On tanabata, a night of wishes made and granted; vistlip’s third birthday was a huge success – if the crowd’s constant energy was anything to judge by.
vistlip sold out the steamy Shibuya O-East on July 7th, with hundreds of fans packed in together, braving the heat. However, for all the energy and enthusiasm the crowd showed, it might have been a breezy spring day.
The darkened venue was graced with a film reel of the band’s music videos from the latest STRAWBERRY BUTTERFLY backwards, ending at 2007 with the final message “Re: birth to seven showcase." A moment later, purple lights hit the screen, revealing the band behind whilst keeping them mostly concealed. The opening number, a very appropriate July VIIth, was played out behind the screen, the summery music taking precedence over the view as various coloured mosaics lit the partition. Excited cries from the crowd greeted FIVE BARKIN ANIMALS, their clapping spreading for the duration of the intro. Then, the screen fell at last as the opening rap broke out and the band were revealed in the identical black, white and grey outfits of their new single, red roses pinned to each members’ chest. The heavy piece, complete with scratching, quickly had the crowd responding to every turn of the music, jumping, swinging towels, and clapping as the sound faded out and then came back with a vengeance.
EVE lit the place up with lasers and answering glow-sticks from the crowd. Throughout the piece, guitarist umi and bassist rui maneuvered skilfully about each other, the wicked guitar melody making it impossible for either the crowd or members to stay in one place. the surface had the instrumentalists headbanging up and down over their instruments, fans eager to follow. Meanwhile, the rap duet between umi and tomo was a definite highlight of the set as the guitarist bent low, pulling the mic down to match hardcore imagery to the heavy piece. With the opening of Dead Cherry, the stage lit up in full, poles of blue light hanging down from the rafters. The umi/tomo collaboration continued in a lighter fashion, the relaxed melody calming the fans after their earlier rampage.
An MC followed in the lull. Aside from the usual tour talk and thank yous, there was an amusing interplay between umi and the crowd, ending in the guitarist responding to the persistent cries of “umi!!!” with a “Shut up! Come and get it!” zero began with tomo’s request of “everybody, clap your hands.” He then did exactly that, sitting on his podium. Throughout the number, both rui and drummer Tohya could be seen enthusiastically singing along until the sudden end to the song, which immediately led into Pave au chocolat. The strong guitar line kept the fans jumping and clapping, however, the verse saw the guitars retreat as bass and drums earned their moment in the spotlight beside tomo. This they made up for later in the playful piece, whispering teasingly to one another, Yuh falling to his knees before the audience as he continued to play while umi borrowed the stage left mic.
Next up, the recent single STRAWBERRY BUTTERFLY had the crowd swaying to its poppy beat, the upbeat ballad inducing a wash of soft pink lighting despite the bright sound of the guitars. The march-beat snare of the drum solo had the crowd on their tip-toes in suspense that was relieved as the chorus resumed. Towels out and laser lights flashing, EGOIST provided a swift change of pace. As tomo’s death voice appeared for the first time, umi and Tohya made faces at one another. tomo’s drawn out crotch rub fired up the ladies for rui’s red-washed bass solo. The vocalist’s scream brought the number to an end, segueing into the ominous opening melody of Night Parade, a number that varied constantly between melody and heaviness, with Yuh proving himself under the spotlight in his guitar solo.
It was explained that the next piece, Tsuiraku was written with the concept of everyone coming together, sharing their strength to live on beyond the hard times. There was a sense of stillness onstage and throughout the venue that contrasted with the constant movement of the set so far, the ballad holding everyone tightly from start to finish. The stillness continued into CLASSIC OPERA, the piece beginning with tomo framed in golden light, breathing heavily into the mic. The unusual sound of a glockenspiel rang throughout the pretty intro, interestingly contrasted by the use of heavy kick-bass. The dreamy melody ended with a breathless “I love you.” Next, Kage oni was introduced by tomo as a song written during hard times, the lyrics coming from those experiences. The pretty piano introduction of runs and broken chords gave way to an upbeat ballad. Meanwhile, the heavy sounds of the guitars, and visage of Tohya constantly in motion behind his drum kit were met with the contrast of light vocal melody and piano continuing to flutter in the background.
The mood turned heavy once again with drop note., everyone headbanging, and Yuh dropping to the floor for his solo. Princess Dizzy smoothly took over, clever guitar line capturing attention. Heavy interludes led into the poppy chorus, the piece interspersed with guitar solos. Then came a new song, OmoideCG beginning with a hot bass solo. Hard and heavy, with umi unleashing his almost demonic death voice on the mic, the piece was wracked with headbanging, smartly intersected by tomo’s spoken lines. Finishing up with a bout of growling from the vocalist himself, a cry of “Tokyo, can you go on?” led into EDY to round up the set. His back to the crowd, tomo took advantage of the introduction, headbanging to his heart’s content. The house was a sea of thrashing heads and jumping bodies – both umi and rui giving in to the bouncy rhythm. Yuh’s solo saw a display of rainbow lights that matched the upbeat chorus, but the last was another hard round of headbanging forewarned by umi and rui who signalled the crowd, encouraging all to spare nothing in this last number. Just like that, the band made their way offstage, umi thoughtfully flipping off his fans on the way out.
Sheer persistence won out as the crowd kept up a lengthy but loud and constant encore chant, not once faltering to the humidity afflicting the venue. The band’s re-entrance transitioned immediately into the new single Hameln, the cheerful song sending umi chasing playfully after Yuh, the two running in circles about the stage. The view of both tomo and a crowd decked out in visual kei gear playing at the classic hip-hop bounce was a spectacle not to be missed. Another highlight of the piece was a section of slow clapping led by tomo, Tohya’s drumsticks clashing in the air. rui practically beamed as the members framed the vocalist, occasionally casting glances back towards the drum kit to include Tohya in the scene. Continuing the mood, the upbeat NEXT had tomo wandering into umi’s territory, the guitarist advancing on his vocalist as the two shared a dog-like tip of the head, both members and crowd breaking out in grins. The vocalist kept the crowd shouting throughout Yuh’s centre stage solo, everyone primed and ready for the post-song entrance of… a birthday cake. The band was taken by surprise as the audience launched into a rapid chorus of “Happy Birthday dear vistlip” to which the members responded by gathering about the cake and extinguishing the candles before partaking of the strawberries littered atop the cream.
After a lot of joking around discussing pink shirts and the sweat-drenched grey ones worn by the band, umi drew everyone’s attention to the paper littered trees set on a special stage to the right of the crowd. July 7th is the Japanese tanabata festival where wishes are made and tied to a branch. Wishes had been collected throughout the tour, some of which tomo and rui read aloud, including the controversial “I wish for umi’s room to be cleaned."
At last, the set continued with Ukiyo graffiti, an upbeat piece that once more sent umi stalking after Yuh, the lead guitarist retaliating with kicks to umi’s shins. A series of cries from tomo preceded LIONHEART, a versatile display of heavy guitar versus melodic chorus until umi stole tomo’s mic for a heavy rap. The final key change saw both umi and rui fall down on splayed knees throughout the remainder of the song.
Following the crowd favourite, tomo launched into an emotional talk about vistlip’s journey thus far and their prospects for the future. He mentioned the many trials they have surpassed over the last three years, and requested the fans’ continued support from now on. Then, -OZONE- littered the crowd in silver and gold streamers which were caught up in eager hands, flashing towards the stage. As the final number, the piece was a particularly bright affair with smiles all around. The playful exchange between Yuh and umi continued through the former’s guitar solo at centre stage as he pinned down the sitting umi with a booted foot. tomo sang from the heart as the instrumentalists dropped out, the vocalist supported by recorded remnants until Tohya’s stick twirled high above his head and came down to see out the remainder of the number and the night.
The band’s farewell was not a short affair. Many sentiments were shared along with the distribution of many a pick, bottle, drum stick, and not one, but two drum heads. “It’s our birthday, so celebrate more!” tomo cried, eliciting a roar of celebration from the crowd. After a spontaneous photo of the band with the background of a thrilled audience, the night was finally brought to an end with a massive jump – and an unexpected explosion of rainbow streamers that the members were apparently unaware of, judging by their startled reaction.
Following the band’s exit, the new music video of Hameln gave the crowd a reason to linger. Then, the printed announcement of a second full album gave them a reason to rush out and spread the word.
vistlip’s third birthday was certainly seen in with a bang, an emotionally charged atmosphere exploding in the best of ways to bring fans and band together.
Set list:
01. July VIIth
02. FIVE BARKIN ANIMALS
03. EVE
04. The surface
05. Dead Cherry
06. zero
07. Pave au chocolat
08. STRAWBERRY BUTTERFLY
09. EGOIST
10. Night Parade
11. tsuiraku
12. CLASSIC OPERA
13. kage oni
14. drop note
15. Princess Dizzy
16. OmoideCG
17. EDY
Encore:
18. Hameln
19. NEXT
20. ukiyo graffiti
21. LION HEART
22. -OZONE-
