Dir en grey at Namba Hatch 2015/09/20 Live Review

Dir en grey : TOUR15 NEVER FREE FROM THE AWAKENING

NAMBA HATCH // 2015/09/20

I have just come back from a phenomenal live show at Osaka's Namba Hatch as Dir en grey stopped for their 6th show on their current 'TOUR15 NEVER FREE FROM THE AWAKENING' tour. It has been about 2-3 years since I last saw them perform in London, UK and marks my 12th time seeing them live overall! This was my third time seeing them in Japan however!

Dir en grey proved to me once again why they are, and will remain my most favourite band of all time. Today they performed a dark and powerful set drawing mainly from their latest album release 'Arche' but also had some select classics dispersed through the set and one hell of an intense and surprising encore!

Tonight's set list:

01 Behind a vacant image

02 Sustain the Untruth

03 OBSCURE

04 DOZING GREEN

05 Merciless Cult

06 朔-saku-

07 てふてふ

08 輪郭 / Rinkaku

09 VINUSHKA

INWARD SCREAM

10 and zero

11 咀嚼 / Soshaku

12 Revelation of mankind

13 鱗 / Uroko

Encore:

14 ain't afraid to die

15 鼓動 / Kodou

16 THE IIID EMPIRE

17 激しさと、この胸の中で絡み付いた灼熱の闇 /
 hageshisa to kono mune no naka de karamitsuita shakunetsu no yami

18 un deux

Cool artwork in the venue lobby

Namba Hatch is a fantastic venue, the perfect size to be close to the band yet also have some breathing space. Plus if you are as tall as me you can have a clear view of the stage from anywhere in the venue. This time I stayed near the back as I has quite a late entry ticket #1939!! I usually spend Diru gigs in the thick of it at the front but this time enjoyed the show in its entirety without overdoing it in the pit area. Was a refreshing choice!

Unlike in the West there is actually a bit of breathing room in the gigs and people respect each others space. There is a great harmonious atmosphere overall as everyone fist pumps and head-bangs in unison, a tsunami of hair and raised hands...the best feeling in the world.

The first thing that struck me was the sheer power of their sound, Shinya's drum kit sounded immense tonight as he thunders through the darker songs from Arche and adds a great depth to their songs which really power the rest of the band's riffs. This was my first time hearing the Arche songs live and they really transition well to a live performance, very dark, brooding and atmospheric. Dir en grey invade your senses with a pounding assault accompanied by Kyo's wailing vocals. Whereas the faster tracks showcase Die and Kaorus ability to performance speedy solo's and chugging riffs. Die's performance in 鱗 / Uroko stood out in my mind especially, his solo was nuts.



Toshiya looked like a bad ass throughout, reminding me of an old school undertaker as he came out dressed in black with his hat casting a morbid silhouette. In deep contrast to Kyo who once again has gone for the skinhead look, he has become noticeably more built and with his tattoos looked pretty menacing.
Midway through they played Merciless Cult, a personal live favourite of mine and 朔-saku- which was a pleasant surprise and lit the crowd on fire. The set was well balanced, with heavy assaults and haunting melodies working together in unison. Kyo's vocal style has changed a lot over the years and I'm surprised he can still switch between death growls and high pitched melodies. His voice will never be like the Six Ugly days but he has still got it and has an incredible aura as a front man. You just need to take one look at the crowd to see the admiration that he commands.

After what seemed forever, they returned for a shocker of an encore...a familiar piano melody began to play and the crowd gasped together "Ooohhh...!" before falling deathly silent as they realised that Diru began to play 'ain't afraid to die', it was a beautiful performance, with the backing screen lit up in a glittery snowy background. It was one of the saddest and more heart rending versions of the song that I have heard, both live and on DVD, with Kyo getting lost in his words. I could hear sniffles nearby as a few girls shed tears with clasped hands...the song ended to a great applause.

Then they played...鼓動 / Kodou, this is one of my ALL TIME favourite songs, I used to be obsessed with it and committed the words to heart back in school before I even began studying Japanese so when this began playing I went absolutely nuts. So did everyone else! The crowd turned into a sea of raised hands and singing voices. I couldn't have been happier. Until...they began playing IIID EMPIRE! This song always makes me nostalgic of their earlier UK performances as it always used to be in their set and is a great song to jump and chant along to.
The entire encore was full of energy, the entire crowd singing verses or choruses together whenever Kyo gestured for it, the volume was electrifying, the kind of moment that makes your skin tingle all over.

Before the final song, 'Un Deux', Kyo asked the crowd to shout that they were still alive, together, women, men...then he asked us "Let me hear you! Can you become one!? Can you sing as one!?" He dropped his microphone and came to the edge of the stage in front of his mic stand. The lyric whirled in and out of the backing screen with the crowd all singing 'Un Deux' together in perfect harmony, it was an empowering end to a gig to see every fan singing every word together with Kyo fiercely shouting and gesturing to everyone as the other members rushed to different areas of the stage to greet fans in different sections.

...and then it was over, I so wish I was back there right now.

Swarm of fans leaving the venue after the show!

Japanese gigs have such a powerful aura, all the fans enjoying the show together with none of the violent or mean behaviour that often occurs in the Western gigs. The ticket number entry system is great too because you can come and go as you please and socialise whoever, no horrible and exhausting queues or drama! I met some nice fans who came up to me to ask where I got my clothing from since I had a London tour t-shirt and an a-knot towel from 2011 haha! They were pretty surprised but it was nice to talk with them! 

I really hope I can see them live again soon! Fingers crossed I can get a Budokan ticket for February!

No lines needed, you get called by number groups

Cool TV screen outside the venue

Summer Sonic 2014!

This Sunday during summer vacation I made the spontaneous decision to buy a 1 day ticket for Summer Sonic Osaka!! Summer Sonic is an annual music festival that is held during Summer Vacation, with alternating line-ups in Tokyo and Osaka.

I definitely don't regret this decision, I was going there with one mission, to see BABYMETAL. I was gutted to have missed their London show so this was a good way to make up for it!

It was a scorching hot day but despite this I spent most of my day walking around the outside stages checking out as many rock/metal artists as I could with the odd surprise in-between.

Artist impressions:

BABYMETAL

Lets start with my main highlight, BABYMETAL. Whether you love or hate them, you have to admit that the girls and their backing band have made huge progress in spreading their unique form of music worldwide, with upcoming shows in New York and London too! I'm personally a big fan and love the blend of cutesy pop vocals with hard metal backing music, the dancing and general image is great too. 

The setlist begin with an amusing star wars-esque intro video highlighting their  journey so far and showing the support they had gained from prominent figures in industry such as Metallica, Slayer and so on.
They then jumped straight into their set..

1. BABYMETAL DEATH

2. Give Me Choco!!

3. Kami Band Performance

4. Catch me if you can

5. Megitsune

6. Headbanger!!

7. Doki Doki☆Morning

8. Ijime, Dame, Zettai.

One thing that impressed me was the sheer number of fans who turned up to see them perform, with roughly 3 times the number of any fans on that stage that day and was comparable to Avenged Sevenfold's turnout - and they were headliners!

Highlights for me were definitely Catch me if you can, Megitsune, Headbanger!! and Ijime, Dame, Zettai.

The entire crowd was jumping, singing and having a great time, there was almost a continuous small circle pit but everyone was respectful of each others space. During an interlude video before Ijime, Dame, Zettai three words flashed on screen. WALL. OF. DEATH. The crowd immediately spread out and you can see my POV in the video below.

As you can see it is tamer than your average metal moshpit but I consider that a good thing, everyone has giant grins on their faces! 

I really recommend you check out BABYMETAL live, even if you are skeptical I feel that you would fall for their charm and get soaked up in the atmosphere! I bought a BABYMETAL towel and definitely intend to see them again!

Avenged Sevenfold

Avenged Sevenfold were the headline band for the Mountain stage this year, I must admit I haven't really listened to any of their newer material but I was a fan of their earlier releases. Was always curious to see them so I checked them out, plus I don't like the Arctic Monkeys who were on the main stage!

I was impressed, M. Shadows lead vocals were really strong, as if he was on the CD. The guitar solos flowed well and rhythmic riffs that Sevenfold are known for really packed a punch. Hearing 'Bat Country' made me incredibly nostalgic and I felt like a teenager again.
Midway through the set M. Shadows paid tribute to their late drummer and dedicated 'So Far Away' to him and all others that are not with us today. He yelled to the crowd to raise their hands, and they did so, for the entire song. It was a touching moment and he thanked everyone afterwards. Their set and backing videos had a very 'Nightmare Before Christmas' feel to it. Go check them out!

Coldrain

Coldrain are a metalcore band from the city where I studied abroad, Nagoya. Their singer is half American and I mistakenly thought he was non-Japanese who was really fluent haha. So easy to misjudge from appearances. I had never heard these guys but after hearing the muffled into to one of their songs from another field I immediately went to see who was producing such an awesome sound. Despite being one of the earlier performers these guys had a lot of energy. The crowd responded well to their half english vocals with a lot of people headbanging around me. Highlights included 'War is on' and 'Six Feet Under'. Will keep an eye on these guys!

TOKIO

This was a total surprise to me. Was not what I expected at all. I had always seen these guys separately on a variety of TV shows as all Johnny's groups are. However what I didn't know was that they are an actual band, not just boy group. Whenever I hear the word 'Johnny's' I get the image of young squeaky clean singing and dancing boy bands. However these are a group of guys in their late 40s and 50s and they play their own instruments. Instantly earnt my respect. They play a blend of pop rock music and interacted really well with the crowd. I'm sure endless TV appearances really gives them an edge with public speaking skills!
While it was not my usual kind of music I think I will listen to a few of their albums. Their live show may have created a new fan...!

I watched numerous other artists before but those 4 were the ones that stuck out for me.

Festival Impressions:

This was my first music festival experience in Japan although I have been to numerous festivals in the UK and there were some areas that really struck me as different when compared to festivals that I have been too...

The cleanliness:I don't know about other countries but in the UK the festival sites become increasingly disgusting and smelly at a rapid rate. Overflowing trash cans, toxic toilets and general waste all across the festival site. Whereas at Summer Sonic, the venues were in relatively good shape! Sure there was some trash but for the most part, there were numerous recycling bins, well enforced and followed, they were also changed regularly. Toilets were for the most part clean and the general SMELL of the festival was better, only in the super muddy areas did I notice a stench. In the UK you can smell the toilets from the other side of the field....ugh.

The fans:There were none of the noticeable drunks/people high off their face that I am used to seeing in the UK, sure there were drunk people but they seemed perfectly capable of looking after themselves! In the moshpits and crowds everyone was respectful of each-others space and no forced shoving, the atmosphere was really happy and positive. There were A LOT of BABYMETAL fans walking around, saw t shirts and towels everywhere, or maybe that's because I'm biased...! Despite the FIERCE heat, everyone was in high spirits.
M. Shadows made a good point during Avenged Sevenfold's set when he said 'I always love coming to Japan, everyones so nice, very polite, thank you always.'

Safety:During the sets with bigger crowds there were consistent requests to space out and to notify staff if anyone felt sick because of the heat. The day was scorching hot, I received crazy sunburn and am currently typing with glowing red hands! Since the fans were not acting wrecklessly there were no warnings about setting fire to gas canisters etc that are common at festivals in the UK. Went through the entire day without seeing any incidents, which is great!

Final Thoughts:I really recommend that you go to Summer Sonic 2015! In hindsight I wish I had also gone on Saturday to see some other great artists too. It was well fun, the food and drinks were reasonably priced and everyone was so damn nice! Definitely take care in the summer heat though, I'm in agony now due to getting stupidly sunburnt, so stay hydrated and whack that sunscreen on! Tickets are widely available from all convenience stores and there is a convenient shuttle bus to and from the closest train station.

I aim to go to more live concerts in the future so keep an eye out for more music updates!