SUGIZO vs INORAN PRESENTS BEST BOUT 2021～L2/5～

On June 9th, which is unofficially known as "Rock Day" in Japan, LUNA SEA's guitarists SUGIZO and INORAN held a live event project titled SUGIZO vs INORAN PRESENTS BEST BOUT 2021～L2/5～ where both artists’ solo projects faced off against each other. This was the third in a popular series of events that started on June 9th, 2016. The previous two events brought whirlwinds of excitement to mid-sized venues, but due to the coronavirus disaster, this was the first one to be held as a live streaming event with no audience. The talented artist Tsunahisa Ogino was invited as a guest, and he took on the challenge of experimenting with live painting during SUGIZO and INORAN's performances. The three artists shared the whole stage, and the energetic music and painting came together to create a single art space and an evolution of the "Best Bout” series.

SUGIZO and INORAN were set up facing each other at either end of the floor, with Ogino's huge canvas in the middle. Opening the event was SUGIZO's first “attack”, the COSMIC DANCE QUARTET version of Nova Terra from his latest album LOVE & TRANQUILITY. With the mystical images of Yakushima Island in the background, he played ambient sounds on his guitar, which overlapped with the sound of water. Ogino, who had been standing still as if in meditation, surrendered himself to the world created by the sounds for a while before picking up a brush and beginning to paint.

From the second song IRA onwards, SUGIZO's inner rage was unleashed in a fiercer songwriting style, and the band performed non-stop until NO MORE NUKES PLAY THE GUITAR, which was accompanied by a video image, lighting and laser beams. Percussionist Kenji Yoshiura's use of everything from kagura bells to a djembe was a testament to SUGIZO's multinational musicianship. Along with VJ ZAKROCK's beautiful and meaningful images, SUGIZO's anti-nuclear, anti-war and other social messages were conveyed. Ogino's movements became more dynamic as the music played, and he even painted directly with his hands instead of using a brush. On the live streaming screen, the images of SUGIZO and Ogino were overlapped, and the images on the screen at the back of the venue were further emphasized and added to, helping the audience to visualize the clash of souls and the rising heat that was being generated in the venue.

Without requiring any pauses to change the setup, the camera then panned across the stage to kick off the first part of INORAN’s set. This method of seamlessly switching between their turns wouldn't have been possible in a live house with an audience, and it demonstrated one of the ways the two men were taking advantage of the streaming format. In a stark contrast to SUGIZO’s performance, INORAN sang his first song Hard Right in a dark space with no visuals and only a simple spotlight, wearing headphones.

On this day, the guitar and all other sounds except for INORAN's singing were played by Yukio Murata of MY WAY MY LOVE, a close friend of INORAN's. The two faced each other, sometimes shouting, sometimes dancing, and the show unfolded vividly and freely. The entire set list was taken from INORAN’s latest album Between The World And Me and his previous release, 2020’s Libertine Dreams. During Don't Bring Me Down, following its aggressive beat, Ogino shook his body as he painted, performing actions like throwing the paint vigorously with his hands. Music and painting may involve different techniques, but the vibes the artists were creating were firmly linked. The phoenix and the dragon, the motifs of the “Best Bout" concert series, were gradually revealed in real time by Ogino's hand. The moment the dragon's eye was finally drawn, the atmosphere was suddenly changed.

After INORAN closed part one of his performance with Shaking Trees, the camera turned to SUGIZO's side. The first song of SUGIZO’s second act, Zessai is a dub number that originally featured Kyo of DIR EN GREY on vocals, but this time SUGIZO played the main melody on the violin instead, while manipulator MaZDA played the guitar wildly. The stage was filled with a variety of laser lights, creating a feeling of magical beauty. Ogino's colorful painting on a pitch-black canvas seemed to be a visualization of the song's image. The song ENOLA GAY RELOADED started with a video of a woman wearing a hijab praying, and SUGIZO also waved around a flag. Although all of the songs were instrumental and there were no lyrics to explain them, the words “SAVE SYRIA”, “SAVE MYANMAH” and “SAVE PALESTINE” were projected on the screen to clearly show SUGIZO's commitment to the people of the world who are suffering from oppression.

INORAN kicked off part two of his set with Purpose. It is a ballad from the album Libertine Dreams, which INORAN wrote entirely by himself during the “stay home” period of the COVID-19 pandemic, and it's a song of fundamental depth that quietly questions the meaning of life. INORAN sang expressively with his hands seeming to wander through the air, and Murata's bluesy guitar solo was melancholy and touching. After Soul Aint For Sale, INORAN switched to a hand mic. The painting of the phoenix and the dragon was nearing completion and Ogino looked comfortable painting along to the rhythm. At times he made eye contact with INORAN and smiled as he painted. The last song, Leap of Faith, was a duet with a female vocalist who did not appear onstage. The ending left a lingering impression of the song's melancholy tone, but also of INORAN’s determination to continue moving towards the future.

The very last song of the event was titled 2050, and it was written by INORAN and arranged by SUGIZO. The song was written to serve as the closing theme of the event, and the two men played it together. SUGIZO said, "Did you enjoy the battle royale of love between INORAN, SUGIZO and Ogino? This song was composed with our hopes and prayers for the future after the pandemic.” After the words "May this planet find true peace and relief...", they played facing each other, with SUGIZO on violin and INORAN on guitar for the first time that day. Ogino slid his hands on the canvas, following the vibe created by the two performers. At the end of the show, SUGIZO and INORAN, who were actually standing at a distance from each other in the venue, looked as if they were facing each other up close, and Ogino was standing behind them, and finally the three men were all featured on the streaming screen at the same time. It seemed to symbolize the fact that even if they are far away from each other physically, art, such as music and painting, has the power to connect people with each other. Best Bout 2021 was a live event that served as a reminder of this and an attempt at pushing the boundaries of live music and creating a new hybrid art form.