"Ameagari no yuushi" – stunning sukekiyo’s live in Berlin

On September 20th, as a part of the Ameagari no yuushi tour to promote debut album IMMORTALIS, sukekiyo put on a stunning concert at Berlin’s C-CLUB. The venue was full of fans who watched the act in awe. Yes, sukekiyo’s live was more an act, a performance than a typical rock gig, which made it so special. It had a unique, intimate atmosphere that left all fans mesmerized.

sukekiyo is a special project of DIR EN GREY’s frontman KYO, who invited a selection of popular visual kei musicians to work with him. The first member to appear on stage was drummer Mika, then bassist YUCHI, and then the two guitarists UTA and Takumi. Takumi took his seat behind a keyboard, resting his acoustic guitar on his lap. KYO was last out, wearing just a black waistcoat on his otherwise naked torso, with a black hat hiding his eyes. He stood still in front of the crowd, turning his right ear to the band as he waited for the first sound from them as DESTRUDO faded away. Once it had, the magic started.

The audience were mesmerized by the wonderful Aftermath and Elisabeth Addict, played on unusual instruments. It’s no wonder that sukekiyo has been called an artistic project first and a band second, because it has so much more to offer than most regular bands. It allows KYO to prepare an incredibly emotional act, totally different from his DIR EN GREY persona. There is an incredible gentleness in KYO performance with sukekiyo. This music has none of the brutality of DIR EN GREY’s metal. The music is slow and gentle, sinking deep into listeners’ hearts, making them unable to move as they hold their breath together with KYO.

Not that KYO was the only member to give a stunning performance; the other musicians also showed great talent and skill. UTA was deeply immersed in the music, mouthing almost every song’s lyrics along with KYO, and accented more dramatic moments by tilting his head back and pulling at his hair. A few times, UTA tried to convince the audience to headbang, but only a few responded. Most were just so mesmerized by the frontman’s performance, they simply couldn’t bear to look away.

It was quite incredible how talented KYO’s bandmates were as musicians, and how many different instruments they were using. Takumi played guitar and piano but was also in charge of programming any background music, working at the same time on two laptops. UTA played guitar and also a taishōgoto, an electric version of the koto, a traditional Japanese zither. He used a violin bow to play it, which seemed a bit unconventional. Besides his electric bass, YUCHI also used an electric upright bass. Its deep sound resonated round the venue and could be felt right in listeners’ spines. Together with Mika’s various drumming techniques, this all combined to create fantastic musical backdrop for the performance.

Then again, it’s not really fair to say the rest of sukekiyo merely provided a backdrop for KYO’s own performance. As a matter of fact, they were just as important. It was only through the music they created that let KYO express himself in the mesmeric way he did. The moments when he just stood still and turned his right ear to the band to catch every sound were very precious, and demonstrated the unique bond between these musicians. Only together could they have crafted this amazing spectacle.

Many aspects of this live made it as much a piece of performance art. Rather than simply singing, KYO was experiencing the music and conveying emotions through his whole body. His movements and dancing were exact reflections of how music influenced him. It was hard not to move a little with him. At times, his actions became more dramatic and intense, especially when he started to choke himself with the microphone cable or drown himself with water. It was truly hypnotic to watch.

There were also heavier moments, when music turned loud and heavy. In these moments, KYO fell to his knees as he let out spine-tingling screams.

Ultimately, there were no pointless elements in this show, no vain actions. It looked like a well-directed play, but the same time seemed completely improvised and spontaneous. At the end of the two hours, KYO left the stage with a gentle “oyasumi” (good night in Japanese) and his bandmates followed. Nobody called out for encore – not because they didn’t like it, but because the performance they’d experienced was so complete that there was nothing to add, and nothing else to ask for.

Stunning and unique, the evening was an experience like no other. It’s hard not to compare sukekiyo to DIR EN GREY, but those two bands exist in two different worlds. The KYO who fronts DIR EN GREY is a totally different person from the singer of sukekiyo. Where the former exist to release emotions, the latter evoke them. Both move the listener in unique and undeniable ways, but differently so. sukekiyo’s Berlin concert was pure magic, and the audience that witnessed it were lucky to have done so. Very lucky indeed.

Set List:
01. destrudo
02. aftermath
03. elisabeth addict
04. latour
05. nine melted fiction
06. the daemon's cutlery
07. Intermission
08. New Song
09. scars like velvet
10. zephyr
11. hidden one
12. hemimetabolism
13. uyuu no sora
14. vandal
15. madaraningen
16. 304 goushitsu, shita to yoru
17. kugui
18. mama
19. in all weathers