Popular band songs that hype up cultural and school festivals & recommended latest hit songs
For members of the light music club or anyone who plays an instrument, the school festival is the perfect chance to perform live at school!
Since you’ve got a rare stage, you want to look cool and hype up the crowd, right?
But that’s where song selection becomes a dilemma.
You don’t want to overlap with other bands, but you still want to play popular songs that can get the whole venue pumped!
I’m sure many of you feel that way.
So in this article, we’ll introduce plenty of band songs recommended for school festivals.
They’re all super cool tracks, so use this as a reference and put on the best performance possible!
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Popular band songs that excite cultural and school festivals & recommended latest hit songs (61–70)
New My NormalMrs. GREEN APPLE
Mrs.
GREEN APPLE is a three-piece rock band that has gained popularity with songs featuring a piercing high-tone voice and lyrical lyrics.
Their 5th digital single, “New My Normal,” is the track that marked the beginning of the band’s “Phase 2” in 2022.
Because the arrangement develops at a dizzying pace, be careful not to rush or drag the rhythm in any part.
With its exhilarating sense of speed that lifts the energy, it’s an ideal uptempo number for school festivals as well.
My First KissHi-STANDARD
Hi-STANDARD is a rock band that can arguably be credited with shaping Japan’s melodic hardcore scene.
“My First Kiss,” included on their second single “Love Is A Battlefield,” is an English-lyric cover of “Hajimete no Chuu,” known as the opening theme of the TV anime Kiteretsu Daihyakka.
While each part is generally played in a standard style, the intro guitar riff may be a bit challenging for beginners, so keep practicing.
Since it’s a famous song that almost everyone has heard at least once, it’s also a great pick for school festivals.
Summertime CinderellaRyokushokushakai
Ryokuoushoku Shakai’s song, which sweetly portrays a summer romance, is striking for Haruko Nagaya’s clear, translucent vocals and its refreshing melody.
It sings of two people whose love begins with a chance encounter, capturing a youthful, bittersweet feeling.
The track was written as the theme song for the drama “Midsummer Cinderella” and was released digitally in August 2023.
Despite being a tie-in, it’s a surefire crowd-pleaser for a school festival stage.
Its catchy melody and hope-filled lyrics are sure to instantly brighten the atmosphere of the venue.
You and the summer music festivalSHISHAMO
A three-piece girls’ rock band formed in 2010, SHISHAMO’s track captures the bittersweet feelings of youth—just as the title suggests—set to an exhilarating rock sound.
With both lyrics and melody being straightforward, it’s a song that would likely resonate with many audiences if performed at a school or cultural festival.
If you’re a girls’ band taking the stage, this is definitely a number you should try playing.
astronomical observationBUMP OF CHICKEN
This is a classic song by BUMP OF CHICKEN for any school festival.
If your light music club’s cover band plays it, the gym or stage will definitely transform into a live house.
It’s loved by people across generations, so it could work not only for performances but also for dance or theater.
It’s a masterpiece that can move you to tears—like listening to it on the night train home, still wearing your class T-shirt.
Stay GoldHi-STANDARD
A song by Hi-STANDARD, the three-piece rock band popularly known as “Hi-Sta” and arguably the most famous melodic hardcore band in Japan.
Featured on their 1999 release MAKING THE ROAD, it’s a textbook example of melodic hardcore—the moment the intro guitar kicks in, the energy shoots to the max.
The tempo is quite fast, so especially the drums require practice to keep things tight, but its bright melody and infectious groove make it a guaranteed crowd-pleaser at school festivals and cultural events.
Teenager ForeverKing Gnu
A four-piece mixture band with high-level performance and unconventional song structures, King Gnu’s track is captivating.
Just as the title suggests, it’s a number that begs to be played at a high school culture festival.
With two vocalists of distinct character and sudden shifts in arrangement and loudness, the song’s complexity might make it feel hard to cover.
But precisely because of that, there’s little chance other bands will pick the same song, and if you nail the performance, you’re all but guaranteed to become heroes on the culture festival stage.