BLACK LINE made a true spectacle of their first concert in the Netherlands.
BLACK LINE’s debut started with a surprise for the fans--it was only a day before the concert when the venue was changed. On arrival, the reason was immediately clear: about 20 people were waiting in line in front of the venue door. About half an hour after the expected opening, the group actually doubled and then did those bolted doors finally open wide. The mood was, regardless of these mishaps, cheerful and pleasant. The new location certainly contributed to this: the Mirror Hall (Spiegelzaal) was cozily decorated with sufficient seating on the simple but quaint, wooden furniture, while the ceiling was a sparkling sky of small disco balls and light bulbs. The small hall, a part of Tivoli, was perfect for an intimate performance like this, and despite its size, it had more than enough room for the fans that were then crowding together in front of the small platform functioning as a stage.
After about half an hour of waiting, supporting act Klink Clock, a garage rock duo from France, began the show. The singer Jenny, a thin, energetic girl with youthful, short clothing contrasted strongly with the guitarist who resembled a dark-haired Cobain quite a bit. The audience noted that the start was a bit monotone and off beat, but this did not take away from Jenny’s crystal clear voice. After a while it became apparent that the opening song was a poor choice because halfway through the catchy and rousing second song, the atmosphere was terrific. “WAKE UP!” Jenny screamed at the top of her lungs.
Halfway through the set the guitarist Aurelien surprised the fans suddenly with his raw voice, and like that they were exposed to nine versatile songs. This unorthodox band, which in terms of music style is a mix of Midori and Vive la Fête, is surely not for everyone. Nevertheless, their good mood, up-beat songs and weird statements, such as “You’re all so cute, like a bowl of chips”, prepared the audience nicely for the main event.
While the visitors recovered from the spectacle of light bulbs executed at the end of the last song by Klink Clock, the stage was prepared for the Japanese rockers. Nobody seemed to mind one bit that this took another half an hour, when at long last the light was snuffed and under hysterical screaming of the fans, dramatic music started to fill the room. The band entered the stage with a lot of glamour: first were Syu and Jun, both wearing the same leopard vest with pink shirts, followed by Yudai with his black ensemble, and naturally singer Mikaru was the last one, who started off the show with a mighty grunt.
The foursome seemed to have a bit of a brawl with the room. One of the disco balls close to Mikaru’s head was given a hard time with an abundance of unintended head butting and taps. Despite this, it was quite clear that the talent of the four musicians deserved a bigger audience than the one they were receiving. There was a great deal of contact with the audience, perhaps partially thanks to the low stage, and the first three songs immediately set the tone for the concert.
During the MC, Mikaru reflected on the previous two times he was in the Netherlands with Dio - distraught overlord. According to him the Netherlands is a “crazy country” with “lovely screaming fans” in contrast to Japan, which he had been missing a lot, and he hoped that the fans were ready for a new adventure with him and drummer Syu. What followed were several solid rock songs with a lot of jumping and killer solos. This was coupled with a few winks to and eye contact with the female fans in the front, one of which gave her headband with red horns to the flirtatious singer, who wore it on-and-off for the rest of the night with visible pride. Bass player Jun was also notable here for his flawless guitar play and abundant display of energy.
During the second MC, some monstrous grandma panty was thrown onto the stage. “These are really wrong!” exclaimed Mikaru while trying to contain his laughter, after which he read what was written on it together with the band. Lastly the audience was presented with some anecdotes about trying out marijuana –despite the “blind trip” it caused, it went over well – and a sensitive song was stroked up. Mikaru looked deeply into the eyes of many a fan, giving them an intimate private concert, if only for a second.
It was, at the very least, admirable that there was so much done with and for the audience without even a single off-key note. The band members played well together and stirred each other up; when an up-tempo song commenced and guitarist Yudai and singer Mikaru played together with their backs against each other’s, Jun did one of his jumps once more. The image was complete when all the light bulbs ignited and the ecstatically howling fans were served a magical show of lights.
During a brief break the members were introduced individually, where it became clear that Yudai is better known as the “super samurai” and a “sexy, funny guy”. Apparently sweet puppy Jun’s background story was that he was found in a carton box in the park; Jun gave some fan service by wiggling his butt at the audience as if he was wagging his tail. After some short words regarding/by Syu and Mikaru, the last two songs started, and Yudai also let the fans enjoy his voice in an effective combo with the singer’s grunts.
The band had hardly left the stage after their loud “goodbye” when the shouting for an encore started. Several minutes later, the band gave in and, with two more songs, Mikaru reminded the fans of his range of talent. The fan girls got their last chance at physical contact when he lowered himself on his back into the crowd. Apparently there was also a somewhat dubious click with one of the female fans because he ‘vampirised’ the lady like a vampire would. The last song ended with a healthy dosage of jumping and singing along, but then, after a total of no less than 14 songs, the time truly came for the band to exit the stage.
The talent of the individual band members was undeniable, and together with their constant attention for the public, as well as humorous statements, their debut in the Netherlands was a truly enjoyable spectacle for the audience. For people who are into hard rock, grunts, and raw singing--and are not afraid of high levels of fan service--future shows are highly recommended. BLACK LINE has already promised to have another show in the Netherlands.
