Sel'm at Shibuya's Star Lounge

Sel’m welcomed their drummer MANJ" back after a long absence due to illness at a powerful live. The bohemian-looking Shibuya’s Star Lounge with its red and black walls was the perfect venue, the lights matching it in warm colors to materialize the band’s defiant sound.

“Let’s have some fun!” vocalist Ryuga yelled out as he fired up the crowd for Shine. Pumping fists and shouts of "Oi" saw the song through in waves of fierceness and light that got the crowd warmed up and ready for fuck. Almost on his knees, bassist Takuma plucked fiercely on the strings, his long hair thrashing from side to side as he moved his head to the beat.

Pumping the air fiercely, the crowd welcomed Crazy Dreamer, with jumps and yells following as the song built up. The orange lights and the bass beat gave the song a groggy tone, guitarist John taking the song home with a fiery solo. MANJ" started out Pressure, guitars and bass following suit while the vocalist growled into the mic, the vocals then changing to a fast-paced undecipherable mass of words. The crowd was having a blast, pumping the air and moshing to the joyful beat. It was a great number that allowed the crowd and band to interact, the members moving constantly to the tune and demanding more. “Thank you!” Ryuga yelled with a grin while MANJ" threw the drum sticks in the air, signaling the end of the song.

Hallucination consisted of a mix of heavy and light, the vocals acquiring a softer tone for the slower parts and showing another side of Ryuga. The drums gained speed clearing the path for the instrumentals, Tsubaki confidently plucking at the stings for some fiery guitar riffs. The song's light parts helped the transition to the sweet Kanade. All lights fell on the vocalist for the opening solo, his voice soft yet fierce as he dramatically raised his hand to the ceiling. Red washed over the stage and the song gained a restless tone, drums pounding in the background while John and Tsubaki shared the foreground in a duel. “Come here!” the vocalist demanded as the crowd gave into some warmly welcomed headbanging, bodies thrashing back and forth in sync while the guitarists added their own voices to the accompanying growls. The growls continued through Fragment, the drum and bass work standing out through the hot and heavy number, Takuma plucking some hot sounds from the strings as he swayed to the beat.

The vocals seemed to echo in the night for last hill, the ballad carrying a desperate and sad tone, and Ryuga showed all his showmanship as he took the wheel, vocals at their best. All lights fell on MANJ" for the drum solo that followed, the crowd welcoming him with a loud wave of screaming every time he stopped. The lights went down and a piano made its way through, electronics also waking up as the beat intensified. Pumping fists and claps accompanied the string trio’s return, John yelling with a pleased grin, “Are you ready for more?!” “Give us all you’ve got!” Tsubaki cut in and the crowd complied, pumping fists and yelling in support as Takuma took the center for a hot bass solo. “Let us hear your voices!” Ryuga demanded as he made his way up on stage, ready for the next song. With the crowd warmed up and ready after the energetic D.D.D, Sel’m proceeded to anther loud number, brave. “Let’s go!” The vocalist demanded and the pumping fists sped up, Tsubaki helping out with the backing vocals. The band’s energy was unflagging as they moved constantly and interacted with the crowd.

“Shibuya! We have some hot songs in store for you!” the vocalist assured the crowd, and the mood became aggravated with the powerful and fast-paced I’m Raider, vocals and guitars filled with effects giving the song an interesting dark, rap/goth tone. “Come with us!” the lead man called out as they blasted their way into MADIA, the crowd cheerfully jumping to the funky tune. Takuma, unstoppable, plucked some hot notes from the strings with his head down, hair swaying as he savored each note.

Red engulfed the stage and the heat intensified for Kikoku shuushuu>. The crowd headbanged like crazy while the band set an example, hair flying wildly to the hard beat. Despite not being particularly diverse, the set seemed to please the crowd who followed the band’s every command. For CREEPING JESUS, the audience dashed in circles for the mosh, the song setting a hard yet fun atmosphere that continued through the contagious Illegal World. Ryuga got the crowd yelling out each member’s name before instigating some more headbanging. Hands twirled in the air between jumps while on stage the members fired up the crowd. “Oh, yeah! Shibuya!” the vocalist yelled out while MANJ" hit the cymbals one last time, taking the song home, and between shouts of “Sankyuu,” the band bid their farewells.

Sel’m opened the encore with a heartfelt talk about MANJ"’s absence and his long awaited return. “It’s good to be together, the five of us,” the vocalist confessed and the crowd replied with a cheerful wave of “Welcome back!” “I didn’t go anywhere!” the drummer cut in with a grin, adding promptly, “But it’s good to be back! In March I had an accident and couldn’t even stand up. At the time I remember thinking that maybe I wouldn’t be able to play drums again.” The silence dragged for a few extra seconds, the drummer clearly moved and trying to fight the tears. “That’s it, I better not say another word!” he added with a slight grin and someone yelled, “That was close!” (in reference to him nearly crying). The vocalist cut in, “I’m sure you were all worried. We were too. While he was gone we had a tour and I feel all of this made us stronger. We kept giving our best, thinking, 'We have to go on! We have to!'"

Spirits high, the band brought out their A game for the encore. They started with the fierce Akatsuki, Ryuga punching the air as he yelled incoherent words into the mic. The song slowed down to a near stop, vocals echoing dramatically across the hall before the rhythm built up and the growls and loud instrumentals returned. They proceeded with softer numbers that revealed the band’s lighter side, first with the ballad Psysalis, which brought the string trio to the spotlight, guitars crying over drums in a powerful tune, and later with the dark Sayonara. What better way to end the show than in Sel’m style with lots of headbanging and growls. The energy was palpable as the band made their way through STARS, drums pounding, guitars blasting and bass throbbing. “Lend us your voices!” the vocalist yelled, and the crowd raised their hands in unison, giving it all for Shine. Hair flew freely to the puissant beat, catchy and rock coming together for the finale. The hall became one, singing and thrashing in unison, the mood a party one as the fans and the band welcomed MANJ" home with the promise of many more heated shows to come and an upcoming single release. Stay tuned!


Set list:

1. Shine
2. fuck
3. Crazy Dreamer
4. Pressure
5. Hallucination
6. Kanade
7. Fragment
8. last hill
9. D.D.D
10. brave
11. I’m Raider
12. MADIA
13. Kikoku Shuushuu
14. CREEPING JESUS
15. Illegal World
Encore
1. akatsuki
2. Psysalis
3. sayonara
4. STARS
5. Shine