A disco ball lit the open set up as HumanDrive prepared for their performance. Visibly testing his kit was shirtless drummer Nori while bassist Hide responded to the crowd's cries of support.
The phrase “HumanDrive take the stage” was greeted with excited applause that gave way to the first song, Delight. Vocalist Noda Boy's gruff tenor voice took strong precedence over the music to kick off the set. The number soon evolved into a fun, upbeat tune, the floor lighting up to include the cheering crowd. A varied piece that shifted constantly, there was even a section for the fans to join in, crying “Woah yeah!” The instrumental then saw them clapping rapidly while Hide bent over his instrument and Noda Boy leapt into the air. Accenting the final drumbeats with arms spread wide, Noda Boy exhibited no hesitation in praising their opening number, “That was cool.”
The melodic guitar introduction of night bird had Noda Boy encouraging the crowd to clap before both he and the fans grooved to the funky music. He then broke out into falsetto, showing off his vocal range. Meanwhile, guitarist Tsubasa plucked an impressive melody, a sure highlight of the number. Clapping away till the end, the crowd's enthusiasm never wavered, with Noda Boy riding that energy until he cried, “Thank you, we're HumanDrive! You guys are really getting into it, huh. We've got three songs left, so please enjoy yourselves till the very end.”
A bright, fun number, Pi had the crowd bouncing, grooving, jumping, waving and even headbanging. “Raising your voices!” Noda Boy cried and the crowd responded immediately, echoing the vocalist's flowing “Woah.” As dry ice covered the stage in a smoky haze, the crowd danced away at their own pace, absolutely loving it. Hands and drinks raised in appreciation, they spared no thought for their voices as they yelled encouragement. Impressed, Noda Boy complimented their enthusiasm before handing it over to Hide who made sure the crowd knew how thrilled he was. He then invited everyone along to the next event while Tsubasa kicked off the next piece.
Eventually, Noda Boy introduced the song as snow and the crowd began to dance freely. Getting into the piece, Noda Boy even provided his own air guitar, strumming thrice to the musical accents. Responding to his prompt of clapping one hand to his forearm, the fans instantly took up a steady clap, bodies grooving under the light of a disco ball. Following the light sound of Noda Boy's falsetto at the tail end of the bridge, the crowd then jumped throughout the chorus. An interesting melodic shift saw the song through to its end.
“Everybody, let's enjoy the last song!” called Noda Boy. Twilight capped off the set, a catchy number that had the crowd practically leaping with excess energy, fully visible due to the brightly lit stage. Noda Boy evidenced good rapport with the fans, communicating through expression even as he sang. More hands raised than ever, the set came to an end with much cheering. One final leap by everyone then saw Noda Boy jump down from the stage and make his way out through the crowd, the instrumentalists following. Nori exited with his drumsticks held high.
The announcer's reminder of “that was HumanDrive!” was met with a piercing whistle and final cheer from a satisfied audience.
Set List
01. Delight
02. night bird
03. Pi
04. snow
05. Twilight
HumanDrive is currently working on their first release. More information about the band can be found on their MySpace profile.
