YEAH OKAY
I'M ALRIGHT NOW.
Seriously
though. I'll probably make your heads explode if I say this, so I'll just type
it instead. I have just
come back from yet another amazing concert. This is my testimony in case I end
up dying of post-concertum eardrum trauma in a few days or so.
Here are some beautiful Christmas illuminations.
Let's calm down for a moment.
Breathe in, breathe out: that's it!
(Update
12-03: One week later, I’m still alive.)
Today, I
went to Takasaki to see Girugamesh with a dear friend. We were in for our
money. Despite the tickets being pretty cheap (3500 yen plus a 500 yen
obligatory drink ticket), we were served three hours of exhilaration as we swam
in a sea of sweat and tears of joy.
Fleez, my friend, you never disappoint.
The first
band, "a crowd of rebellion", was br00tal. Their Facebook page
describes them as being "Melodic Punk/Emo/Screamo". I wouldn’t know
if this is accurate, but it makes sense, I guess. The clean singing definitely
reminded me of the genre, but the lead singer's growling (not screeching)
seemed a little out of place, idk. In any case, they were pretty decent! This
has got to be one of the heaviest Japanese bands that I've ever seen. I was so
shocked when the moshpit started. To this day, I'd never seen one in Japan. It
was kind of different from what you'd expect to see in Canada or America,
though. Definitely livelier than a lot of crowds I've experienced before as
well. However, instead of elbowing each other in the ribs and punching each
other in the face, people were mostly half-running, half-skipping (?) in a circle.
It seemed like a helluva lot of fun. Of course, there was a lot of pushing
around and people fell from time to time. A few girls were surprisingly eager
to start. Everyone was smiling so brightly! An oddly cute sight to behold
really. I have to admit, I was highly tempted to join them.
The singer
was so passionate and he growled really well, but he also had a powerful and
beautiful singing voice. He was so into it that he almost seemed to be in a sort
of trance... Kind of awkward because he kept looking at us, since we were
standing right in the very front. I honestly did not know where to look
anymore.It’s not like I could sing along, so I felt a little sorry. (Classic
Canadian!) Although I did not know the band, I couldn't help but jump around
and headbang wildly, since they were giving their all. I was really confused
for a while as I thought to myself: "Wait… This isn't Girugamesh. Who the
heck is this?!" It didn't occur to me before the fact that there might be
an opening act. Well, it turns out that there were two. But going back to the
band. The singer was awfully cute, I have to admit. One unique thing about him
was his flaming hot pink hair. He also made really epic faces as he struck
himself on the chest (?!) and threw up his fists in the air relentlessly. If
there was only one thing to say about him, it would be that he absolutely put his
everything in what he was doing. Surprisingly impressive show.
This is one
of their MVs in case you might be interested!
Do look them up ~~~
Second
band: SWANKY DANK. (I have NO IDEA how the hell they came up with that name.
O.O) The members were certainly fashionable... They looked like they had just
come out of a k-pop band (which was not a bad thing at all!). They were also
pretty cute, especially the guitarist, who was an attention whore, but again,
nothing bad about this. I thought they might not be Japanese, since they had a
"gaijin" air to them, but Google seems to suggest otherwise? They
sang in English and spoke it really well, too. Their style was a lot more
poppy, but their music was catchy. I quite liked them as well. Just like the
band before them, they put on one hell of a show, and the crowd responded with
equally enthusiastic fervor. All in all, we all had a really good time.
They
reminded me of a less heavy Sleeping With Sirens.
Especially the vocals.
And
finally…
On to the stars of the night, those that we were all waiting for...
(I need to
just… forget about this guy. It's not funny anymore.)
I've said
it and I'll say it again: I ADORE Takasaki "Club Fleez" to bits. I
absolutely recommend going there for shows whenever it's possible. The gigs
I've seen there are among the top most memorable. It's such a small venue that
you're always just a few meters from the stage, even if you're not trying to
get close to it. Naturally, this time around, it was our intention to do so, so
we ended up standing no more than a meter away and interacting with the band a
lot. We could have touched them if we had wanted (I actually tried to shake
hands or bump fists with them, but the singer was insanely good at reaching out
for us and making us feel completely involved, while avoiding being grabbed.
Fair enough. 8D)
Oh and
speaking of the devil.
Satoshi is
so. fucking. beautiful. Mother of god. Can we observe a minute of silence for
the perfection that this man is. Like please. How old is he again? 30? Are you
fucking kidding me? Dude looks like he fell in the fountain of youth when he
was born. Tonight, his unique vocals that are so easily recognizable were
nothing short of amazing. Just like what I have come to know and love from the
Girugamesh albums, he hit every single note. (I would say "without
breaking into a sweat", but that would be a lie. Actually, he was DRIPPING
with sweat but I was like yeah it's okay I don't mind if you sweat all over
me.) I can’t remember the setlist very well, but it was pretty solid. From the
point where they said something about a “last song”, which was much too early
for our tastes, the band performed quite a few others. I guess we could say
those were encores (?). Before we could wait and find out if they were going to
come back out for more, the staff started making announcements and asking us to
leave, so we assumedthat they did not plan to. Which was all nice n’ cool
with me, since I was satisfied with the showand kind of in a hurry to leave. If my
memories are correct (please do not count on that), Girugamesh’s concert
lasted somewhere between an hour and hour and a half. This is quite decent
considering the size of the venue, the guest artists’ participation and the low
cost of the tickets. What’s more, I prefer quality over quantity, so I
wasn’t going to complain.
During the
show, two songs were especially memorable.
Break Down:
My friend had been raving about how her night would be made if they played this
one, but for the life of me, I couldn't remember it at all. However, when they
performed the song at last, the memory of it came back to me right away.
Revolution:
How very eagerly we had been hoping to hear this one! As soon as it started, I
legit squealed in a super high-pitched girly voice and my friend and I grabbed
each other as if for dear life. Thinking back, it was really embarrassing, but
I couldn't hold in the screams. It was, after all, a very nostalgic song.
Needless to say, it was a flawless performance that had us jumping all around.
One of my
worries was whether I would be able to catch the last train or would have to
retire at a net café. We could make it back to the station JUST in time, but it
was a close call! What a relief! (I would have hated to
have to spend the night at the usual placeon a week day because they don't have
showers and I needed one more than AIR.) And I smelled like death (and perfume said
my friend but I think she was just being polite). My voice is gone forever and
I sound like I've been smoking for 40 years or something. I am SO HIGH (on
happiness, hard stuff) and my ears are bleeding (in a good way) and ringing and
my head is spinning and throbbing but it was SO WORTH IT. I had such an epic
unforgettable time! Girugamesh are beasts. There is no other way to put it.
Expect
maybe "gods". That works, too.
HIGHLY,
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
