
When a teenage girl from a band with “baby” in its name does a better job of acting like an adult than you do, you might want to work on your manners.
Japanese musical trio Babymetal is in the middle of a world tour, and while in London the band attended the Kerrang! Awards, sponsored by the U.K.’s Karrang! music magazine. This wasn’t their first time to be there, either. In 2015, Babymetal took home the organization’s Spirit of Independence Award, and this time they followed up on that success by winning Kerrang’s title of Best Live Band of 2016.
The announcement was a happy moment for the group and its fans. The crowd applauded enthusiastically, and the three teen musicians made their way to the front of the amphitheater to be officially given the award by presenter Benji Webbe, singer for Welsh metal/rock/reggae band Skindred.
Things got weird once on stage, though, as shown in the video below. 18-year-old Suzuka Nakamoto, Babymetal’s oldest member who’s also known as Su-Metal, begins an acceptance speech in accented but understandable English, starting with “I can’t believe we’re here at Kerrang! Award [sic] again,” at which point the 49-year-old Webbe interrupted by repeating “Again” into his mike.
▼ Nakamoto’s acceptance speech starts at 0:55.
Despite the fact that she was addressing the audience, Nakamoto turns to Webbe and says, “Thank you,” to which he baffling responds “Again.”
▼ Umm, no one’s talking to you, Benji.
Still trying to be polite, Nakamoto once more turns to Webbe and says “Yes,” giving him the benefit of the doubt that he’s not being a jerk, but simply hasn’t understood her. Webbe clearly needs more attention, tough, because rather than letting the performers who just won the award he’s presenting talk, he continues jabbering over Nakamoto’s speech, and adds in a few curt bows that are so half-hearted they’re hard to see as anything other than a mockery of the traditional Japanese show of respect.
▼ Benji, no one’s asking you to bow either, especially if you can’t be bothered to take your hand out of your pocket.
The audience has obviously had enough, as its startled silence quickly turns to jeers. Webbe’s hearing doesn’t appear to be any better than his sense of “comedy,” though, and he keeps going. Nakamoto visibly realizes there’s no way Webbe is going to pipe down and tries to wrap things up, simply saying “Thank you to everyone,” which Webbe takes as his cue to say “Arigato.”
▼ Speak Japanese: yet another thing no one is asking you to do, Benji.
Finally, after shouting what sounds like “You fucker!” in a fake Japanese accent, Benji finally quiets down and the audience gets to hear the rest of what Nakamoto has to say.
Considering how unassuming Babymetal’s members are when interacting with fans and the media, quite a few of the band’s supporters took issue with Webbe’s actions, which boil down to picking a fight with a group of teenage girls. In response, Webbe sent the following tweet.
Sorry to anyone who thought I disrespect baby metal at the awards tonight, truly I didn't mean to fuck with them
— Benji Webbe (@Benjiwebbe) June 10, 2016
Unfortunately for Webbe, most people are bright enough to realize that it’s hard to find a better example of “fucking with someone” than his caught-on-video antics.
Interrupt her 7 times in a row - Didn't mean to fuck with them? Choose one. Don't try to justify your bullshit now.
— Eliteleader (@Eliteleader) June 10, 2016
https://twitter.com/slashduel/status/741085877980532736you've pretty much upset the entire fanbase, they're so polite to see that done to them even in jest was really disappointing
— テリー🍜 (@ramenshuriken) June 10, 2016
More than a few people also pointed out that even his half-baked apology was directed to the wrong people.
Don't apologize to us, apologize to the band
— Shawn (@aboynamedeath) June 10, 2016
Granted, Internet etiquette is a young, and still evolving, thing, but yeah, it seems like common sense that if you want to apologize to Babymetal through Twitter, it’s pretty easy to do directly, seeing as how the band has an official Twitter account.
▼ Which, incidentally, is followed by more than 20 times as many people as Webbe’s.
Speaking of the Babymetal Twitter account, the band has made no comment there about the incident, as it’s too busy thanking everyone who was part of the massive turnout for its performance in Paris.
Thank you Paris @DownloadFestFR #DWLFR16! #BABYMETAL pic.twitter.com/NthSQJdbqJ
— BABYMETAL (@BABYMETAL_JAPAN) June 11, 2016
In other words, it looks like Babymetal figures it may as well let the real baby have his bottle.
Source: Livedoor News via Hachima Kiko
Top image: YouTube/Micronex
Insert images: YouTube/Micronex, Twitter/@babymetal_japan





Babymetal set to appear in new anime series debuting in the U.S.!
Japan reportedly adding Japanese language skill requirement to most common foreigner work visa
Man bites woman at cherry blossom park in Japan, dies shortly after
Peanuts and Coke becomes a viral hit in Japan, but is it a trend worth joining?
You can assemble a well-balanced team of Pokémon, them eat them, thanks to Japanese cake chain
Famous koi ponds overwhelmed with tourists throwing thousands of coins in them
How to take your home ramen to the next level by making your own chashu pork in a frying pan
Deer that appeared in downtown Osaka gets a new home, a new name, and a lot of snacks[Video]
U.K. coffee brand Costa Coffee releases first ever matcha flavor with new Matcha Espresso Latte
Japan’s new difficult-to-drink-from beer glass protects your liver, but it’s a brutal experience
Does this video about an abandoned dog leave you wiping your eyes or shaking your fist?
Pokémon and Ikea Japan cross over into each other’s worlds with collaboration events
Starbucks Japan closing only Shinkansen platform branch for popularity-triggered renovations
Two food hacks take Japan’s convenience store fried chicken to amazing new sandwich heights
Fading Tokyo – Searching for signs of the Showa era as local neighborhoods evolve[Photos]
Pokémon lacquerware series expands for Year of the Horse with new handcrafted design[Video]
Tokyo turns its phone booths into free Wi-Fi hotspots, and here’s how to use them
Tokyo teahouse serves up a sakura matcha dessert you won’t find anywhere else
Totoro Fund line of beautiful artwork and apparel lets you help the real-world Totoro Forest
Japan now has a special desk for people who work at home with a pet cat[Photos]
Famous Tokyo cherry blossom spot installs view-blocking screens to fight overcrowding[Video]
Uniqlo announces new T-shirts for One Piece, Naruto and more for manga publisher’s 100th birthday
Train station platform ramen store closes its doors on half a century of history in Tokyo
Starbucks Japan releases new My Fruit³ Frappuccino at only 34 stores around the country
Studio Ghibli releases Catbus pullback keychain that runs like the anime character
Krispy Kreme releases Super Mario doughnuts in Japan for a limited time
Japanese onsen egg maker from 100-yen store Daiso needs to be on your shopping list
Survey asks foreign tourists what bothered them in Japan, more than half gave same answer
Japan’s human washing machines will go on sale to general public, demos to be held in Tokyo
Starbucks Japan releases new drinkware and goods for Valentine’s Day
We deeply regret going into this tunnel on our walk in the mountains of Japan
Studio Ghibli releases Kodama forest spirits from Princess Mononoke to light up your home
Starbucks Japan releases new sakura goods and drinkware for cherry blossom season 2026
Japan’s newest Shinkansen has no seats…or passengers [Video]
Major Japanese hotel chain says reservations via overseas booking sites may not be valid
Put sesame oil in your coffee? Japanese maker says it’s the best way to start your day【Taste test】
No more using real katana for tourism activities, Japan’s National Police Agency says