THE NOVEMBERS Tour Final at Roppongi EX THEATER

After releasing the single Kyou mo ikitane, alternative rock band THE NOVEMBERS travelled across Japan on their The World Will Listen tour. At every venue they were accompanied by a support act, including groups such as Czecho no Republic and OGRE YOU ASSHOLE. For their last concert the band has two opening acts, ART-SCHOOL and STRAIGHTENER, who get the audience worked up for two hours before it’s THE NOVEMBERS’ turn.

The band starts off with Higan de chiru ao, a song from their mini-album To (melt into), which was released in 2011. The drums start off energetic, the fast paced rhythms engulfing the venue. The audience is quietly watching as vocalist Yusuke Kobayashi grabs the microphone with both hands and lets out a long shout, his stance powerful. Following that strong start, they move on to a softer song from their most recent album. After a quick guitar switch the mellow tones of Flower of life are quickly recognized. Hirofumi Takamatsu’s distinctive bass line gives the song a special touch and puts his playing in the spotlight. Kobayashi’s voice is dreamily soft and mesmerizing. The stage lights accompany the music and add to the atmosphere of the song.

The soft sound ends as the vocal and guitar seem to sharpen, steering the show into a louder rock style as the band starts Reunion with Marr. With a rougher and louder voice Kobayashi repeats ‘take it or leave it’ until he’s screaming out the words, ending the song and then returning to a quieter sound. The members get the most out of their instruments, knowing how to distort or enhance the sounds they produce. This makes the guitar solos especially intense and beautifully performed. All of the members are clearly adept at establishing an atmosphere through sound.

As they start dnim, a deep red colors the stage while the rest remains dark, repeatedly switching with a green light, which contrasts against the warm color. The guitars are loud and Kobayashi makes his instrument scream by using the tremolo while Kengo Matsumoto headbangs to the music, kneeling down on the stage and rocking out on his guitar. The Iron Dream is next, easily recognizable by the rhythm and rough guitar chords, which are soon followed by high-pitched strumming. The refrains of the songs are loud, with the vocalist screaming out the lyrics and the rest of the members headbanging along.

The set is closed with their newest single, the soft and melodic Kyou mo ikitane. The audience listens as the members play their parts gently. The song flows, builds up just a bit at the end, but is mostly dreamy.

With a strong mixture of new and old songs over the course of the show, the band shows a lot of variety. As their new single also has two other songs that are rather soft and quiet, the band’s decision to offset them with heavier tracks from previous releases helps to make it a memorable concert.

It doesn’t take the band long to get back to the stage for the encore. THE NOVEMBERS have saved the song Misstopia for last. Kobayashi shows the audience his higher reach, intensifying the song. Timing is everything, and drummer Ryosuke Yoshiki also shows he’s able to play everything to perfection. Misstopia is powerful, with elements starting and fading out during the song, keeping the audience in focus. The softer and more striking notes balance. In no time, the song is over, and so is the performance.

The members retreat backstage soon after the applause, but it’s clear that it’s not quite time to go home yet. New dates for a tour and their first live at Studio Coast are announced, and before the month of November, THE NOVEMBERS will release a new album, something the whole crowd will be looking forward to.

Set List:

1. Higan de chiru ao
2. Flower of life
3. Reunion with Marr
4. Last Exit to Brooklyn
5. Uyuni no koibito
6. philia
7. Eien no fukusei
8. dnim
9. The Iron Dream
10. dogma
11. wire
12. Kyou mo ikitane

Encore
13. Misstopia