SCANDAL at Lido, Berlin

On first impression, it could’ve looked like a regular Thursday afternoon in the Kreuzberg district of Berlin, but a sizeable queue started to form in front of Lido even before the sun had set. Its most striking aspect wasn’t its size, but the peculiar combination of fans that formed it, from the hardened, gray-haired metalheads to the preteen girls who might see in SCANDAL four role models in music or in life (or perhaps in both).

And how did life change since the last time SCANDAL played in Berlin, six years ago? For starters, they’ve released three albums since then, each of them reaching the top five of the Oricon chart on release, just like their previous seven efforts. The two most recent ones, Kiss from the darkness (2020) and Mirror (2022), were not released by Epic Records, their previous home, but by Her, their own indie label. As if reflecting this change, the albums' songs often became more personal, with the lyrics drawing from each of the members’ experiences and the music being written almost exclusively by themselves, a tendency that had been forming since 2014. However, the COVID-19 pandemic hit the band hard in the years surrounding these releases, forcing them to cancel their planned 2021 tour and most of this year’s North American tour. On top of that, this July, all four of the members got sick.

Two months later, the mix of excitement and anxiety amongst the fans was palpable. Were RINA, MAMI, TOMOMI and HARUNA all fully recovered? They did play one show in Japan in August, but there were barely any updates or even mentions of their European tour until the day of the Berlin show. After a small delay, the four ladies entered the stage in pure white dresses, as if cleansed from these recent hardships, and dove straight into Mirror, the first song of the album of the same title. Within the first seconds, the crowd provided the choir that accompanies the initial chords. HARUNA's voice sounded as crystal clear as always and the whole band emanated joy from the start, their wide grins reflecting their enthusiasm. As expected, the set list mostly revolved around the last two albums, which meant most of the songs were being played in Europe for the first time. In fact, even Flashback No.5, the second song of the show, might have had its European debut at the Lido show, more than seven years after its release.

Saishuheiki, Kimi then showed the fans another side of SCANDAL, with HARUNA putting down her guitar and focusing on vocal duties alone. Contrary to what happens with many guitarists, she didn’t look uncomfortable or out of place without her instrument and even the heavy autotune in this song fit its mood – something way easier to appreciate when one knows that the singer can actually sing.

After these three songs, mic still in her hand, HARUNA addressed the crowd for the first time, gauging the reaction to both English and Japanese messages. Pleasantly surprised by how well most of the public understood Japanese, she took the opportunity to expand on some topics in her own language, followed by brief translations to English. Apart from a few “dankes” here and there, there were just a few German phrases at the end of the show, which still surprised the fans that didn’t speak either of the other two languages. As for HARUNA, she herself was surprised by a very audible “aishiteru” in between songs.

One unique aspect of SCANDAL is how versatile each member is. They're capable of not only flawlessly playing their instruments but also composing music, penning lyrics and performing lead vocals. The two songs that followed – Ai no Shoutai and Kanojo wa Wave – were prime examples of that. The former was composed and sung by TOMOMI and the latter by RINA, displaying very different vibes that fit well together nonetheless. MAMI would have her moment in the spotlight a bit later, during Ivory, but not before the band presented Shunkan Sentimental, one of their biggest hits and, predictably, one of the biggest singalongs of the night. Take Me Out provided another highly danceable moment, before SCANDAL brought the energy level down for a little while during the more mellow sequence of Prism, Ivory, and Ao no Naru Yoru no Sukima de.

eternal and Yoake no Ryuseigun shifted the mood once again and prefaced the stark contrast between Tonight, the electronic, pop tune that got everyone dancing, and A.M.D.K.J., their heaviest song to date and one which just begs for some headbanging during its most intense moments. Without missing a beat, the band then went straight into Image, morphing the anger displayed in the previous song’s lyrics into hopefulness.

The good vibes continued with one more time, closing out the set with its funky guitar riffs and catchy vocals. When SCANDAL left the stage, barely anyone in the audience followed suit. Fans remained waiting for the encore that was sure to come, and they were rewarded with DOLL and SCANDAL BABY. These songs took the band back to their early days, which seem like a lifetime ago but were clearly still present in everyone’s minds, as proven by the lyrics sung in unison.

In a cutthroat industry that’s all too happy to discard female artists once they hit their 30s, SCANDAL march on, gathering more and more fans across the world and alienating very few with their newfound creative freedom. Not many bands can skip hits such as Shoujo S, Taiyou Scandalous or Harukaze and deliver a set that still pleases the crowd, but that’s precisely what they did. Who knows what they’ll have in store for the next time they come to Europe?

Set list

01. MIRROR
02. Flashback No.5
03. Saishuheiki, Kimi
04. Ai no Shoutai
05. Kanojo wa Wave
06. Shunkan Sentimental
07. Take Me Out
08. Prism
09. Ivory
10. Ao no Naru Yoru no Sukima de
11. eternal
12. Yoake no Ryuseigun
13. Tonight
14. A.M.D.K.J.
15. Image
16. one more time
17. DOLL
18. SCANDAL BABY