ACID live at the Shibuya O-Crest

At the end of December, Shibuya was crowded as ever with many young people, but not due to the end of year rush. People were numbed by the cold wind, and we could see our breath in the air. The roadside trees of Dougen-Saka were decorated and illuminated beautifully. Going up the slope and then turning into a narrow street, we saw the O-Crest Building, which was alive with many people, some coming to see a different live on 1st floor of the building. ACID’s fans were gathering beside the building and in front of the convenience store across the street. Some were alone, others were waiting for friends, but they were all shuddering with cold, waiting for the venue to open.　

This was the first one-man after HIDEKI (ex. SIAM SHADE) started his solo career and ACID became six members. Tickets of these two lives were sold out, and ACID seemed far ahead of other indies bands. Without their charismatic rock vocalist HIDEKI, I was curious to see what kind of music they would perform. Fortunately, my ticket was so good that I got to see them from the middle of the front row.

Near the door, people made a line on the stairs up to O-Crest. In the lobby, ACID’s new album ACID 1.7~Spiritual Circus, which was suddenly released only in this live house, was sold among the live goods such as T shirts, towels and wrist bands. On the stage, the ACID flag was hung on the back curtain and the head and hands of a toy skeleton were put on the amps. People became tired of waiting and started clapping and calling for ACID. Then 20 minutes after the scheduled opening, the live finally began.

The members appeared on the stage, wearing black costumes with different designs, using blue scarves or armbands to stand out. They each had their own look, however: Yu-ta, the bassist, had long straight hair dyed red. Daisuke, guitarist, had blond spiky hair, while Kim, another guitarist, had short blond hair. Masamitsu, the third guitarist, wore a blue scarf around his neck. Surprisingly, vocalist Junpei appeared with an amazing hair style, with the right half kept long, the left half shaved bald. All the members were made up beautifully, but Junpei was far ahead of the rest.

The live began with a song from their new album. The title of the song was 15 Sai (15 years old), which Junpei wrote the lyrics to and Daisuke wrote music for, showing the uncertain spiritual world of a boy growing up. Other new songs included Ryu-gu-Jou, a tale about the beautiful deep-sea dream world where mermaids and live, and Ai no Hi(The flame of love), a song about sweet love. These songs brought a new charm to ACID's music.

The second song, Place of love, made the live house heat up rapidly and the audience sang together with the band. Junpei kept standing on the amp at the front of the stage, concentrating on singing songs. Daisuke sang and played guitar deftly, jumping around on the stage. Yu-ta kept his eyes on the audience all the time, playing base and shaking his head wildly. Masamitsu stood on the amp and shouted, scratching his guitar and Kim appealed to the audience with his guitar solos. Sei-ichiro hit the drums at a furious pace, while he sang loudly, sometimes standing to stir the audience up. Six members playing on a stage seemed rather cramped, but it still came together well.

In the middle of the live, the audience sang the song SOSUS with the band, jumping and shaking their heads together. In Business, the audience rushed forward suddenly and I couldn’t move at all. My body was almost floating and jumping together with those around me. After the new song Ai no Hi, I came to find everyone was squatting on the floor except me. The audience yelled "3! 2! 1!" and jumped up all at once, a normal occurrence during ACID lives. When We are what we are started, the overall excitement reached a climax. ACID and the audience got into it, which is what makes their live shows magic. Infact, during We are what we are Sei-ichiro got so excited that his drum stick flew out of his hands and into the air. Luckily, we got to listen to this song again during the encore.

ACID’s music is not only heavy, hard and loud rock, but also original and brand-new. It’s created from ACID’s three guitarists, and each member taking part using their instruments in exquisite proportions and timing, which gives them volume and variety. Moreover, they are still young and imperfect, growing rapidly now, just the same as the live title of Growing Up suggests. No one can predict where they will go and what they will create in the future.

The heart-warming messages of GO and Aoi Omoi surrounded the whole audience like a blanket. ACID’s messages are always positive and cheerful. The audience, now ready for muscle pain on the next day, were singing together, putting their fists up, jumping, shaking heads, sweating, and feeling very fulfilled. Members were also expressing their delight, doing their best. The song Growing Up and an unexpected song We are what we are were played again, sending the audience into frantics again. At the end of this live, members and fans all together cheered 'banzai' hand in hand. While members’ sweat was falling on me like rain, I could see and feel that bright society was really present here, where earnest young people were working with all their might. I really hope ACID will keep running, making songs and performing live as well as they do now. ACID’s continuous efforts are a contribution towards a bright future.

Set list:

1. 15 Sai (15 years old)
2. Place of love
3. NOW
4. Ryu-gu-Jo
5. Zaiju
6. SE made by Yu-ta
7. SOSUS
8. CONJUNCTION
9. Kono toki o tomete
10. SE made by Daisuke
11. Business
12. Ai no Hi (The flame of love)
13. We are what we are
14. GO

En1. Aoi omoi
En2. Growing Up
En3. We are what we are ×2