Live Reports:
Live Report Courtesy of Cassiel.
^_^
deadman - 2004/11/03 - Shibuya
O-East multi-band live
I was a little late getting back to the venue and by the time I got inside, the first band had already started. But they weren't particularly good, or my style, so I didn't really mind. ^_~ I don't know who they were, either.. the only band left on the ticket that I didn't otherwise see are listed as a 'secret band', so... ^^; But they wore all white and did sort of poppy music.
Okay actually, I'm not 100% certain about this. The ticket lists the opening act as 'anemone', but from the crowd I got the impression that a band in the middle of the set who did 2 songs and then left were anemone. However I could be wrong -- they could've been the secret band and the first band could've been anemone. I have so far failed to find any usual information about anemone so I can't confirm this. ^^;
Anyway, the opening band were boring so I sat down and filled out my deadman enquete. Then the second band came on, and I knew the second I heard their intro that I was going to hate them. ;_; The intro was in English and was some black rap sounding guy introducing the band members in a very rap ghetto fashion. It was horrible to have to endure. Especially the stuff at the end about girls being 'bitches', and calling everyone 'motherfuckers'. I hate rap. I don't know what these guys were doing at this event, but remind me to avoid all future Karma Tribal lives if possible. Their music lived up to their intro. And it seemed like a majority of the guys who attended the event were there for them.
Eventually, they finally finished, much to my relief. They were soon followed my a band with the unfortunate name of 'spam_life'. I have trouble getting past that name. *laugh* They were pretty typical rock fair.. guys in jeans and t-shirts playing upbeat rock. The music wasn't too bad, but nothing to write home about. The lead singer had a really mellow, caramelly voice, which was nice, but he kept doing these weird yelling "go! go! go! go!" bits in the middle of his songs. ^^; He also did parapara gestures that made him look even gayer than all the bands I've seen wearing dresses and make-up. *laugh*
After them, I figured I should start wending my way towards the front in preparation for deadman. Shibuya O-East is rather large (at least, compared to most indies live houses I've been to) so I wanted plenty of time to move forward. So I went upstairs and put my bag in a coin locker, and came down just in time to catch the beginning of the next set. Which totally entranced me.
This is either 'anemone', or else the secret band. The annoying thing is, I really want to know, because if they have CDs I want to buy them. ^_^;
When I walked down the stairs, the lights were focused on one guy (or girl? the sad thing is, even hearing the singing voice, I'm still not sure!) in the middle of the stage, wearing a lovely, simple black kimono, topped with a black cowboy hat with a feather in it. This sounds incredibly silly, but it looked beautiful. ^^; The music was all pre-recorded, played in the background, so all attention was focused on his singing. The music was very ethereal, floaty, and beautiful, and his voice danced along the top of it sublimely. It was beautiful to listen to, and even though he barely moved, he was somehow fascinating to watch, and I found myself moving to a spot where I could see him clearly and then staring for the rest of the set.
There were two other band members; a girl in a long flowing skirt off to one side who swayed in time to the music and occasionally provided back-up vocals, and a guy in a funny pink hat who sat around in the background, and then spent the second song in front of his microphone tipping a rain stick back and forth to add the sound of it to the music. (I hope you know what I mean by rain stick. ;^^) It's a very pretty sound and it suited the music perfectly, but I had to wonder if he wasn't bored. *laugh*
They performed two songs, and then the lead singer bowed and said "thank you" in such a breathy voice that I still couldn't decide the gender, and they walked off stage. They had barely moved for the whole set, and yet listening to him (her) sing was totally entrancing. If I could figure out who the hell they were, I would so buy their CDs and/or go see them again.
I think I wasn't the only one rather stunned by them, because there was all sorts of fevered conversation going on around me after they finished. Which is why I think they were 'anemone' because I heard someone saying it. But... ^^;;
When I had recovered from that set, I began to weave my way down towards the front, and didn't stop until I reached a point where there were no more spaces to weave through. Which put me about five rows from the front. I'm very glad I decided to do that then and not later, because the rest of the live was so totally worth being down the front for. ^_^
The next band were Iroha. I've heard a couple of songs of theirs, one of which I particularly like, but I knew very little about them. I still know nothing about them, but goddamn, they are SO much fun live. ^_^
The lead singer, Shinnosuke, is absolutely adorably cute, and he does his utmost to live up to his cuteness. He dresses cute, he sings cute, and he acts totally cute. And all the parapara is cute to match. ^^ He bounces around the stage like he's just drunk ten cups of coffee, with this big huge grin on his face, and you can't help but grin watching him. And the guitarist and bass player are also very cool, and they know to work the audience just as much as the singer. (Although of course, with their different attitudes. ^^ The guitarist, Etta, exudes 'cooooool'. I was very taken with him.)
They did about four or five songs, and by the end of it I was bouncing almost as much as Shinnosuke. ^^ There was one song near the end where the lyrics sing about 'running away' and Shinnosuke does this running action while running sideways across the stage, and then back the other way, and the audience does the same thing, including actually moving sideways. *laugh* It's so cute and funny, even if everyone sort of bashes into everyone else.
If I get the chance to see Iroha again, I definitely would. They were so much fun!
After they left, there was a brief MC by some band that I totally didn't know, so I didn't pay much attention. (Except that someone catcalled them from the second floor and apparently it was one of the members of Metronome. o_O) But one of the MC guys did say something important -- that next up were Shido, followed by deadman. Yes!! I made sure to squish myself a little further forward -- fourth row instead of fifth. ^^
The next band was Shido. (Judging by their website, I guess they romanise as 'Sid'. ^^; I'll stick with Shido.) These guys are awesome and now have my full attention. *grin* Karyuu had told me that they were really cool, and she was definitely right.
When the drummer walked out wearing heavy makeup and a yukata, I knew I was in for an eye candy treat if nothing else. The bassist immediately caught my attention with the sheer amount of thigh he was revealing (*_*) and the guitarist was equally cool looking. And when the vocalist came out and I saw just how cool he looked and how cute/weird he acted, I knew I was in for some fun. And they didn't disappoint me in the slightest.
Shido's music is awesome; it is rock with very strong jazz/blues roots, so that it moves in a really funky, swaying, grinding fashion that is so melodic and attention-grabbing, and so much more interesting than anything coming out of the straight rock scene. And the singer's voice is beautiful and throaty and strong and suits the music perfectly. They played about five or six songs, and each was equally fascinating and equally cool and I couldn't stop dancing along, even in the quiet bits or the slow bits. The music captivated me from the start. I will be doing whatever it takes to buy Shido's CDs. (And this is the difference between Shido and, say, Iroha -- I enjoyed Iroha and will see them again if I can. Shido, I will buy all their music as well. And definitely see them again. ^^ If your music isn't awesome, then it doesn't matter how good your stage act is.)
Shido are also very enjoyable to watch. For a start, their costumes go together very nicely -- each was wearing a matching yukata, but with something different underneath. The drummer, Yuya, had his tied shut. The bassist, Aki, was wearing possible the shortest shorts I have ever seen (*_*) and a little corset top. The guitarist, Shinji, was wearing something akin to a schoolboy outfit. And the lead singer, Mao.. difficult to describe, but really cool. A white and black frilly shirt, black shorts, black and white striped socks with fishnet socks over them, and mesh gloves/arm warmers. It was more complex and cool than that, but that at least gives you an idea. Oh, and he had the most adorable bright red bowler hat on his head, which totally suited him and made him look both cute and wicked. ^^ (I found their official homepage but the pics of them don't even do them justice! They look even cooler than they do on the website.)
They also all play up to the audience delightfully. Mao is such a fun vocalist to watch -- he's got that cute-but-weird thing down pat, and he suits it perfectly. He does all these crazy movements with his arms and legs that I can't describe, but that were really, really cool. He moves all over the stage, playing up to the audience on all sides, and he has some really cool parapara as well. ^^ Shinji is very loose-limbed and lanky and seems almost awkward in his own body, if that makes sense. But he is very fun to watch because he's so obviously having a good time. Aki absolutely lives up to the decadent bassist image. My god. His thighs. This is what his costume looks like and as a result this is the sort of thing you see live. *_* At one point he held his bass up in the air for some reason or other, thusly revealing not only almost all his thighs but also, since his very small shirt lifted with him, all of his stomach and ribs and a good portion of his chest as well. I wasn't the only one gawking at that moment; the girls in front of me were squealing and poking each other and pointing as well. *laugh* He is also very beautiful, and sultry, and he plays up to his sultry look. Which makes watching him even more enjoyable. ^^ And Yuya.. well, you know, it's hard to see drummers. But he seemed like fun. At one point Mao was sitting next to the drumkit while talking between songs, and suddenly you could see Yuya poking his head out and waving crazily with both hands at us all. ^^ Poor Mao had no idea what we were all laughing at!
(Yes, I am totally taken with Mao. And Aki. But despite all my Aki gawking, I'm still totally taken with Mao. ^^)
They started with a slower, more serious song, which was what grabbed my attention to begin with, because it was musically so tight and awesome. They then went on to do several more upbeat, fun songs, including the second last one being a fists-in-the-air-oi song, but with more style than most bands. ^^ They then ended with a slower, more serious song. And at the end of that, Mao said thank you, and they all bowed, and stayed bowing until the curtains were closed in front of them. Cool, and different from the usual 'throws your picks at the audience and walk off' routine, but I have to wonder what they do at venues where there are no curtains. ^_~
Between songs Mao talked about their new CD which is coming out soon, and also their oneman tour which is coming up. Having checked their homepage, I have discovered that the CD is released in late December, the oneman tour is in mid January, and there's a handshake event for the CD release in late January. I will get the CD! I will go to the events! I WILL STALK THEM! Mwahahahaha!
Whew. Okay. So after Shido, the next band was.. deadman! The reason I was there! ^v^ I edged my way closer to the stage, which wasn't easy, but with the Shido fans moving out, I managed to get a little more forward which put me in third row. Good enough for me. ^^ I waited and waited, and finally.. deadman came out on stage. *_*
First came Toki, followed by Aie and Takamasa. They each took up their instruments, and started playing, and then Mako walked out on stage, sort of jumped towards us all, and then grabbed up his microphone and started singing. And gods, I love Mako's voice. Recorded or live, his voice is beautiful. *_*
In direct contrast to Shido, deadman aren't a band that are about playing up to the audience. deadman are about the music. It was very interesting to see the incredible difference. But I enjoyed deadman more than Shido, because I just love their music so much. ^_^
Toki, being behind the drums, of course doesn't interact, but even Aie and Takamasa don't really interact with the audience much at all. They move about the stage a bit, but mostly they are focused on their instruments. The focal point of deadman's live act is Mako, and even his dancing and movement is not so much about interacting with the audience as it is about putting on a show. The way it looked, I would say that during a live Mako is totally caught up in his own little world, rather than being all that aware of the audience. He dances to his own beat. ^^ But it's really fascinating to watch. He jerks about like he's possessed by something that's at odds with his body and what it wants to do, and it's both disconcerting and sexy all at once. He had a leather strap around his neck with a long dangling end, and he kept grabbing it and jerking it hard as if he was strangling himself. At first I thought 'that's not a good thing for a singer to be doing to his throat' but I soon found it rather sexy and stopped caring about that. ^_^; During 'maze room' he had a small lamp on a cord and was waving it around, pointing it at his face and staring into it, or pointing it out at the audience as he stared at (through) us. It was really cool and interesting to watch, and probably has something to do with the lyrics, which I would know if I had read them, but I haven't yet. *sheepish look*
Mako is also the only one who looks particularly visual. The others were sort of dressed down in jeans and button-up shirts. Mako was wearing this cool long stretch black shirt with lace-up bits at the shoulders and long pointy shapes along the bottom hem, black knee-length pants that are scrunched up along the front of the legs (argh, I know what it looks like, but can't describe it *_*), red and black striped socks, and shoes with very big heels that were really cool looking. ^^ I think I will wear my red and black striped socks to their next live. *laugh* He also had white contact lenses, all white makeup, with black around his eyes and lips and his eyebrows drawn like two little dashes, and his hair was all long and straight and in his face. Basically, he looked awesome.
They started off with a couple of songs I didn't know -- I am now horrified to realise that I missed a couple of deadman CDs over the last year. >_< I will have to rectify this somehow, and preferably soon! But even not knowing them, I still had a great time just dancing and listening and watching Mako go crazy. They then did 'blood', which I love, and which I could sing along to, so I was happy. ^^ This was then followed by 'maze room', 'degrees centigrade', and 'taion' off the new single. These are really nice to see live, particularly with all the crazy antics with the lamp in 'maze room'. 'taion' was beautiful live because of all that beautiful throaty singing that Mako does in the chorus. He sings with so much intensity live, and you can see how much of himself he's putting into every note, and it's just beautiful to be able to watch that while listening to it. *_*
After 'taion' they all bowed and then suddenly they were gone. They walked offstage so fast I barely had time to register that it was over before the lights came up. *_* But I couldn't stop grinning. I saw deadman! They were awesome. And Mako was beautiful. (And I'm pretty certain he saw me, too. ^_^v)
