deadman live report in Kyoto MUSE
In the end of February, cold rain was falling. I took the subway from Kyoto to Shijou, walking on the underpass about 200 m to Kawaramachi, to Kyoto MUSE. I had a light supper of soup and croissant, then went to the live house. There were many fans in front of the building and on the narrow staircase. The live house had a high ceiling and was open. I was waiting, drinking gin tonic on the bar counter. Most fans were females in their 20’s30’s, but there were some guys too.
Last time when I saw their live in Kanawaza, it was the 3rd live of their domestic tour just after 2 lives of Paris and Germany. It was my first experience to see them live, so I was impressed by their peculiar style more than I thought. Listening to their CD, and imaging their travel in the whole country from North to South, I was looking forward to see this last regional live and I was full of expectations.
The SE became loud, the lightning dimmed, and members who wore casual clothing appeared on the stage. MAKO who wore a black costume well matching to his slim tall body, stood on the stage. His usual gaudy makeup seemed a little bit lighter, giving a natural impression on this night.
[athenia bullet stain] from their new album began with MAKO’s vocals mixed with drums, bass, and drawing guitar sound. Toki hit tight sharp drums. Kazuya played the bass shaking his body rhythmically, and he was thumping out a tune on the bass by finger in [dim quit]. aie changed guitar sound song by song and kept watching the audience. Their performance was firm and stable as ever. The existence of MAKO who sang and danced glamorously in the beautiful colored-lighting was breathtaking. His voice was hoarse and damaged by many lives, so he sang high pitched songs one octave lower than usual. There was a close atmosphere between MAKO who kept singing hard and the audience who kept watching and encouraging him silently, which wasn’t there before. In [bodybag No] which started with sharp guitar riff, the audience head banged and jumped with the rhythm. Soon after the song finished, they called members’ names and the audience screamed all at once as if they roared. In [maze room], MAKO handed a light, and illuminated himself and the audience alternately, which made a place seem mysterious. In the upbeat and light music [fragile sandy], MAKO sang emotionally, carrying sorrowful feeling in the melody.
From now on, more gloomy songs will start. Are you alright? MAKO said, and the dark world started with [Himawari]. People can’t do anything but meet the destiny of parting and death in the flash, of falling into loneliness and weakness. And we are bound by many restraints which are sometimes invisible human depth psychology and sometimes cruel and merciless realities, asking for helps but gaining no answer and falling into despair. Slow melody, tight rhythm, straining guitar sound, and beautiful chorus conspired to make deep spiritual world of MAKO on the stage dramatically. This overwhelming atmosphere swallowed the audience completely, when [Akizuka] finished and we came back to ourselves, everybody having to catch their breath.
As if MAKO broke the quiet atmosphere, he shouted Let’s go! Fuck’n guys!, and a bright up-tempo song [blut] began. The hall heated up suddenly, and the audience called Hey! Hey! raising their fists, head banging, and jumping. MAKO repeated hysteric motion like a cat scratching with claws. In [Jukei-sha no Nikki], he was a prisoner who put his hands forward with handcuffs on his wrists. In [Oboreru Sakana], he performed a pitiful but comical fish flittering his hands and turning around. Whispering, shouting hysterically, laughing suddenly, he expressed deadman’s music eloquently.
The last 6 songs of this live were the selection of music which members and fans rampaged together feeling a sense of identity. The audience who joined the live in each style until then, head banged, jumped and raised their fists all at once. When the slow melodious song [additional cause for sorrow], the audience became quiet and kept listening to MAKO’s voice. It was so impressive to see MAKO singing very hard with his hoarse voice. After the performance finished, the audience clapped, and MAKO bowed deeply saying, Thank you! which sounded refreshing.
Members answered the encore, and aie said I feel good playing, so we decided staying here tonight. Let’s enjoy together until the last train!, they pleasantly played upbeat music. MAKO who wore a sexy costume with a wide open back excited the audience, mimicking to sing like Eikichi Yazawa and making Kazutya’ call surprisingly, and he unexpectedly, let himself loose. That day, MAKO spoke as MC often, and he enjoyed gaming with the audience. The change of the atmosphere which I felt at first, was warmhearted and bound fans during the tour.
At this deadman live, I felt humanity and leaving a warm, very hearty impression, which might be the reason why Kyoto MUSE was the last live of their regional tour, and members and fans tried to enjoy the live more than usual. Another big reason might be that we were moved by MAKO who raised his damaged voice from serial lives and sang very hard. I thought I could see the border and conflict of MAKO between the artist who is performing and expressing on the stage and the fresh blood of a human who is worrying, suffering and rejoicing. At the moment when he sang a bright up-tempo song rhythmically, MAKO seemed an idol rock singer and I thought he wouldn’t need his thick makeup to express himself. His rigidity and purity can be seen directly in deadman's lyrics, in addition, the way he struggled in conflict with his nature was dramatic and masochistic, so we can even feel sadistic pleasure to watch him. That strange feeling might be caused from the attractive but dangerous poison of MAKO. The lives of deadman, which leave different impressions each time, make us look forward to their next eclectic live.
Set list:
1.asthenia bullet stain
2.rip roll soil
3.raison detre
4.dim quiet
5. bodybag No.
6.Moumoku no Hane to Hoshi wo Te ni
7.maze room
8.follow the night light
9.fragile sandy
10.Himawari (=sunflower)
11.Doris kara no Tegami (= a letter from Doris)
12.Taion (=body temperature)
13.this day. this rain.
14.Arizuka (=anthill)
15.blut
16.Jukei-sha no Nikki (= a diary of a prisoner)
17 grand ground
18.Oboreru Sakana (= a drowning fish)
19.quo vadis
20.re:make
21.additional cause for sorrow
en1
through the looking glass
lunch box
en2
star baby
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