
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.!
What are the worst things about living in the Japanese countryside?[Survey]
Nagasaki high school students collab with sweets veteran to release carrot nama dorayaki
Japanese film studio Toei announces first three video games from newly created Toei Games
Final Fantasy VII’s Sephiroth finds happiness in a canned cocktail[Video]
How to do an overnight bus trip to Hirosaki from Tokyo – Part 2【Photos】
Burger King Japan launches King Fusion, and the possibilities are endless (and delicious)
Convenience store Mini Stop’s new Gyoza Dog is must-try for all Gyoza fans! 【Taste test】
Brand-new Square Enix Cafe to open in Tokyo…and in Los Angeles too!
Meetings and more meetings: Foreigners list the pros and cons of working at a Japanese company
Five different ways to say “children” in Japanese
Japan’s 5.3 million beautiful Hitachi Nemophila flowers are now in full bloom[Photos]
New Kyoto Converse sneakers celebrate Japan with traditional kimono fabrics for your feet
Studio Ghibli launches huge new anime movie T-shirt collection with special design details
Tifa’s Final Fantasy VII bar is going to pop up in real-world Tokyo
Japanese convenience store gives away free ice cream with creative ad at Shinjuku Station
Japan is so hungry for workers it used up its five-year visa quota in record time
Tsujihan sushi bowl restaurant goes viral with foreign tourists, but is it worth the hype?
7-Eleven Japan releases Uji matcha smoothies… but only at select locations
7-Eleven Japan’s cooked-in-store takoyaki is here! How does it fare against the street food king?
Japan reportedly adding Japanese language skill requirement to most common foreigner work visa
Pokémon and Ikea Japan cross over into each other’s worlds with collaboration events
Wisteria season starts early with blooming of Japan’s Great Wisteria in its beautiful garden
Japan’s best conveyor belt sushi restaurant of seven years ago has now, finally, come to Tokyo
Brand-new Pokémon manhole covers coming to help the recovery of a disaster-stricken part of Japan
Japan’s awesomely beautiful Alpen Route snow corridor is now open
Injuries on stairs in Tokyo highlight an overlooked design flaw
Mt. Fuji decorated with a 500,000-flower pink carpet is Japan’s ultimate spring view
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
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
Studio Ghibli releases Kodama forest spirits from Princess Mononoke to light up your home