The foursome rocked the capital with a hugely varied set played with passion.
Yokohama alt-rockers ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION caused a stir when they announced their first-ever European tour earlier this year, and many thought it was long overdue. So it was no surprise that the atmosphere was buzzing with the anticipation of their first date at the O2 Academy Islington in London on the 31st of May.
The band's crow logo splashed across the back drop was the only indication of who would be appearing. Ever casual, the band members strolled out in front of it to the synth backing of Shinsekai no Love Song and were met with deafening cheers. It was an interesting choice of an opener, as with its low, quiet verses the slow burner of a song saw both the band and the crowd quite motionless until three quarters of the way through. Then as the volume was suddenly ramped up it was as if everyone was given a wake up call, and things really picked up. This energy led nicely into the gloriously sunny Magic Disk, a joyful experience which got everyone joining in with the cathartic "woah"s of the chorus as guitarist Kita danced away.
The set list seemed to have been chosen to give a wave effect of loud, fun and rocking tunes alternating with more emotional ones and then back up again. The complex Siren, sung emotively by Gotoh and performed expressively by the rest even got the venue staff head-nodding and craning for a better look at the band. It was followed by old favourite Re:Re:, its unmistakable intro provoking enthusiastic feedback from fans. The only complaint about an otherwise great performance was that the higher melodic guitar was drowned out by the bass in this song. This wasn't a problem with N.G.S that followed however, its oriental sounding opening riff ringing out loud and clear.
It was back down in mood again as Gotoh spoke. After thanking the crowd and saying how pleased he was to see them, he dedicated the next song to his friend who had passed away four days previously. The lights dipped to a deep purple for the start of Marching Band and Ijichi's low, pounding drum intro seemed to take on a sombre tone. A respectful hush had descended over the audience, and the band played with great concentration. Gotoh's vocals went suddenly from low and detached to high and anguished in a split second. From the start to its more hopeful, dominating finish it hit home with an impact that changed the whole impression of the song. The quiet start of No Name after was a tonic to the intensity before it. Ijichi gazed upwards throughout as if in a daze, later swapping a pensive look and nod with bassist Yamada. Despite remaining extremely chilled out for the entirety of the gig, he seemed to effortlessly reel out flawless, intricate drumming.
The warm bass and bright harmonies of Night Diving perked things up again, with Gotoh's falsetto vocals and harmonies with the others proving a delight. The guys were equally impressive in Gekkou, particularly in the strong finale. Lesser known song Jyuuni shinhou no yukei had only appeared on ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION Presents NANO-MUGEN Compilation 2006 previously, and was an interesting inclusion. Not one of their most memorable, but it was still well received. Blue Train was given a longer intro with more swing as Ijichi and Kita jammed together. The upbeat chorus livened up the crowd, who had mostly remained pretty still until then.
It seemed as if everyone had been waiting the whole night for Haruka Kanata, as they erupted into deafening cheers when the simple, rapid bassline reached their ears. They roared out the familiar chorus and it was as if it was a totally different crowd from the one that had been stock-still half an hour before. "I understand everyone likes "Naruto"", Gotoh observed in his deadpan manner as the crowd affirmed this. "Sorry, we are not ninja. We cannot do kung-fu", he admitted to an amused audience. "But we can play music!" And so they did, continuing with more of the popular tunes that they had saved until last. The well-known Loop & Loop and Rewrite were played with enough fire to satisfy those grumblers who had attended only for these popularised tunes. The latter also had an extended reggae-style bridge section, where Gotoh got the crowd to sing back at him. The always addictive Kimi to iu hana finished the main set. The crowd were still buzzing from the excitement of the songs before and thoroughly enjoyed this too, especially when Yamada got to bask in his own moment in the spotlight.
Fans clamored and chanted for Ajikan to return, and they didn't disappoint. First up was the positive Solanin, a lively performance of a real feel-good song. The final song was one of their newest, from recent album Landmark. The laidback verse gave way to a satisfyingly noisy chorus, which Gotoh admirably belted out with as much vim as the start of the gig. People seemed reluctant to say goodbye to the band afterwards.
Some were disappointed that their favourite song wasn't played, and it was unusual that they didn't include more from their latest album. However with so many quality tunes under their belt it was to be expected, and they performed everything they chose with amazing precision and showmanship. The time that other bands would have spent chatting to the audience was also minimal and reserved for more music. Before departing Gotoh left with "see you later", and no doubt many will hope that they will soon so that they can hear more of their vast back catalogue.
Setlist
1. Shinsekai no Love Song
2. Magic Disk
3. Angou no Waltz
4. Siren
5. Re:Re:
6. N.G.S
7. Marching Band
8. No Name
9. Night Diving
10. Gekkou
11. Jyuuni shinhou no yukei
12. Korogaru iwa, kimi ni asa ga furu
13. Blue Train
14. Haruka kanata
15. Rashinban
16. Loop & Loop
17. Rewrite
18. Kimi to iu hana
Encore
EN1. Solanin
EN2. Anemone no saku haru ni
