DIR EN GREY at Astra Kulturhaus, Berlin

Formed in 1997, DIR EN GREY is a band that doesn't need an introduction among Japanese music listeners. This hugely popular band, continually escaping the cuffs of genres, released their newest album ARCHE at the end of last year and a PV collection titled Average Sorrow in April this year. At the end of May DIR EN GREY travelled around Europe on their THE UNSTOPPABLE LIFE tour. One of its most festive moments was a return to Berlin, as it had been ten years since their first arrival to Berlin and Europe overall.

The number of people didn't quite reach that of the maximum capacity in Astra Kulturhaus, but it was definitely close to the 1,500 when the supporting act was about to start. Rise of the Northstar from France had a hard time keeping the audience satisfied before such a band as loved as DIR EN GREY. However, the band didn't seem humble at all—they had clearly decided to take the audience on a rampage with them, by force if necessary. The band had their own fans and followers in the audience as well, and they made sure to start a mosh pit during the set. The supporting act and DIR EN GREY did have something in common, such as a rather clear Japanese influence and a way to make the most unique mix of genres: all the way from punk to metal and rap, for example.

For most of the audience the waiting time between the bands' performances seemed to be forever. The first appearance of Kyo's podium on the stage brought about joyful screams, and the rhythmic yelling of "DIR EN GREY" rose above the background music. Earplugs were needed when the intro started and the members started to make their entry on stage one after another. In particular, Toshiya, the skirt-wearing bassist and Die, the hooded guitarist, got the audience screaming and whistling with their invigorating gestures. While Shinya looked rather ethereal with his plain white shirt, the panda-eyed guitarist Kaoru's entrance was like the calm before the storm. Kyo was oozing with intensive darkness from the very first moment. A storm cloud could almost be seen above his head, and the white contact lenses didn't help in lightening his appearance.

DIR EN GREY had tried hard to rid themselves of the visual kei stamp before. However, during the past few years, their unusual looks and visual aspects of their live performances started to make a comeback. It was refreshing to see the make-up on their faces and the outfits that were quite showy compared to few years back.

However, it definitely wasn't a nostalgic trip to their visual times, as the 17-song-set list only included three songs from outside of ARCHE: Fukai, -saku- and Hageshisa to, kono mune no naka de karamitsuita shakunetsu no yami. Also, Kyo's self-harm that used to be a part of the past show routine isn't part of their current one. The tracks were visualized with background videos, of which the most memorable was the one for Kukoku no kyouon, where wonderful paper lanterns soared around the wall.

Although Kyo's been having problems with his voice on and off for years, and also at least once during their Japanese tour, no hint of the difficulties could be heard in Berlin even though the singer seemed to be coughing at the end of the set. In fact, one of the best parts of the concert was hearing Kyo's voice when he sang purely in the strongest part of his vocal range. He is definitely one of the best when it comes to mastering different delivery techniques—for instance, in his side project sukekiyo he has been focusing on falsettos. One could only be impressed by how beautifully and unrestrictedly Kyo's voice resonated as he sang in a lower, more natural sounding voice.

The communication between the band and the audience was especially delightful. As fans would know, this band doesn't make speeches during their lives for nothing. It wasn't really even needed, as the universal languages of music and body language were more than enough. The audience expressed their love towards the band with loud yelling, rhythmic clapping and even with joyful singsong during the last song. One of the security guards handed out a piece of tissue when someone was moved to tears in the front row. Toshiya toasted with his bottle and even Kyo, with his mostly expressionless face, relented to tap his chest where the heart is. The audience's enthusiasm was almost tangible during the encore-yelling, which started right after the band left the stage. After the encore, the members stayed for a while to throw their water bottles, drumsticks and plectrums to the audience, and Die in particular didn't seem to want to leave the stage.

Overall, the concert left fans feeling pleased and hungry, in a good way. The latest album's songs unfolded differently and with a whole new perspective when heard live. Certainly, there were many among the crowd eagerly waiting for DIR EN GREY's next Europe tour.

Note: Photographs used in this live report were taken during a gig in Poland.