Press conference of Calmando Qual in France

We met the Calmando Qual band members in the lounge of a small hotel in Paris, on the morning after their French concert in Paris. Due to their tiring day before: travelling, performing and autograph session, they had gotten up late and had just finished their meal when we arrived. Despite the fact that they seemed exhausted, there was a good atmosphere.


What do you think of your performance last night?

Hibiki: Last night's concert was one of the best we’ve ever played.
Tak: We’ve wanted to come to France for two years and our expectations have been fulfilled.

Your only live video is a hidden track on the DVD Inner Trip, named ANTI-FLAG. Why did you choose to do that and are you planning to make a live DVD some day?

Tasc: After the music videos, people wanted to see something else, so that’s why we added it.

What genre does your music belong to: visual kei, eroguro or gothic?

Hibiki: We didn’t really choose one, but it’s mostly gothic. It is not visual kei, however; we don’t like visual kei!

What will you remember about your European tour?

Hibiki: The people in Europe are very nice.
Tak: The audience is hot.
Kenka: The weather is fresh in Europe.

You have a new drummer now, Sio. Did this change anything with the band?

Tak: Everything's working very well now. He has adapted very well, and the band's style has evolved since he joined.

What are your musical influences? Could one compare your style with Marilyn Manson?

Hibiki: We are inspired by the things that are close to us, one of which is Japanese music. But yes, I know who Marilyn Manson is.
Tasc: Yes we know him, but it is a bit different. But we don’t mind the comparison.

Your first album is called Heretical God. Why the contradiction in the name?

Hibiki and Kenka: We knew these terms have a completely opposite meaning, but we wanted to make a play on words.

Last night you played a new song. Will we find it again on your new album? When will you release the new album?

Hibiki and Tasc: Yes, it will be on the new album which will be released this autumn. It will be a kind of CD-Extra with a video and more.

If you could have played longer, what songs would you have played?

Hibiki: We would have played the same songs time after time!
Kenka: The set list was great?! (They laugh)

You chose to play ANTI FLAG at the end of the concert. This song, which makes the audience move a lot, and is very appreciated by the fans, can also be a bit controversial in France. So you changed the contents by replacing “Hail” with “Yeah” in the chorus. But why did you choose to play it at the end, was it simply to give a last blast of energy to the audience?

Hibiki: Because it was the last song! (laughs). But we haven’t really thought about it.

On the album Heretical God, there is the song Uta which is rather soft; Hibiki’s voice has a fragile sound to it. Could you explain why this song contrasts so much with the other compositions of the band, which are very aggressive?

Hibiki: That’s a difficult question!
Tasc: The image we wanted to portray was that Hibiki was dying a long, painful death, but fighting against it.

You’ve made the remix album Mechanical mix with unjust blood. Was it a musical step for you, or did you just want to experiment with something from a different perspective?

Hibiki: Tasc should answer this one! (The album was created by Tasc)
Tasc: With each composition, I worked on a remix version, so that’s why it was finished for a long time. I worked a lot with drums and rhythm, and I made an electro version with lots of samples and other things; that’s my main pastime. People also feel emotions with electro. There isn’t really a message I want to transmit, though; it’s simply what I love.

If you weren’t musicians, what would you like to do?

Hibiki: Without music, I will die!!
Tak: Without music, nothing.
Kenka: If I could not make music, I would drink sake all day! (Kenka imitates a drunkard that drinks all the time, causing everybody to laugh)
Tasc: Salary-man! (everybody laughs again)
Sio: Policeman! (more laughter)

About your costumes, you’ve changed your look a lot. Did you design your own clothes and if not, how do you choose them?

Hibiki: We don’t have a stylist. We buy our costumes ourselves or else ask someone to make them in specialized shops. Tak and myself are responsible for this. In general, whatever is convenient for us. While it’s true that we like the visual style, it’s only a style.

Concerning your latest photos, they surprised many people because of the change of style. Did you do this for a particular reason?

Hibiki: When we do a photo shoot, we don’t have a concept and we don’t think about it much: it’s done by instinct.

What emotion do you want to pass on to the audience?

Hibiki: It’s true that Calmando Qual’s songs are dark, but we would like to give a message that every day, one must persevere. In short, it’s more optimistic than one might think it is.

Talking about messages, on Killer Fiction, there are several titles that are the names of serial killers. Why did you choose this?

Hibiki: From the start, I thought that it would go well with Calmando Qual’s music, so I worked on it like that.

Did you read the book “Killer Fiction” by G.J. Schaefer? (“Autobiographic” book of a serial killer, known to be very violent and morbid)

Hibiki: I haven’t read the entire book yet, but I love the beginning and the cover.

You haven’t been in France for very long, but what has made an impression on you, at the concert or otherwise?

Hibiki: We were surprised by the audience who moved so much.
Tasc: Playing in many countries, there are things that surprise us a lot, and each time is different.
Kenka: There are a lot of guys! I was very happy about that. (A small pause before clarifying) But uh… I only like girls! In other European countries there were quite a few males, but in Japan only girls. We were happy that the people threw themselves towards the stage to get closer to us and to try to touch us.

Do you plan on returning to France and other European countries?

Hibiki: Yes, we even hope to play all over the world, but of course France as well.

So ended the press conference, until Kenka added that he wants to learn French and that Hibiki already knows French! Also, before leaving, Hibiki announced that they’re thinking of changing the band’s name, they were just discussing it. It is just a joke from the band? Keep a close watch on it!

Thanks to Calmando Qual, nanimato/Kazane and Migo for translating.