Explosive would be an understatement for iconic band KUROYUME’s revival tour final at legendary Nippon Budokan. Following the release of their new album Headache And Dub Reel Inch, KUROYUME visited some of Japan’s main cities for a fiery tour that brought together fans of old and new, culminating in an over three hour show filled with surprises in the heart of Tokyo.
The crowd waited patiently for the start of the show when, with no warnings, an explosion got everyone out of their seats in surprise. “Are we at war? Is this an alien invasion?” Giving the crowd no time to understand what had just happened, the lights went down and the two massive screens placed on each side of the stage came to life. Pictures of a racing car were replaced by a stop watch as the electro intro of Enter Loop engulfed the hall. The watch stopped and the lights went frantic as one the band came on stage. Hitoki and Kiyoharu were last, welcomed by a loud roar, and wasting no time dove into the newly released 13 new ache. Smoke crept on stage as the beat grew stronger for the metal beat under Kiyoharu’s threatening growls. Hitoki head-banged and the crowd soon followed, accompanying him with pumping fists. The cloud of smoke silently spread to the arena surrounding the vocalist in a mass of white smoke and adding a dark tinge to the performance and his diabolical roars.
The tempo eased and purple fell on the stage for White Lush Movie. The lighter rock’n’roll beat got the crowd moving and made the transition to Someone smooth. The song was accompanied by fast drums and acoustic guitars, the darker beat causing the crowd to pulse. The bass work was simply superb and the vocalist showed good energy as he danced and growled throughout the song.
The heated bass solos continued for Misery and Born To Be Wild. As Hitoki kept it cool behind his bass,Kiyoharu moved around vigorously adopting dramatic poses as he drowned in the beat. The crowd lent a hand singing with the band before the vocalist announced the next song, repeating the words I Like You three times. Under green lights the hot bass took the lead for the intro. The pain and anger contained in the vocalist's voice materialized, matched by the strong instrumentals.
The emotions kept flowing across the stage now with the appropriately titled Spazzy Addiction. The rise and fall of both tune and lyrics took us on a roller-coaster ride of emotions that, like a wave, went from slow and depressive to angry and demanding. The tempo got faster for D.P.I.D.C. which took the hall on a frenetic spiral.Kiyoharu's voice control and stage presence, undeniable throughout the show, were particularly obvious during the fast paced, angry lament of Starlet. The transition from soft to heavy was well accomplished with the bass and guitars complementing the emotions conveyed in the lead-man’s voice.
The stage went blue for the melancholic ~Bass Solo~. Three white beams of light fell on Hitoki, who took off, driving into a hot, potent solo. The bass work was simply awesome, no surprise considering who was playing. The song built up and the bassist head-banged earnestly. Taking the center of the stage, Hitoki was received by a fervent ovation before the drummer joined him for a drum and bass battle.
With everyone back on stage and a cloud of white fog smoke threateningly covering the stage and descending towards the crowd, the band moved on to BARTER. KUROYUME completely took over the crowd in a visually powerful performance that continued through C.Y.HEAD, with both band and fans pulsing and jumping to the beat.
“Good afternoon, we are KUROYUME!” Kiyoharu shouted before adding with a grin, “I finally introduced the band!” The vocalist addressed the crowd in a very intimate, casual tone as he introduced the members and talked about the new album. The band soon got back to business with Heavenly and its rock beat. The positive mood didn’t last long though and purple lights and a cloud of white smoke invaded the stage for the anguished ballad Glass Valley’s Oar. Kiyoharu’s yells turned into growls as the song became more and more demanding, the faithful bass close behind in a hauntingly beautiful performance.
The groovy electro beat of Alone got the crowd moving, waving hands turning into dancing for Love Me Do. With the tour logo flashing fiercely on the wall the heavy songs returned. Walkin’ on the edge was followed byROCK’N’ROLL, Kiyoharu teasing the camera-man as he yelled out the song’s name over and over. The song was a little all over the place but worked very well getting the crowd moving. As the bassist head-banged zealously, the others moved around the stage, Kiyoharu even throwing water bottles to the fans.
With the audience on fire, CANDY transported us to the next level, setting the crowd ablaze. The strong beat was accompanied by hand-choreographies as the hall sang with the lead-man, all contributing to an impressive visual piece. Machinegun-like lights set the tempo for the moving bodies as Kiyoharu commanded his army through Sick. Leaving a euphoric crowd behind, the band bid their farewells, returning soon after in reply to the encore demand that went on like a mantra.
“I get shy singing by myself so let’s call a special guest!” the vocalist stated with a smirk as he called Japanese comedian Horiuchi Ken to sing with him the outrageous Kuroyume ga yattekita. Before the song, there was time for fun interactions as Horiuchi explained he decided to come in wearing a shrimp shaped hat to honor Kiyoharu, who loves shrimp. Hearing this, the hall started cheering for Kiyoharu to try the hat on. Despite the crowd’s demands he evaded the task and it was now Hitoki’s name being shouted. Shyly the bassist refused, shouts of “kawaii” echoing throughout the venue. With the comedian acting like a fan-girl and showing excessive excitement as he drank through Kiyoharu‘s water bottle, the two explained how the lyrics were written byHoriuchi, Kiyoharu later deciding to contribute with the instrumental composition.
After the amusing performance that got the vocalist literally on his knees from laughing, the band left the stage, returning a second time with another guest. Looking very hip-hop with a shiny silver track-suit and a cap,Kiyoharu called “Samurai guitarist” -MIYAVI- to the crowd's surprise. In a dramatic opening with -MIYAVI- on acoustic guitar with a leather hat covering half his face, the band moved on to Shounen. The guest guitarist accompanied them for the next couple of songs, DRIVE putting -MIYAVI- and Hitoki face to face for a friendly duel as the crowd excitedly moved to the beat. With the bass on the lead, Kamakiri followed, the crowd singing with the band in unison in a strong ending.
Even after the two encores the audience showed no signs of tiredness or wanting to go home, and with full force the hall yelled for another encore. Kiyoharu and Hitoki returned, causing quite a stir with their cute yet fashionable hats, as the vocalist put it himself. The shouts of “kawaii” never ceased as the bassist showed up head down as to hide his shyness as all eyes stood on the adorable strawberry hat he was wearing. The vocalist showed no signs of shyness and kept it cool displaying his panda hat and the two pandas adorning each shoe, petting the panda as he spoke. Taking the mic, Hitoki revealed that Kiyoharu had chosen the hats, the latter apologizing with a wide teasing grin. BEAMS set the crowd on fire, the screams and yells shaking the ground as the hall sang in unison all hands up. For the finale, Hitoki took the mic singing the last bit with Kiyoharu, ending the song with a hug that produced a roar from the emotive fans.
Again the band left, returning a few minutes later (minus the cute hats) for the night’s final set. Announcements of the upcoming Asian tour preceded a passionate speech that ended with a promise: “We will continue being ourselves, doing the things we do!” Kiyoharu promised. “We love music and hope that you continue loving music too!” With a heart-felt shout of “Good bye Budokan!” the band dove into the appropriately titled SEE YOU. All hands rose as the fans sang with the vocalist. And with the crowd singing, the band said goodbye with Like A Angel. It was a stunning and moving finale that indeed confirmed KUROYUME as one of the strongest and most influential bands in the v-kei music scene, bringing a tinge of 90ies rock back to life in a memorable show that will stay in the fans' hearts in the years to come. We look forward to more adventures and surprises withKUROYUME and wish them the best in their Asian tour!
Set list:
SE: Enter Loop
1. 13 new ache
2. White Lush Movie
3. Someone
4. Misery
5. Born To Be Wild
6. I Like You
7. Spazzy Addiction
8. D.P.I.D.C.
9. Starlet
10. ~Bass Solo~
11. BARTER
12. C.Y.HEAD
13. Heavenly
14. Glass Valley’s Oar
15. Alone
16. Love Me Do
17. Walkin’ on the edge
18. ROCK’N’ROLL
19. CANDY
20. Sick
EN1 (guest: Horiuchi Ken)
21. Kuroyume ga yattekita
EN2 (guest: -MIYAVI-)
22. Shounen
23. DRIVE
24. Kamakiri
EN3
25. BEAMS
EN4
26. SEE YOU
27. Like A Angel
The footage video of the Live
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