GaGaalinG's One-man at Shibuya Ruido K2

author: Kay

© GaGaalinG

GaGaalinG's oneman concert took place in the Ruido K2 in Shibuya, a livehouse in the basement of the Music Land Key Store. The Ruido K2 was rather small and looked like it could accommodate around a hundred people. For this reason, it was very crowded, with fans of various ages, a handful of foreign fans and quite a lot of men who were undoubtedly not immune to female vocalist MYM's good looks.

Before GaGaalinG's show, the British singer JJ, who can also be heard as the rapper in GaGaalinG's song CHANCE, warmed up the audience with a performance of around thirty minutes. Together with a support guitarist, the young, blond man succeeded in this very well, and various people in the audience were moving along to his songs, which sounded like bubblegum pop tunes mixed with some harder beats.

Then, it was time for GaGaalinG. A big screen appeared in front of the stage, and as the lights were turned down, their name was displayed on it. Then, the video for their newest song CHANCE was shown, and at first it seemed like they were just showing the usual video, but then it became clear that the band members had changed their positions as instead of MYM, guitarist MOTO was singing. Even though the music was still the same and it was MYM’s voice, he looked believable as vocalist, as did the other band members behind their newly acquired instruments. One that isn't familiar with the band would have definitely fallen for it and thought this was the normal line-up. Halfway through the song, the band members switched again, with MYM back on vocals.

Then, as the video ended, a voice started to introduce the band in English and an electronic beat was heard. The screen was raised and one by one, the band entered the stage. MYM came last, clapping and blowing kisses to the audience, a big smile on her face. After the upbeat opening song REVOLUTION, they continued with the same high energy as they played Rain Man.

Despite the small size of the audience, the band gave their all and might as well have been standing in front of a thousand people. Not only were their instrumental skills professional and played with ease, their stage presentation looked especially good, with MYM dancing around and cheering up the audience as she sang. Bassist Jun, who was standing on her left side, was often looking intensely at the audience, his good looks and cute face surely making a vast number of the girls swoon. Guitarist MOTO was making less contact with the audience, but he also seemed to be enjoying the performance, often jumping or moving to the music. Drummer Cherry, at the back of the stage, had less opportunity to interact with the audience, and he mostly focused on keeping a steady beat and once in a while sang backing vocals. After every two or three songs, the band would stop playing for a moment so MYM or one of the other members could speak to the audience. MYM seemed to enjoy these MCs quite a lot, smiling widely and joking with the fans as if they were long time friends.

The majority of their songs were upbeat rock songs, often with some electronic effects and quite heavy, but with catchy choruses. After an MC in which all the band members spoke to the audience, the band started to play a slower song, Yume Utsutsu. MYM's vocals were put especially in the foreground with this rock-ballad, and she did a great job at it, singing with precision and her voice sounding fresh and girly. They continued this slower pace with Michishirube, the fans swaying along to the characteristic 6/8 beat as the song built up steadily.

Of course, all songs from their most recent release, ALICE, were played. The title track was first, starting out with an intro featuring a harpsichord; the fans moved along to the beat and headbanged at the harder pieces. For CHANCE, singer JJ joined the band again and was warmly welcomed by both the audience and band. He himself seemed overly excited to be performing with GaGaalinG, barely leaving enough space for MYM as he moved on the small stage, cheering the fans on.

They also played the catchy Kowaremono together, and then JJ left the stage again. He wasn't the only guest of the evening, as the band had more surprises in store. After the older song Kokoro Drive, they left the stage, only to come back shortly after for an encore all dressed in GaGaalinG T-shirts. The fans started to sing "Happy Birthday" to MYM, whose birthday was on the day after. The three male band members used this as a cue to introduce their present to MYM, namely a special guest. MYM was totally surprised, her eyes growing wide as she wondered out loud who this special guest could be and moving around excitedly. Seconds later, Yuki and Hiro of Rice appeared on stage, carrying a birthday cake for the vocalist which had her picture on it. MYM was totally surprised as she blew out the candles, and then thanked them profusely. The two men had also brought a present for her, a sash that originally read 'Today's queen,' but the 'Today' had been replaced with 'Yesterday,' seeing as her birthday was the day before. The two bands then announced their upcoming two-man concert, and then continued to joke playfully with each other.

After Yuki and Hiro left, GaGaalinG played two more songs, ending with FAVORITE GAME Yeah! Yeah!, which is also an older song and had the fans clapping and moving along to its groovy rhythm. As they finished the song, the four band members moved together to the front of the stage, joined their hands and bowed deeply to the audience. Everybody thanked the fans and then left the stage while waving to the fans.

Even though GaGaalinG is still a rather new band, they have already accomplished a lot in their years of existence with many CD releases and overseas performances. When seeing them live, it's not hard to see the reasons behind their success, seeing as they are a quartet with a funny, easy-going nature. This, as well as their very catchy rock music, makes them a very appealing band, and we can be sure that their success will only continue to grow in 2009!


Set list:

~SE~
1. REVOLUTION
2. Rain Man
-MC-
3. Flash Back
4. RENDEZVOUS
-MC-
5. lost in child
6. i-SCREAM MACHINE
7. Keep on...
-MC-
8. Yume utsutsu
9. Michishirube (album mix)
-MC-
10. ALICE
11. time is time
12. desperate
-MC- (JJ joins)
13. CHANCE
14. Kowaremono
-MC- (JJ leaves)
15. Let's sing a song
16. PIASU pierced pleasures
17. Kokoro Drive

-en-
18. Destiny
19. FAVORITE GAME Yeah! Yeah!


Photos by DAISEI, Toshinobu HORI and ASAKO.