D'espairsRay back in Europe!

D'espairsRay will soon be heading to Europe once again. Unlike their previous concerts, which contained only one or two performances, they will now have a long tour, performing 14 times. This will be a great chance to check the band out when they’re playing in your neighbourhood!

We had the opportunity to ask D'espairsRay a few questions before the start of their tour. We asked them about their previous tours, what we can expect from them now, and if they are looking forward to it as much as we are!


As this is the fourth time you are performing in Europe, we would like to ask you a few questions about your previous performances.

HIZUMI: Won’t this be our third time? Nevermind. (note: it's 3 tours, but four appearances in Europe including the Wacken festival)
In the beginning, we faced a lot of dilemmas with executing our live shows to be on par with our Japanese lives. We had trouble with equipment not showing up and such but the next time we play overseas we want to present the fans with a better show than before, so we would like to test out new and different things. We toured Europe with Kagerou the last time and that was a project that we came up with to please the fans.
In the end everyone enjoyed the tour and we got pretty good feedback from the people who came and saw us.

Autumn 2004: Your first concert in Europe had one show in Germany and another in France. Can you still remember how the concerts went? Were you very surprised by the reaction of the audience?

ZERO: Yeah, we were. I still remember it all vividly. At first we went abroad pretty much in doubt, but it was shocking to see the amount of people who actually knew who we were! Until then, we had no idea that the Japanese music scene is that famous in Europe, such information was not available to us in Japan. After we went overseas, more and more Japanese bands were going to America and Europe for concerts and it has now become something which is the obvious thing to do. For us to have been given the chance to play in Europe when such information was scarce was a great experience.

Seeing as this was the first European concert for you, but also the first concert with a Japanese band for the European organizations, did anything go wrong?

Karyu: I wouldn’t call it trouble, but in the beginning we all had our way of working and getting everything to bend just one way was pretty difficult. Plus, the Japanese music scene and the way we organize Live shows is different. But throughout all of those experiences, only the people who understand each other remain and I think things are getting better day by day.

Autumn 2005: was the second time you performed in Europe, this time with Kagerou. What was it like to travel together? Did the two bands get along well?

HIZUMI: They’re a really great band aren’t they? We started out at about the same time, so we’ve been in the scene together. We are good friends even off-stage!

Do you maybe have any funny anecdotes from the tour?

TSUKASA: There are extremely interesting stories but it’s not something I can mention here. (laugh)

Summer 2006: You performed at the German festival, Wacken. What was it like to perform at a festival instead of an one-man concert, and what was it like to be the only Japanese band?

Karyu: It was a great experience. At first we were worried about how the audience would perceive our music when we heard that it was a metal festival, but in the end people had fun so it turned out good.

Do you think you were able to interest people that weren’t interested in Japanese bands before with your performance?

ZERO: I wonder myself. But I would think that the results should show soon…

Autumn 2006: You will return to Europe again. Are you looking forward to it?

HIZUMI: We definitely are. That is because we will be meeting with all the European fans again. This time we will also be travelling to places we’ve never been before, so we are looking forward to what kind of a response we will be getting from the people there.

What can we expect from D’espairsRay at these concerts? In what aspect will it be different from your previous concerts?

Karyu: As I said it earlier, I think that we will be able to play better live concerts than before this time. We can’t wait for the fans in Europe to listen to our new songs, so we plan to play that this time. We will also be bringing over the things that are the symbol of D’espairsRay. If you are a fan you would know it right away. Whatever the case, come watch our shows and experience it with your own eyes and ears.

You must be a little bit familiar with the continent now, so we would like to know your opinion about various subjects.

European food:
Do you have any favorite European dishes you tried?
Karyu: Everything is perfect as long as you have beer and sausages!!
Is there anything you would not try again?
HIZUMI: Eisbein

European cities:
Which are your favorite cities and why?
TSUKASA: Berlin, as that was the city we played our first European Live.

European music:
Have you become interested in any new artists you have never heard of before?
HIZUMI: There are so many that I can’t list them all.
If you had the opportunity, are there some European artists you would consider collaborating with? If so, who would they be?
ZERO: There are so many. We definitely would like to tour with a European band someday.

European fans:
You’ve been to many European cities, how do the fans differ from each city?
HIZUMI: This is only our third time, so it is hard to tell.
Are there any anecdotes you would like to share about an event with a fan or fans?
TSUKASA: We are just so happy to see the fans, and they really show how much they want us to be there.

Is there something you don’t like in Europe, or something you just can’t get used to?

HIZUMI: Nothing at all. If anything it’s probably the whole “tip” system!

Are you trying to learn English or another language so you have better communication with your fans?

Karyu: Working hard now!

Next to the concerts, what do you like best when you tour here? Is it very different from touring in Japan?

TSUKASA: The thing I like is being able to see so many historical buildings. The tour itself is not very different from touring in Japan. I guess we’re still not used to the feeling of striding across countries.

If a band you are friends with would tour in Europe for the first time, what advice would you give them?

HIZUMI: What would it be? If you don’t go you’d never know, so I’d probably just say go, experience and find out for yourself.

Do you have a message for your European fans?

All: We are very glad to be going back to Europe again. We plan to play the best show ever so please have fun and let’s create the best time ever together! We are looking forward to meeting all of the fans so see you soon!

Thank you very much for the interview and we hope to speak with you soon again!


For the tourdates and more info about their upcoming Europe tour, please check out their schedule!