[insert catchy 8-bit electro music here]

First of all, I don't think just anyone can listen to this band. However, I'm not trying to make myself look cool just because I happen to be into their music. (I mean, it's not like I have to try: it's a natural talent for me! Just kidding. XD) At any rate, I had only known about them for a few months... To be willing to go all the way to Tokyo JUST for them, potentially get myself in trouble (because there was no way I could return home on time, considering the time at which the concert started - as proof, I am sitting in a net cafe with a splitting headache as I type these words, wondering to myself whether or not I'm going to get some sleep tonight). Whatever was I thinking? But given the unique nature of their music, I was genuinely curious to check them out. I had to look for a very long time before I could find an upcoming gig for which applications were still being accepted. The concerts were coming up pretty fast and I was too late for most of them. Needless to say, I was overjoyed when I discovered this one. I didn't even think this through - okay, I did... for five minutes. My decision was made.

Despite how sudden, impulsive and especially last-minute my decision to buy a ticket to see Goatbed was, when the day of the concert finally came (not that I had to wait very long), I suddenly had second thoughts. There were many reasons for this: I was feeling lazy, the weather was shitty (for traveling, but perfect for staying at home), I had work to do and couldn't leave early enough for the trip to Tokyo to be worthwhile... and although I was excited, I expected the show to be pretty short, based on the setlists I has found from previous lives. Although I had bought the ticket, did I really want to leave the house? To be honest, this was a close one. I almost let my couch tempt me to sink deeply into its FUWA-FUWA-ness (actually, it's not even that comfortable). But I kicked myself in the butt and left, and boy am I glad I did. I still got to Tokyo a few hours before the show, so I decided to stop in Ikebukuro to kill some time. There was an Animate shop there that I wanted to check out. It has a "cafe" (which is really nothing more than a little trailer outside). But I'm pretty sure I had the wrong one, because this one was supposed to have a little ongoing DM-themed event going on and there... wasn't. It was that baseball anime, ダイヤのA. Despite that, I managed to waste an hour or two (it wasn't very difficult). They had DM ads all throughout the place, too, for the game that's coming out. The place was jam-packed, but when is any place in Japan NOT, ever. Especially when we're talking about Tokyo.

There is no such thing as a deserted shop.

I (almost literally) swam my way up the many floors, venturing to the dark side (BL - it takes courage to scan through and browse the doujinshi while proudly keeping your head up). I bought a few trinkets because how HONESTLY could I have done otherwise, and I headed back to Shinjuku in search of the venue.

As usual, I had trouble navigating through Kabuki-cho. I don't know what it is with this place, but it's as if it were Tokyo's very own Bermuda Triangle. Every time, my GPS goes haywire and suddenly won't cooperate anymore, leaving me to the mercy of the district's many threats (thanks buddy, I'll remember that... BASTARD). Thankfully, without the help of my douche-phone, I managed to SOMEHOW find the place I was looking for. I was a bit shocked at how sketchy it looked, not to mention that it was in the basement. "What is this place", I thought to myself. Am I going to be alright? Is this the yakuza's turf? Will I live to write a fan account about the show? (I'm exaggerating as usual. XD)

Well, as you might have guessed, it turns out that everything was fine in the end, since I AM doing this, for realz.

When I got there, I made a fool out of myself by not understanding most of the questions I was asked by the little lady at the ticket booth. (With hindsight, I believe she asked me if I had a ticket, and who I was coming to see mainly, but she used very precise words I had never heard before.) And then I made an even bigger fool out of myself by proceeding to throw my money all over the floor (those who know me know that this is a THING). After that, I sheepishly went in search of a locker, securely tucked away most of my baggage (less shit to carry around makes less shit to lose) and patiently waited for the beginning of the show.

"How many perverts are in this room" was one of the questions I asked myself. Unless everyone had only seen the anime, which I strongly doubt, there were quite a few. There were even some fanboys (one was especially enthusiastic). This was pretty much a DM music concert. Goatbed are responsible for most of the soundtrack, including the instrumental pieces and the songs with lyrics (Ai Catch, Cosmocall Field, Holo Ghost, Slip On the Pumps, Bowie Knife, Now finally there is the free end...) Now, the duet weren't the only ones invited to the party: they were part two of the show, and both parts lasted roughly an hour. Opening the ball were VERTUEUX, who sing some of the rock, non-electro songs in DM and TNC (Sandy Weeds, Milky Way, etc.). What I'd heard of them, I liked, but I didn't realize just how much the songs had grown on me until they were performed live in front of me.

(Actually, I forgot VERTUEUX were going to be there and didn't really have any idea who they were. As it turns out, I enjoyed their show more than I did Goatbed's.)

Without a doubt, they have earned a new fan tonight.

First of all, let me say that their stage presence is absolutely fantastic. The venue was infinitely small and I was the only gaijin present, not to mention that I was taller than the average girl in the room, so they kept looking my way and I KNOW they saw me, there's no way they could have missed me. The guitarist was on my side, just a few feet away, and he kept making faces and smiling brightly. When he wasn't singing, the vocalist just wouldn't stop talking (Just kidding! I thought that was awesome! :D). Maybe my Japanese skillz were busy partying in Shibuya or it just happens that the words they used were not part of my vocabulary, but there were a lot of things I didn't understand... Still, I got some of what they said. It's not my fault that they kept rambling. :P

(Just followed them on Twitter and they followed me back! And said "Yoroshiku!" Gosh I'm such a fangirl XD)

But anyway, they were incredibly friendly with the crowd and truly seemed to be enjoying themselves. The fans kept laughing, so that is probably a good indicator that they were funny. The music was performed well enough to sound like it had been taken right off the album, but different enough so that we could tell they weren't just pretending. In short, they sounded awesome. The singer has a pretty rough, hoarse voice which suits quite well the kind of music they make, but it's also powerful and carries a lot of emotion. He's not just randomly screaming all the time; you can tell he has control over it. He definitely has the right attitude as he constantly interacts with the crowd, headbanging, ruffling his hair and sticking his tongue out at all the right times. He's incredibly fun to watch (and quite easy on the eyes, I'll say!).

During one of the talk sections, he mentioned that he had been watching the anime, which caused quite a few screams to be heard. In all honesty, I wasn't sure whether they were going to mention DM because of its yaoi nature, but they did. I had thought that maybe some people were fans of the groups and had no knowledge of it, but I doubt that's true now, looking at how psyched the crowd got when the theme songs came up (I freaked a little during AI CATCH).

I moved around the most during Goatbed's part because their music is so catchy. I'm not someone who enjoys clubbing very much, but if I must, it's always a little awkward at first until a few songs have passed, and from that moment on, it's like someone has untied all the knots in my limbs and I become able to move my body in more than two directions. Well, that is what happened at the show. This might come as a surprise, but although Goatbed's music is mostly electro, they don't use autotune so much. The singer actually sings most of the time and his voice, albeit peculiar, is actually really nice. I have no complaints to make about his performance. The songs were as good as they could have been.

As the show progressed, people got over their initial timidity and began moving to the fast-paced beat, throwing their fists in the air and chanting the key parts. If I had to voice one minor disappointment I felt, it would be the total lack of interaction with the public. Sure, they gave one hell of a show, danced like there was no tomorrow and blasted off the roof with their beats, but it would have been nice if they had talked to us until before the encore song.

True, we come to hear the music, but I think fans do value what artists have to say, even if it's only to make silly jokes and talk about stuff that doesn't matter. It might just be an impression and I don't want to judge them since I don't know them, but I couldn't help but feel like they were a little cold. Well, no matter, I think it's safe to say that everyone had a great time!

Oh, one last thing! The singer was so skinny! Those skin-tight leather pants he was wearing... If he had been sporting long blue hair, I could have sworn it was Aobooty in the flesh.

Sorry, I couldn't resist. :P

Conclusion: I would absolutely go all the way to Tokyo again just to see VERTUEUX.

Goatbed... not so sure.