DIAURA at Ebisu LIQUIDROOM

On August 10 and 11 roughly two hundred people gathered at Ebisu LIQUIDROOM for the Nippon dokusai keikaku 2013 event, sponsored by DIAURA’s label Ains. On the first night DIAURA played alongside other bands, such as heidi., 12012, DEZERT and GRIEVA. The second night was a one-man for DIAURA.

At 5 o`clock sharp, the lights in the hall go out as a blue light on the stage turn on. The intro`s epic melody is reminiscent of a “Pirates of the Caribbean” soundtrack, in fashion with the latest pirate trend in visual kei. Quickly followed by another drummer, Tatsuya, bassist Shoya and guitarist Kei come on stage, followed and ending with singer yo-ka holding up a gigantic black flag carrying the band`s logo. Having put it down, he half-whispers the title of the event in the microphone. Next the song Taidou creates an explosion of violence so that every head in the practically sold-out hall is moving.

With one glance at the stage one can see that each of the members has their own style, in contrast with some other bands in this genre whose outfits have more unity. yo-ka`s eyes are shaded with black tones; he is dressed head-to-toe in patent leather and wears a short studded skirt. Kei matches in a way by dressing in a long skirt of leather strips and a jacket with a long backside, but fashion-conscious Shoya hardly wears any make-up, has a stylish short haircut and is dressed in tight jeans with a large sparkly scarf draped around his chest.

After a heavy start with high-tempo songs the ominous piano of SIRIUS makes way for some dramatic rock ballads, giving the audience time to regain their breath. Although the instrumentalists play their instruments well, it is the vocalist who gives the music its charm. He possesses a powerful and deep voice; screams and grunts remain steady even when he is crouching or lying on the small platform on front of the stage. This platform is a wonderful tool to make the singer clearly seen by everyone as his movements emphasise the story of each song.

As silent as a mouse, the audience still listens until the band picks up the rhythm again, and soon the fans are jumping and banging their heads with renewed energy. Whereas the audience seems to get crazier as the concert progresses, the instrumentalists always appear very much in control of themselves. Since Tatsuya only recently joined the band, his lack of interaction might be shyness. Guitarist Kei is the co-founder of the group and can’t use this excuse. While he starts to move around more at the second encore, Shoya unfortunately remains looking bored throughout the evening. He hardly moves, knowing only one facial expression and doesn’t join in on the MC’s.

The contrast with yo-ka couldn’t be greater. The audience eats out of his hand and rightfully so. Through singing, dancing and riling up the audience, he makes up for what the others don’t do. At the second encore he orders the front half of the audience to push themselves forward as much as possible, allowing for not only several small moshpits but also yo-ka himself stagediving. Well into the song Inferiority Complex he disappears backstage so only his voice can be heard. Several seconds later some fans in the back of the livehouse turn around in shock as they hear a voice behind them and see yo-ka has appeared. Slowly he makes his way forward, stopping here and there to look his fans into their eyes while singing.

At Lost November the whole audience sings along, but more impressive than that is the violent and slightly alarming Anti People, from the band’s latest mini-album REBORN. Over a hundred people declare their fingers to society as they shout “anti-people, fuck the people”

At a quarter past seven the vocalist leaves the stage with a curt “thank you”, just after he sang the last lines of Garden of Eden. The remaining three finish the song and leave after a quick wave but without throwing any memorabilia into the sweat crowd.

DIAURA has a typical visual kei sound without being a copycat, which is pretty difficult in this scene. Another plus is that their discography is diverse, but always recognizable as a work of , thanks to yo-ka’s voice and Kei’s guitar solos. Lastly, fans or curious readers might be happy to know that the band made some announcements at this concert: on December 4th, their second album FOCUS will hit the stores, followed by an extensive tour through Japan.


Setlist
SE: D.G
1 Taidou
2 Kindan ryoiki
3 SISTER
MC
4 Aori - Daraku to ame
5 DEAR RULER
6 DOGMA
SE
7 SIRIUS
8 Todokanu tegami
9 Lily
MC
10 cult
11 deadly number
12 Moebius Ring
MC
13 Reason for Treason
14 anti people
15 MASTER

Encore 1
1 Chaos Play
2 Vanity Lips
3 TERRORS
4 Shitsu tsubasa no seiiki

Encore 2
1 Inferiority Complex
2 Garden of Eden