2003 LIVE Report ARCHIVE 6
August 30, 2003
Live Reports 6-2003-
Welcome back to live reports!I decided to start a new one for the past few shows I have been too. Sorry it has be slow but I did not have a computer for 4 long weeks!!! Now on with the show!!!
Cult of Personality@ Shibuya Club Cyclone July 19th
Now these guys are on the same label as BATCAVE(Roadrunner Japan) and they do know how to play. They put on an exciting performance. The set was about an hour and a half. They have a new joint mini album coming out with DaTura called[DaTURA ? CULT OF PERSONALITY" SELLOUT"] and the middle of the set feature many of the new songs. The new ones aren't as heavy as their earlier stuff but it still sounds good. However, from the last album" under the sun" they have a few stands outs such as" the real thing","under the sun", and NEMURIーネムリー which is a slower song but they really hit it that night with cool visuals on the screen and a stand out performance. At the end of the show, which was called " I hate music hour" they did a duet with some girl who was like a rapper but I guess it could have been DaTura? I am not sure but it was not so impressive. I hope to hear some more new things from these guys soon.
Anthem
@ Kawasaki Club CittaAll I can say is Wow!! What a show it was. They have put out about 3 albums in the past two years and I must say that I don't have any of the new ones but I will buy them soon. The line is with Naito Shibata(Bass) Eizo Sakamoto(Vocals) Akio Shimizu(Guitar)and Hiro Honma(drums ex. EZO,Loudness). So two are original members and Akio is one hell of a guitar player!
Kagrra@Shinjuku Liquid Room August 27.
Now Kagrra is supporting a new mini-cd and they played many of the new songs from it 桜花爛漫(Ookaranman)which will be released on 9/24/2003. Also that night, they were filming for a live DVD which be out in November called:秘祭(HIMATSURI). Now I didn't get to see most of the show because I was held up waiting for a friend who was very late!!!! However, when did get in, the place was jammed packed with people which was great for them. After the show, the guys said that the show didn't go off as well as they wanted to and need to study and work harder for the next show which will be at the Shibuya AX!! The crowd seemed to love the 2 hour show and were buying lots of stuff after the show. I also saw about 5 westerners at the show which shows that the band can reach out beyond the realms of Japan!! Thanks to Ms. Aoyama.
Merryメリー@Shibuya Kokkaido, August 29th.
This was a big deal for these guys since they have come a long way in such a short time. The Kokkaido is like a mini Budokan to measure where your popularity is as a band. I must say, I was not sure if they could do it or not but the place was about 90% full! That is great for them and I hope they had a good time playing there. The set was not much different from the last show I saw in March but the presentation was different and the visuals and lighting were great! I must say that they have some great ideas for live shows which I have not really seen before. The standout of the night was Nero's Drum solo! He came out on a dog leash being escorted by a Domonatrix!!! She was whiping him the whole way until they came up stage center and then she started pouring hot wax on his exposed chest!! It was cool but after looking at the age of the crowd after the show, I don't know if I would let my children see stuff like that. Ha,ha.! The fans really loved it and then he got up on the drums and does what he does best!! Play, play, play. This guy is one of best powerful drummers in Japan! Oh, yeah, and ladies he is quite handsome to boot! Another interesting thing about Nero is that his is the only one to talks during the show! Gara on vocals just writes on paper to the fans and then some one pre-records a strange computerized voice to tell about annoucements or funny things to the audience. So when I interview them, it will be interesting to hear what they have to say.Oh, after the show I was able to meet Ms. Ito would is a writer for Fools Mate Magazine. She does all of the Merry articles. She is very nice and I hope to talk with here again soon.I would like to thank Maya and Hideki for all of their help and letting me in the show!