Moi dix Mois live in Barcelona

Moi dix Mois' concert in Barcelona was one of the most surprising events Spanish JRock fans have witnessed to date. Reports of 600-800 fans attending the band's gig in Italy a few days earlier had been greeted with scepticism, but this changed when it emerged that the tickets for Barcelona, too, were almost sold out. Still, in a country where Japanese bands draw an audience of 200-300 at best, filling a venue with a capacity of 700 was unheard of. Could it be true?

The mystery would soon be solved. Sala BIKINI turned out to be a modern, rather posh looking club, which was situated next to one of the city's top luxury hotels and had to be entered through a long, winding metal tunnel, whose slippery ground sent one or two over-eager fans flying.

Once inside, JRock fans (including a Malice Mizer cosplayer in full pope costume!) and lolitas rubbed shoulders with black clad people of unidentifiable allegiance, attracting curious looks from the bar staff. They were joined by large numbers of older goths and metalheads, in black lace or well worn bandanas and Hammerfall t-shirts, who made up about a third of the audience. So this was Moi dix Mois' secret fan base!

Just after 9pm the lights went out, the stage became shrouded in smoke and sacred lake began to play ominously. One by one, the band members filed in and were greeted with screams from the audience, which reached a deafening crescendo when Mana appeared. They were wearing their new white costumes (the following night in Madrid it would be the black version), which had been designed by Mana himself. Seth emerged last and soon the powerful guitar riffs of Metaphysical began to rock the auditorium.

Unfortunately, the venue's sound system was rather poor and the fans in the front rows screamed continuously during the first couple of songs, so it was hard to hear anything except bass and percussion. Thankfully they calmed down later and sang along instead, which visibly pleased the band.

Of course, the main focus of the set was on the new album, DIXANADU, whose majestic sounds were brought to life with incredible energy and precision, but old favourites like Night breed, Vizard and forbidden weren't forgotten either. Despite their elaborate costumes, the musicians moved around a lot, headbanging and frequently switching positions. Mana pirouetted in a cloud of white tulle and Seth oozed sex appeal as he did his infamous "snake dance" while caressing the microphone stand during Perish.

As usual, Moi dix Mois also devoted a lot of attention to their audience. Again and again, Mana knelt down at the very edge of the stage, presented his guitar with its flashing cross and touched the hands of the fans, while K hyped the crowd with shouts of "Catalunya olé!" (the band had clearly done their homework regarding Spanish regional politics - in Madrid he shouted "vamos olé olé!" instead).

During dispell bound, K explained the ritual poses the fans should follow and then asked the audience to take a step back because the front rows were squashed against the stage and couldn't move. To everybody's amazement, the full room took a step back. But K still wasn't happy and asked them to take another step back, and again they obeyed. Satisfied, Moi dix Mois dedicated the next song, Angelica, to their fans, and then asked them to return the favour during Immortal Madness by expressing their "Dix love". To ensure they would do so as fervently as possible, Mana grabbed a handycam and filmed their efforts.

As always when you're having fun, an hour and a half passed almost without noticing, and soon it was time to say good-bye. After long minutes of screaming and cheering, the band played an encore, then bowed to their audience - Seth thanking them in Spanish with "gracias!" - and disappeared for good. They left behind an auditorium full of exhausted but very happy JRock fans, lolitas, goths and metalheads, each group having enjoyed the show in their own individual way.

The following night in Madrid they repeated the trick, drawing a further 300-350 fans, once again a very mixed crowd that was nevertheless united in their love for the music. It's safe to assume that this wasn't the last time Moi dix Mois have played in Spain!

Set List:

1. Metaphysical
MC
2. Exclude
3. Night Breed
4. Vain
SE A Lapis Night's Dream
5. Lamentfull miss
SE
6 Last Tempation
7 Perish
Long MC
8. dispell bound
9. Angelica
10. Immortal Madness
11. Unmoved
12. Neo P Intro
13. Neo Pessimiste
14. Vizard
15. Forbidden

Encore:
16. Xanadu
17. Lilac of Damnation
18. Deus ex Machina