Mix Speaker's,Inc. “Ghost House” Tour at Shinjuku BLAZE

Visual kei band Mix Speaker's,Inc. finally returned to the stage with their new vocalist NIKA. The band had faced a difficult situation when their former vocalist YUKI departed in April, but Mix Speaker's,Inc. and their faithful fans courageously overcame the challenge with the help of guest singers during the band’s tour in summer. Now, stronger than ever, Mix Speaker's,Inc. are ready to begin their new story. To start the new chapter of their career, Mix Speaker's,Inc. toured three cities in December: Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka, under the conceptual title Ghost House. The first program of what the band called Mix Theater is about an encounter between an exorcist and five residents of a haunted mansion on a rainy night. Starring in this drama: vocalist NIKA as Exorcist, vocalist MIKI as Murder Doll, guitarist AYA as Mrs. Rose, guitarist keiji as Evil Eye, bassist seek as Bone Collector, and finally drummer S as Candle Man.

Two human-sized dolls were placed on the left and right side of the dark stage. The spotlight lit a doll on the left, which had a sign hanging on its neck stating “Ladies and Gentlemen”. Then another light hit the doll on the right side, also sporting a sign with the message “Be Quiet”. Then, six members quietly entered the stage one-by-one as the BGM Black tread created a ghostly atmosphere in the venue. The show started with a new song HELLO BAD COMMUNICATION. The band’s signature style of beautiful harmonies and unified choreography from the two vocalists immediately grabbed fans’ attention. Fans imitated the two singers’ moves and swayed along to the danceable rhythm. seek’s technical playing of the upright bass added an extra accent to the song. Showing amazing dedication as always, the band were all in their character costumes while playing their songs. The Candle Man outfit, in particular, even looked difficult to breathe in, but S shook the venue with his powerful drum beats. Fans enthusiastically showed their appreciation to new vocalist NIKA who offered up good looks and strong stage presence, not to mention a catchy, sweet high tone voice. It was clear that some girls had already accepted NIKA as their new Prince Charming in white. Then, the band showed off their intense determination by playing aggressive numbers THIRTEEN and HELL FIRE. Fans violently headbanged and fist pumped together with the new vocalist.

The band showed its playfulness during the fifth song Woody Nightmare. MIKI pulled out a big die with a member’s name on each side of it while the two guitarists heated up the floor with aggressive riffs. MIKI rolled the die and drummer S won an exclusive spotlight. In response, he enjoyed playing a drum solo. The band continued to exhibit their theatrical performance style during the mellow and emotional number Akaimakigami to Never Land. The two singers sat down on chairs and displayed a breathtakingly sweet harmony and performed falsetto vocals in unison. Finally, the band members spoke to fans for the first time. “We are back now! Are you nervous? Are you having a good time? I’m so grateful that you guys kindly waited for our return,” MIKI greeted the audience. “We have a new vocalist!” He then introduced his new partner. “Nice to meet you. I am NIKA. I am so nervous but I am also very thankful to you guys for kindly accepting me. Let’s dream on together, and please continue to follow us,” said the new vocalist. Then, seek took over. “Well, you know Mix Speaker's,Inc. is a corporation. Our company has nearly eight years of history, but this is the first time we’ve had a new employee. You guys are actually seniors to him, so please be kind to NIKA.” The Bone Collector’s humorous remark filled the venue with laughter.

However, seek suddenly switched over to riling up the fans, indicating the climax of the show was about to begin. “Shake your heads!!” shouted the third vocalist, his rumbling voice stirring the fans up even more. Fans headbanged violently as Pandora started to play. seek dominated the stage with his beastly growl and powerful backing chorus. AYA played a guitar solo powered by the relentless drum beat of S and an intense cutting guitar riff from keiji. The show got physical as fans rushed to the front row like a human wave during Crash Clover and moshed around during the following climax number SCREAM go AROUND. However, the last song was actually the melodious pop number, the end, in which fans could enjoy the unified vocals of the two singers to its full extent. The band showed off their confidence and determination to continue with their twin vocalist style at the end of the show.

During the encore, the band revealed some of their future plans. A new mini-album titled Hello Ghost House will be released on April 22nd, 2015. Also, the band will embark on a nationwide 8th anniversary one-man tour Ghost Town starting on February 28th. The band also treated the fans to their Christmas song My wish[HORROR]X’mas. Then, they showed a preview of what fans can expect from their upcoming mini-album by performing a new song, Ghost Gate. They closed the show with the hope-filled song Shiny tale. “Thank you!” the two vocalists shouted their gratitude. The band took a group photo with their fans at the end, bringing their successful first show with NIKA to a close. 


Set List:

1. HELLO BAD COMMUNICATION
2. THIRTEEN
3. HELL FIRE
4. Innocent World
5. Woody Nightmare
6. GREEN
7. Akai Makigami to Never Land
8. MERMAID
9. Little star
10. PINKY ADVENTURE
11. Pandora
12. Crash Clover
13. SCREAM go AROUND Long ver
14. the end

Encore

15. My wish[HORROR]X’mas
16. Ghost gate
17. MONSTIME Long ver
18. Shiny tale

You can watch a preview video for their future activities below.