Irodori Vol 2 - Another face - at Shibuya Eggman

Irodori is an event that started in March 2009, each time with a different theme. For the second edition held on June 11th at Shibuya eggman, the theme was “Another face” and it gathered singers from different bands, not necessarily related to the visual kei scene. It featured marco qwin, TAKITATE with vocalist Masaoku Tomita, RYO from KING and INZARGI from Megamasso. Each participant with the exception of INZARGI performed an acoustic set. But Megamasso’s front man took the occasion to present songs from his self-titled solo album which was released on April 4th.

The event started out with marco qwin who came on stage with his acoustic guitar. He was accompanied by a woman on keyboards who also did backing vocals. The first song they played was Hanabi, a poetic lullaby during which marco qwin enchanted us with his beautiful and powerful voice. The song was welcomed by appreciative claps at the end. It was followed by Kogane no inaka michi, a classic rock song with great harmonies between the acoustic guitar and the sound effects of the keyboard. Then during a short MC, the vocalist introduced the next song Juunigatsu no sora, another beautiful ballad. It was followed by another short MC and they continued with Urawa sakura street forever, a faster song with a great and fresh rhythm that got everyone in the venue to start clapping.

As spirits started to lift up, the singer took the opportunity to ask the audience to sing along, but even though it was too early in the night to get people to sing, he managed to create a very nice atmosphere. He sometimes changed the lyrics, adding for example “Shibuya eggman!” to address the crowd directly. It even got funny when the keyboardist started to play really fast but marco qwin was still encouraging her to play faster. This was followed by an impressive guitar solo, and finally he once again invited people to sing along with him, singing, “Everybody say…” and then adding voice exercises.

marco qwin ended his set on a classic ballad rightly titled Ai no uta ("love song”). It was the kind of song that perfectly fit the atmosphere of an acoustic event, and would remind you of the roots to rock music. Overall, his set was very harmonious and skillfully performed.

The following act was TAKITATE with vocalist Masaoku Tomita accompanied by a keyboardist, a percussionist, a bassist and a guitarist. They started out with a soft rock song called Mizutama after which the vocalist introduced the other members. Then they continued with a “fun song” as the singer introduced it: ho-hokekyo-. The percussions gave a colorful, summer taste to the song and everybody started to clap. During the MC that followed, the singer got sort of lost in his story, a story about the sea that served as an introduction to the next song Hana no kaori. The song rightly had a seaside feeling to it, and the audience listened carefully to the sweet tune.

For the fourth song the bassist and percussionist left the stage. hitotsu was a beautiful piano/acoustic guitar duet skillfully accompanied by the singer. The piano melody was especially impressive and made for a great love song. Then the percussionist and bassist returned for Nagareboshi. This last song sounded like an 80’s pop song with once again a very colorful aspect. It mixed fresh piano melodies with the acoustic guitar and percussion, giving it a beach-like atmosphere. Once the keyboardist started to clap, everyone in the small hall did the same, enjoying the mood that had spread through the venue.

The third act of the evening was RYO from KING. He started while the curtain was still closed with everything, a very dynamic piece. RYO has a deep, rock’n’roll voice and with his Andy Warhol T-shirt and blue jeans, he looked very rock’n’roll too. During the MC that followed he ordered people to clap and raise their hands, commanding in an authoritarian way and making everyone laugh. Yet everyone did raise their hands and clapped in rhythm. The second song, doors, was another dynamic song with a fantastic rhythm, a great classic rock song, fitting very well the singer’s voice. It was followed by a quieter, soft rock ballad: Now here. RYO’s voice became hoarse as he raised it into higher pitches which gave a fragile feeling to the ballad. His voice was really what made the difference since it's very distinctive.

During the next song Hi no tama Fire boy everyone started to dance, which made the singer stop for a moment and say to the audience: “Hey, it’s an acoustic live!” as though it were surprising that people would start dancing during an acoustic show. But the song was so much faster and more energetic than all that had been played before that it was actually not very surprising. The first rows started dancing again, and in the end so did RYO. Finally, everyone clapped, having obviously enjoyed themselves. For the last song all the session members left the stage, leaving RYO with his guitar and a new guitarist came up to accompany him. no wear was a gorgeous ballad during which RYO sang again with a broken, tortured voice. The effect was rather heartbreaking but really beautiful. In the end the singer called back the previous session members so that they could all salute the audience. RYO’s performance was unsurprisingly highly acclaimed by the audience.

Finally, the main act of the evening was held by INZARGI who was there to present his solo album. Contrary to the other three participants his set wouldn’t be acoustic and it started with some wind-like sound effects. His first song was Kajitsu no owari. With its electro-rock touch, the song was exactly the kind you’d expect to hear in disco clubs. It has a great rhythm and makes you want to dance, something that INZARGI himself didn’t refrain from doing. He actually had his own choreography for it which repeated throughout the set. As soon as the second song Hikari started, so did clapping among the fans. INZARGI didn’t dance much during the song but instead clapped along and jumped, leading the audience to do the same. At the end of the song, the fans immediately screamed “INZARGI!!!”

After a short MC, he continued with another song taken from his solo work called Rob you love you. It is another fast song that you can easily dance to but it’s also very melodic and fits INZARGI’s singing style very well. The show continued with Ending Role a song with a little heavier start but quieter verses with just the bass, drums and vocals, then the guitar kicks in during the chorus. It was highly acclaimed by fans who were yelling the singer’s name. After another short MC, he continued with Mitsu to Ga, the only song of the set taken from Megamasso’s discography, a b-side written by INZARGI. He started dancing again during the song, showing us his dancing skill and the merits of mixing hip hop dancing with rock music. They continued with Nijiiro no tsubasa wo motte and although the music was quite heavy, the audience was relatively quiet. INZARGI continued to play to his strengths during the following song Flakes of Snow, his powerful voice resonating throughout the hall in harmony with well-arranged melodies. There was once again a very good balance between quiet verses and heavier choruses. This was followed by a last MC before the final part of the show.

Mafuyu no seiza started with a pretty melody but quickly turned into a powerful song. INZARGI was standing at the very front of the stage, really singing to the fans and looking at them in the eyes. Then heavier and faster rhythms kicked in for a rock piece which bore a little of the punk spirit: Cold Fire. INZARGI was expressing himself through different kinds of body language, not just dancing, and the rock song was greatly appreciated, sending everyone’s fist in the air. It was also very noticeable for its guitar solo.

Finally the last song of the evening started. Dareyorimo chikakuite was a great choice to end the set with its hymn-like touch. INZARGI wasn’t the only entertainer of the evening; The guitarist was quite playful and a good stage musician too. As the song ended, claps and cheers filled the small venue. After a charming smile and a couple of bows INZARGI left the stage, having proved that he will do very well as a solo artist and that he was meant to rock out.

Thus ended the event having obviously satisfied the audience. People lingered after the end, watching in passing the flower exposition near the bar which was meant to represent each singer. The four figures were decorated with special flowers, for example white roses and lilies for INZARGI, and each figure had its own color theme, white, purple or yellow. All in all Irodori Vol.2 – Another Face – was a very enjoyable event that allowed many people to discover other talented independent artists.


Set lists:

marco qwin:

1. Hanabi
2. Kogane no inaka michi
3. Juunigatsu no sora
4. Urawa Sakura street forever
5. Ai no uta

TAKITATE:

1. Mizutama
2. ho-hokekyo-
3. Hana no kaori
4. hitotsu
5. Nagareboshi

RYO (KING):

1. Everything
2. Doors
3. Now here
4. Hi no tama Fire boy
5. No wear

INZARGI:

1. Kajitsu no owari
2. Hikari
MC
3. Rob you Love you
4. Ending Role
MC
5. Mitsu to Ga
6. Nijiiro no Tsubasa wo motte
7. Flakes Of Snow
MC
8. Mafuyu no Seiza
9. Cold Fire
10. Dareyorimo chikakuite