright, next up is Takita. Let’s go.

I sent in three, but they all ended up being safe choices. Actually, there’s a story that came to mind when I got this theme, and I still get so frustrated I can’t stand it.

滝田

The Tee From Shimura’s Final Tour

yabori

What happened?

In high school, I loved Fujifabric. The last album Masahiko Shimura released in his lifetime was ‘CHRONICLE,’ and on the cover there’s a fluffy dog sitting on Shimura’s head. I went to see the tour for that album. It was the last tour before Shimura passed away, and I bought a band T-shirt printed with that design of the dog on the head.

滝田

yabori

I see.

After that, Shimura passed away, and I was truly sad, but I thought, “I’m so glad I bought that T-shirt,” and I treasured it for a while. On top of that, in the DVD of that tour, my face is actually visible a little in the audience. Including the fact that I got to go to the tour in that final year, it was a huge memory for me. I kept it carefully stored at my parents’ place and never wore it, but a few years later my parents threw it out. When I asked, “Where’s that T-shirt?” they said, “I threw it out. You never wore it.” I thought, “What a waste!” and I got genuinely angry at my parents, in tears. It was the first time since elementary school that I’d cried while angry.

滝田

A live T-shirt isn’t only meant to be worn…

わきき

NUMBER GIRL at the Comeback Show

Exactly! Now that time has passed, I feel the value of that T-shirt even more. I was actually planning to show a photo of it that I’d taken myself, but it’s gone, so I can’t. Still, my NUMBER GIRL T-shirt is also a memorable one. I won tickets and got to see the reunited NUMBER GIRL’s very first comeback show at Shinjuku LOFT, too. NUMBER GIRL is a band with as many memories for me as Fujifabric.

滝田

yabori

NUMBER GIRL is great too!

The Nirvana Tee Spotted in the Film ‘Solanin’

Also, I have a slightly timely story. Not long ago, YouTube recommended a video that looked fan-made, using the live scene from the film ‘Solanin’ and ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION’s “Solanin,” and I happened to watch it. And Taneda, played by Kengo Kora, was wearing a Nirvana band T-shirt. I thought, “Hey, I’ve seen this T-shirt before,” and it turns out I wore the same T-shirt when I was in high school. That made me strangely happy.

滝田

yabori

Oh, wow!

Wearing Nirvana and Saying “Not Really”

In high school I had a band with friends, and in my second year, I wore that T-shirt for the first time at a gig at a local live house (a small concert venue). A senior one year above me asked, “Takita, do you like Nirvana?” I don’t know what it was, maybe I was feeling really edgy then, but even though I was wearing a Nirvana shirt, I answered, “Not really.” Back then, my perception was that Nirvana was the band every rock fan passes through as their first gateway, and maybe I didn’t want to be seen as the same as everyone else. That’s the memory: I was wearing it, and still answered “Not really.”

滝田

yabori

That’s a story from when Takita was just starting to get edgy (laughs). I’ll drop in Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” too.

It’s a little nostalgic, and it also tugs at my heart a bit.

滝田

So, How Many Band T-Shirts Do You Own?

yabori

First I want to ask you two, about how many band T-shirts do you have?

I end up buying quite a few every time I go to a show. And, hearing Takita’s story reminded me, I’m also a huge Fujifabric fan, and I’ve kept a robot T-shirt I bought on the ‘TEENAGER’ tour, back when Shimura was still around. It’s probably in a drawer at my parents’ place… but maybe it’s not there anymore (laughs). Hearing Takita’s story (laughs). I don’t have it with me this time, so I didn’t pick it. Also, there are T-shirts on plain black fabric with words like “Relapse” or “Senbei” (Japanese rice crackers) written in a calligraphy-like hand by vocalist and guitarist Takashi Igarashi of syrup16g, right? I never wear those outside, but I buy one every time.

わきき

yabori

So you’re the type who buys those (laughs).

I’m that type. I’m pretty fond of the one that says “Patient.” My older sister bought the “Senbei” one, and I thought that one was amazing too.

わきき

yabori

It really says “Senbei” on it?

It really does. I think it’s because senbei shows up in a song on that album. It’s like that every time, and I probably have about 20 in total.

わきき

yabori

That’s quite a lot (laughs). So you buy one at every show.

Even knowing I can only wear them at home, like as pajamas, I end up buying them.

わきき

yabori

Well, that kind of thing is about memories.

About 20 for Takita, 5 for yabori

I probably have about 20 too. Quite a lot. Since I started working, I’ve also found and bought T-shirts of bands I like but haven’t been able to see live, on Amazon.

滝田

yabori

Ah, I see. In that case, I think I only have about 5 band T-shirts myself.

That’s surprising.

わきき

yabori

I sent photos, but it’s Bloc Party, ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION, Cajun Dance Party, The Strokes and so on, and that’s about it. The long-sleeve version of the T-shirt from The Novembers that Takita sent, Momoi has one too.

That’s the hand-printed one, right? I have the short-sleeve T-shirt.

滝田

yabori

Also, Momoi loves syrup16g like crazy, but doesn’t buy the handwritten-lettering ones, and buys the other kind.

There’s also a slightly cooler version you can properly wear outside, right?

わきき

Bloc Party’s Shocking “Red Bloomers” at Summer Sonic 2007

yabori

The band T-shirt I sent is Bloc Party, and I bought it at Summer Sonic in 2007. The 2007 edition had Arctic Monkeys as the closing act, and Bloc Party played a few acts before the headliner on the main stage. That year was the first time I went to Summer Sonic, and I went for Bloc Party. It was right around when their second album, ‘A Weekend in the City,’ came out, and I loved it so much.

That’s the original lineup, right?

わきき

Early Bloc Party, Slim and Solid

yabori

Right. It’s the lineup from when Gordon on bass and Matt on drums were in the band. The first impression was pretty edgy. As you can see in the photo, everyone was thin, and they played really solid music. “Banquet” was exactly like that.

Everyone was slim at first, weren’t they?

滝田

First Time Seeing Bloc Party, and the Red Bloomers

yabori

But that was my first time seeing Bloc Party live, and back then you couldn’t casually watch live footage on YouTube like you can now, so I had no real idea what their shows were like. At Summer Sonic Osaka, I was watching, thinking, “Bloc Party’s coming out, I can finally see them!” and vocalist Kele Okereke was wearing shorts that were outrageously short. Past shorts, even, something like red bloomers. I was like, “Wait, what is this? Is this person wearing bloomers?” I thought, “This isn’t what I pictured!” The show itself was great, but afterward I kept wondering, “What were those pants?” (laughs). Looking at this T-shirt, there’s no trace of that outfit at all. In the end, those shorts are still a mystery to me.

I want to see that.

わきき

yabori

I tried looking for an image but couldn’t find one. By the way, the show back then looked something like this.

yabori

But at Summer Sonic Osaka in 2007, I’m positive Bloc Party’s shorts were unbelievably short. In other live footage the outfits look normal, I think. And these days, vocalist Kele has become really muscular.

Kele and Russell Get Buff

Oh, wait, the vocalist, and also this slim guitarist, haven’t they both become super muscular?

わきき

Kind of like Takanori Nishikawa, the muscular J-pop singer, aren’t they?

滝田

yabori

Exactly… That’s Russell on guitar.

It’s interesting, isn’t it? Rock musicians tend to have a slim image, and some even look a bit unhealthy, but these two went in the direction of working out.

わきき

yabori

They look so different from back then. In a recent artist photo, Kele, now totally ripped, is caught mid-jump, and I thought, “What’s going on here?” (laughs). It honestly feels like watching a different band.

They look like they’re having so much fun (laughs).

わきき

yabori

It’s truly a “What happened to you?” kind of feeling. But if you’re going to tour, you have to work out or it’s a non-starter, so it’s fairly common for musicians to get buff after their health takes a hit. I tell myself, “Maybe it’s that pattern,” and spend my days convincing myself (laughs).

Isn’t it probably the pattern where someone who never lifted weights before, once they discover strength training, gets completely hooked?

滝田

yabori

Could be. And it’s not just the vocalist, Russell on guitar too, like “You too?!!!” He was supposed to be a nerd who loves Dragon Ball and Japanese anime, though (laughs).

Editor’s Postscript

So, what did you think?

Whether it was Takita in high school answering “Not really,” or yabori seeing “red bloomers(?)” at Summer Sonic 2007, once the conversation turned to T-shirts, nobody could stop talking.

We couldn’t help laughing at the story of Bloc Party’s Kele and Russell getting buff, either.

Finally, a question from RAM. “People who listened to alternative rock all had a Joy Division ‘Unknown Pleasures’ T-shirt, like a uniform. Was it the same in Japan?” We’d love to hear your memories, too.

We’d be glad if you’d keep an eye on what’s next for BELONG Media, too!