Part I – Ikebukuro CYBER, [dolore 1st ANNIVERSARY live], 12-7-2011
Line-up: Jyulie / jack’you / Dieu / A / OROCHI / dolore
On a very hot Japanese summer’s day, I was making my way towards Ikebukuro after my morning-classes in Ginza. A little more tense than usual I counted the stops on the subway and again studied the map I had drawn from the area surrounding Ikebukuro Station. With reason; this was the first time I was going to a Japanese live-house. I had arrived in Japan less than five days ago, but I was determined to see some shows during my time here. After studying some live-schedules, I had decided on todays live for OROCHI would play (good time’s sake) and also dolore, a band I knew from Ameba and sounded quite promising.
Indeed, I did not decide on this live because of A. Almost unimaginable by now, but back then all I knew about A was that they were an Indie-band my friends sometimes talked about, who apparently were quite talented and included a guy who looked like a Jack Sparrow-cosplayer. Only the previous night I had actually noticed they were among the line-up too, and decided this was a good opportunity to give them a listen finally.
Once I found the live-house Ikebukuro CYBER, I waited around in the company of a few Japanese fans who sat chatting on the curb. I was a little nervous about talking to them at first, but once I dared to ask them a few questions about the live-house, they responded very friendly and told me everything I needed to know. A lot more at ease now we waited together, still being the only ones present. When I asked for which band they had come, they told me with big smiles that they were fans of A. I told them honestly I did not know A at all yet, but that I was looking forward to seeing them today as well. Enthusiastically we engaged in a conversation about A and I hoped that all fans would be as kind as they were. It already helped me to feel more sympathy for the band they obviously adored.
The first eventful happening for me was when the members of OROCHI came strolling by casually, but the A fans didn’t pay any attention to them. Quite a sobering experience, since bands that come to Europe and play one-man’s seem as if they have already accomplished something, but in Japan nobody may know about them at all. Since I had brought some presents for the bands (small packages of ‘stroopwafels’, Dutch cookies) I asked the Japanese fans when was the best moment to give them, but when they told me it did not really matter, I approached Genji-Hotaru and Mitsuhide when they walked by and gave them a package. After a short conversation they continued their way and the A fans sweetly celebrated my enthusiasm, but obviously didn’t care the least for OROCHI (and who could blame them…)
A little while later however, it was their turn to react the way I had just done. Two other persons had appeared before CYBER’s entrance and immediately the fans began chatting enthusiastically and waving at the two men, who eventually waved back. Judging by their reaction, I figured these people had to be in A. Curiously I watched how finally one of the two came walking up to our little group, noting that this was the first Jrocker I saw who actually looked very handsome without make-up. At that moment I barely knew what the members of A looked like though (apart from Mucho then), so I had no idea that this person was in fact Nimo.
Nimo started making small-talk with the fans about previous lives and other things, and it was obvious these girls frequented about every live A held. I just held myself aside from the conversation, only listening in partly. This was their moment, after all.
However, almost during a sentence Nimo’s eyes suddenly shifted towards me, resulting into a stare I couldn’t quite describe as subtle. No, he was staring at me as if I had just fallen from the sky in a chicken-costume. By now I had gotten used to most of the reactions towards me being a foreigner, but I had not expected such a strong reaction from someone his age. And looking back, definitely not from Nimo who seems very aware of his foreign fan base.
Me, amused by his dumbfounded gaze but equally intimidated by the sudden attention, just blinked back at him and so we held our staring-contest going on for about 5 seconds, neither of us daring to say anything. During our silence, the fans shared a rather awkward giggle on our part before Nimo seemed to snap out of it and attempted to end the sentence he had trailed off from earlier, turning back to them. I was left gaping at him in wonder still, suddenly feeling pretty unintelligent for not having had anything to retort. But hey, I didn’t know this guy!
Soon after Nimo excused himself, saying he still had some stuff to take care of, and greeted the fans by saying he’d see them during the live. They exchanged greetings again and Nimo turned away, before suddenly raising his hand at me and happily, yet still awkwardly saying: “Bye!”
I smiled and, determined as I suddenly felt to let him know I wasn’t a complete retard, replied with a simple ‘Take care!’ in Japanese.
This seemed to surprise him so much he nearly tripped over his own sandal. He shot me one last bewildered look before continuing his way down the street as if that hadn’t just happened, but as soon as he was out of hearing-distance the fans and I burst into a giggle-fit. I managed to send them into hysterics though when I finally obliviously remarked:
“So… Now who was that guy?”
Right, so from that moment on, the A fans politely urged me to learn their names before the live, which was definitely a good idea. Now I knew who Nimo was, and Mucho Gracias also wasn’t that hard to remember, since I knew he was the guy who looked like the Japanese Jack Sparrow. Right till the last moment I kept mixing up Toshi’s and Rookie’s names, but when people started lining up for A’s set, I went to stand on the left, knowing this was Toshi’s side. It didn’t really matter where I stood anyway, since it was a very small venue and low stage so the view was perfect wherever you stood. The regular fans all stood on the first row, behind which there was a space of about 1, 5 meters before another line was formed, but still with plenty of space to move around. I believe there were about 30 to 50 people watching A’s live.
Before any band would play their set, a black curtain obscured the entire stage. The lights dimmed and immediately the chatter among the crowd quieted down. I noticed how much quieter the hall seemed than before, and how almost everyone seemed concentrated on the stage. Before, the other performing bands would only have a small number of fans following their show, while the other part of the crowd would continue chatting quietly in the back. I figured this had to be a good sign.
Then, slightly eerie intro-music filled the hall, and a woman’s voice began telling some sort of epic tale in English, something about the mysterious appearance of ‘them’, their ways and destinies shrouded in fog.
‘Nobody knows where they came from…’
The music and an angelic choir swelled in anticipation. I couldn’t help but feel a little giddy over this dramatic intro, but it was definitely more impressive than the other performances I had seen so far. The woman now began listing words for which ‘A’ stood. I regret not really remembering which words these were, but they all sounded quite intimidating. A dark drumbeat had come rolling in from the depths, and a cymbal emitted a last thrilling chime before all dipped into silence, and the woman whispered:
“They are… Ace.”
Immediately a drum tapped off, a real one this time, and in one fluent movement the black curtain parted, revealing four radiant figures on the stage. The crowd screamed and I couldn’t resist joining in, adapting my eyes to the bright lights from the stage. Before me stood the bassist Toshi, sporting quite a shiny outfit in my opinion, but looking pretty cool none-the-less. Right next to him stood the unmistakable Mucho Gracias, truly resembling a Japanese Jack Sparrow; he even had two stuffed animals of a snake and a monkey sitting behind him on his amp. While all members held their certain pose, he let his guitar growl a few chords to keep the crowd cheering.
The back of the stage wasn’t lit as brightly and so the figure of the drummer did not stand out a lot, but the person I had seen outside earlier with Nimo now glared intensely into the crowd, sporting some impressive black eyeliner. Then on the right of the stage, there stood a figure I couldn’t help but stare at a moment longer. Rookie Fiddler’s image with the light silver hair and leather pirate-get up had appealed to me from the flyers I had seen before the show, but seeing him in reality was even more impressive. The spotlights reflected on his wig and pale skin seemed to give him a glow of his own, but I especially loved the silver violin in his hands. Although the design was very modern, long ends of the strings curled from the instrument’s neck and also the bow in his other hand contained quite a few loose hairs. You could say the violin kind of represented its owner; elegant yet quirky at some points.
Mucho’s guitar crooned a few more chords before the screams of the crowd swelled in volume as a final person entered the stage from the back, his silhouette painted black against the lights. Nimo. The shy boy from earlier, now dressed as a charming pirate-captain. I grinned to myself as I knew I would never be able to see him as his stage-persona only. But that did not matter anymore once he started singing. This boy was talented.
7/12 Set-list (Taken from Rookie’s blog)
１Black Butterfly (Cyber初披露！) (*The first time they played it live)
２Rhapsody in Black
３Viva la Casta
４NUDE
Already from the first song, I could tell this band was a step up from the other bands that had performed so far, and especially the addition of violin by Rookie Fiddler was a very nice element. I was also quite impressed by Nimo’s vocals, immediately taking quite a challenge in the chorus of Black Butterfly, but staying pure. From all the lovely stories told by my friends and the anticipation before this show, my expectations had grown quite a bit, only to find that this band had no problem living up to them. They ruled the stage as if they were meant to capture new hearts with every show, and they undoubtedly did.
Their show was indeed pretty lively! The previous bands seemed to have kept their performances at a minimal, perhaps as not to embarrass their small number of loyal fans, but A seemed to be having great fun performing, especially Nimo and Rookie. These two formed the charming magnets of the band while Toshi and Mucho definitely showed enthusiasm in their play, but simply drew less attention to themselves. The opposite could be said for Rookie Fiddler. Even while he was on the other side of the stage for me, I couldn’t resist turning my attention to him from time to time. One moment he could look amazingly elegant, playing his violin with closed eyes and a serene smile before a huge grin would appear and he’d literally bounce around his half of the stage, never missing a single note. Up till then, I had never seen a violin-player headbang before – while playing. His bubbly persona and highly mischievous faces did well to entertain the crowd, and the crowd was certainly entertained.
I noticed A didn’t have any special routines or furitsuke, which I found relieving for it meant I wouldn’t have to concentrate on anything, only the head banging, jumping and shouting at certain points which I had absolutely no problem with. I was certainly enjoying myself and showing this, earning some attention back from Nimo and Toshi, the former even showing some recognition but none of them ever stopping their interaction with the crowd. I liked how they divided their attention equally over everyone watching, with Toshi and Rookie also switching sides a few times. The first time Rookie Fiddler came over to the left, I had my hand raised before suddenly a fiddle-stick was poked not too gently into my palm, looking up to see Rookie grinning at me like a Cheshire Cat. He had interesting ways of showing affection to the crowd, most ways appearing utterly spontaneous and thus a little dangerous. Sometimes it looked as if he wanted to touch people while forgetting he was holding a violin in one hand and a stick in the other… I remember having needed to duck at some points to not risk losing an eye.
During a short MC by Nimo which was meant to rile the crowd up some more, and where he indeed mentioned the release of a new single, it became evident Rookie’s attention-span was actually quite short. While Nimo spoke to the crowd, he would appear to not be listening, plucking at the loose strings of his violin or at his shorts while making funny faces at the fans before him. Apparently this was just another part of the show, for Nimo would wisely ignore the fiddler’s quirks, even while this made quite some fans laugh, and Toshi included. Finally Rookie was brought back to order and they played a fourth, sadly already last song.
As the fans screamed and called their names, A left the stage while waving and bowing, all taking a last moment to receive the gratitude from their fans. Mucho Gracias put away his guitar before taking the stuffed snake and monkey from his amp, putting the snake around his neck and showing them off to the crowd before doing a last Jack Sparrow-impersonation and leaving the stage. Rookie Fiddler did a final ‘hyper-cute act’ and made hearts at the crowd before leaving too, together with Toshi and Nimo. Only the drummer remained behind his drum-kit, receiving the final screams from the fans as he put away his gear before standing up, bowing, then saluting and pretending to slowly sink into the sea behind his drums. He grinned a last time before the black curtains swallowed everything up once more.
The lights lit and excited chatter among the fans filled the hall again. I saw A’s regular fans exchanging smiles and I briefly told them that it had been amazing. As is the custom, we thanked each other for the great live before parting, a group of fans now swarming around the merchandise-table in the back. Before A’s live I had already checked out their merch, since my friends had also asked me to buy them a copy of Black Album. I had already bought two copies, but now I decided to buy a copy for myself too. Just when I returned with it to my bag however, I saw Toshi and Nimo had appeared behind the table, now chatting to their fans. I didn’t hesitate a second and took another package of cookies out of my bag. It was time to thank them properly and to erase the awkward first impression Nimo and I had left on each other earlier.
I walked up to the table and began to wait my turn. As soon as my presence was noticed however, a shy giggle and a murmur began to travel through the group of fans, before I heard a few of them gently urge to Nimo: “Nimo, English!” I couldn’t help but grin awkwardly since their intention was obviously kind, but as soon as Nimo directed his gaze to me I saw his eyes light up before his smile began to strain. Maybe he was happy about seeing me, but he seemed less at ease with the prospect of having to speak English.
Still, remembering how my friends had mentioned that Nimo was quite good at English, and encouraged by the enthusiasm of the fans I finally turned to him directly, saying: “Yes, you speak English, right?”
Nimo’s smile strained even more before it faded completely, his whole pose shrinking visibly before he finally murmured back: “… Little bit.”
If possible, I now found him even more endearing than he had been outside. I almost felt too sorry for him to continue speaking English, and yet I just wanted to test if he’d warm up a little if the conversation would continue. So I went on, trying to speak very clearly and not too fast, and slowly Nimo seemed to relax again. We exchanged a few simple pleasantries about the show and gradually his big smile returned, now answering me more eagerly. When I presented the cookies to him, he responded very curiously when I said I had brought them with me from the Netherlands, and so our conversation shifted to Europe. When I asked him if he wanted to visit Europe, his eyes actually sparked and he answered me with the most determination yet: “Yes! Yes, I want go. I… I will swim!”, hereby making swimming-motions with both arms.
I think I answered something like “Wow, how admirable of you!” but even now I just can’t describe how hilarious that was.
We continued chatting for a little while longer, having gradually switched back to Japanese since we were able to communicate a lot more smoothly like that. All this time Toshi was standing at Nimo’s side, smiling rather sheepishly when the conversation was in English before echoing some of Nimo’s thanks when we switched back to Japanese and talked about the live. I didn’t really get to speak much to Toshi, only when I asked if they both wanted to sign the free single, which they did. I still slightly hoped Rookie Fiddler and Mucho Gracias would also make an appearance but when they didn’t, I finally greeted them both and said I might see them again, since I was planning to see a lot more lives during my stay. They both gave a friendly greet and I went to watch the rest of the bands perform, for I had after all come to this live for OROCHI and dolore rather than A. Still, after that funny conversation and especially their great show, I knew I wouldn’t mind seeing another live of them.
After OROCHI and main act dolore had finished their set, people still hung around the small venue in a very relaxed atmosphere. Most of the band members would come out and cruise through the hall as well, chatting casually with their fans. I was very intrigued by the calm atmosphere and the ease with which everyone just got along, and soon I mingled into a few conversations, ending up having a long and funny chat with Hizka from dolore. It was nice to get to thank the bands personally and share in some casual talk. Nimo and Toshi would also still appear at the merchandise to talk to their fans. Like this, it was simply impossible to feel nervous around any of these people. They’re still normal guys, after all.
When finally staff-members began to request people to leave the hall, I greeted the last people I was chatting with and made my way up CYBER’s narrow stairs and hall. Before going outside though, I ran into Zero from dolore who was passing out drink-tickets to their Free Live. Since I had not spoken to him yet we also exchanged some words, though I couldn’t help but get a light creeper-vibe from him. When I just wanted to step outside however, a group of four men came up the stairs, immediately filling the tiny hall with their presence, and effectively blocking the exit as well as trapping me in between them and Zero. It took me a second longer to realize this was in fact A. Only now without make-up and in regular clothes.
I figured they would soon experience my presence there as somewhat restricting (much like I felt with them blocking the exit) but instead, Nimo and Zero immediately started a jolly exchange of pleasantries and some ‘Your band was great!’ ‘Oh no, yours was better!’. They even started exchanging contact-information. All this time I was trapped right next to Zero and though they did not seem to mind, I certainly did. This was getting a little too intimate.
Finally, I managed to awkwardly wrestle my way past them, shuffling my way to freedom before almost bumping into Rookie Fiddler who also appeared to have just squeezed himself outside. As Nimo and Zero were still fully engaged in their buddy-building, Rookie and I seemed to understand each other at that moment and shared a little laugh, expressing our relief over being in the outside- air again. I must say that I was in luck that Rookie still wore his silver wig, else I would not have recognized him: he was dressed top to toe in a long coat and a face-mask that only left his eyes visible. I wondered if he wasn't dying from the heat now, since it was still a good thirty degrees Celsius out.
Although friendly, Rookie was not extremely talkative right then, appearing just a little lost, and after the usual thank-you’s and greets I also told him goodbye and crossed the street. It was still rather early and a perfect time for demachi, but since I had already spoken to most of the bands that evening, I figured it wouldn't really matter. Instead I asked a few fans the right way back to the station, and they offered to go together as a group, which I gladly accepted. These fans were very kind too and I felt really happy that they accepted me so easily, simply being united in our affection for these bands. It was a great feeling that I would experience many times more during my stay.
Continue to Part 2
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