Girugamesh and the Reborn - part two

2007 was full of surprises for both the band and fans. First, Yoshiki invited girugamesh to participate on May 26th at Jrock Revolution in Los Angeles. A month later, they shared the stage with Guitar Wolf, An Cafe and bis at the J-SHOCK event in Germany on June 23rd. After returning to Japan, the band members continued to play at festivals and especially prepared for their two one-man shows in Shibuya. In September, they came back to Germany, this time on the top of the bill for an evening of the in-Motion Asia Pacific event.

What follows, are two live reports of both events.


J-SHOCK: VolKölno

The lights turned off as the members came on stage one by one, masked with black scarves during the intro, 13. The crowd had completely filled in as the show began and a wave of sound crashed over the Palladium! This is the strength of girugamesh's members; their attitudes on stage were quite sober but they managed to ignite the crowd with only their music, which takes all it's sense in live, seemingly bridled when we re-listen to the CDs.

Satoshi did not move much, but he communicated well to the European fans with the few English words that he mastered and seemed to know very well. "I WANT CIRCLE PITS! I WANT CIRCLE PITS!" he yelled, adding gestures to the words. "Circle pits" aren't often seen at visual kei concerts in Japan, but here, a circle quickly formed in the middle where the most valiant boys started moshing and jumping around, uncoordinated.

Яyo didn't hesitate to stand up behind his drum while continuing to play, but the main energy of the show was provided by the two lieutenants Nii and ShuU, who paced up and down the stage in all directions. To top it all off, there were two musical interludes which included the Mission Impossible theme. After the band left the stage, the audience called for an encore, but J-SHOCK's organization stopped the band from coming back because the staff had to immediately dismantle their equipment to install An Cafe's.


in-Motion Asia Pacific: we are f****** crazy !

At the NeoTokyo store, the four members met nearly 200 fans for autographs on CDs, photos, posters and even instruments. Like at J-SHOCK, they wore their stage costumes and make-up for this occasion. After everyone had their autographs, the members looked over gifts they had received and had fun with fans who were glued to the windows of the shop making hand gestures or taking photos.

On September 15th at around 7 pm, there was another rush toward the stage; some fell on the floor while others squeezed up, pushing and shoving for the first row. The other spectators took place gradually in the pit or in the stands.

Shortly after 8 pm, Nii, Яyo, ShuU then Satoshi stood in their black suits in front of nearly 2,500 people. The first notes of Aimai na mikaku resounded in the vast Berlin Arena, kicking off nearly 2 hours of screaming, head banging and emotions. The beginning of the show was indeed the calm before the storm because Aimai na mikaku is one of the least violent songs by ear, but for the next song, omae ni sasageru minikui koe, the young artists proved that they are not intimidated by such a large cheering crowd. They didn't stay in place; Satoshi took his mark on stage, Nii and Яyo shook their heads vigorously and ShuU braved his shyness. However, Яyo had some problems with his drums, so that technicians to go on stage several times to see what was wrong. Яyo didn't show any worry about the problems and kept an impressive rhythm nonetheless. After Kaisen Sengen, they made a brief interlude during which Nii, Satoshi and ShuU brought ambiance in the room while a technician adjusted Яyo's bass drum. Everything seemed to be all right for the rest of the show.

During Fressia, the guitar was kind of calm in passing on Nii's emotions, who composed this song. For a few minutes, a kind of serenity filled the room, accentuated by hushed vocals and drums. The intensity of Nii's playing rose in crescendo at the end of Fressia into an essential silence.

Then Satoshi said a few words in English; "We are very happy to be in Berlin. Are you fucking crazy!?" The room shook with the audience's screams and Real my place started. This song is a good example of their maturity and of the harmony which is being created more and more within the band. Led by Яyo, girugamesh, captured all the attention with a good bass rhythm and lyrics sung with force by Satoshi. In smash!!, Nii clapped his hands above his head and encouraged the crowd to do the same then headbanging went on in the stands and in the pit. ShuU didn't stay off to the side; he walked on stage and observed with attention the delirious fans, like Satoshi. A few minutes later, girls succeeded in sneaking in front of the security barriers and grabbed the stage as support for headbanging at Nii's feet, causing him to lean over them almost putting his knees on the floor.

The quartet retained all their liveliness in robust conviction during which Nii showed his feats while he swung the top of his body. Then Satoshi, ShuU and Nii turned toward Яyo and began to dance before moving again toward the front of the stage. Other catchy tracks were also included in this set list. At one time, ShuU gave his bass to the audience for a few seconds, then at the end of Deceived Mad Pain, he ended up breaking one or two strings. The band gave their best since the beginning of the show, but it would be nothing without Goku. The young artists break it down, with the singer releasing his charisma and guttural voice and Яyo braids whipping about to the rhythm of his drums.


The strength of girugamesh boils globally in an exceptional dynamic during shows, without having a facade on stage. They don't risk doing superfluous gestures or typical poses like a lot of visual kei bands do. ShuU and Nii play calmly without fade, Satoshi is comfortable in his part as the charismatic singer and Яyo highlights their compositions with skilful gestures. That's the mark that their music leaves; their aggressiveness and especially their emotions make girugamesh amazing.


Setlists

- J-SHOCK - June 23 2007

13
Jarring Fly
Shadan
Mouja no koushin
Owari to Mirai
Furubita Shashin
robust conviction
Goku
Kaisen Sengen
Aimai no Mikaku
volcano
Mission Impossible
Omae ni sasageru minikui koe
Deceived Mad Pain

- inMotion Asia-Pacific - September 15 2007

Aimai na mikaku
omae ni sasageru mnikui koe
Mouja no koushin
Kaisen Sengen
-MC-

Shadan
crime
Melody
Freesia
-BGM-

Real my place
smash !!
Jarring fly
Robust conviction
-BGM-

Zero
Owari to Mirai
Furubita shashin
Fukai no Yami
-MC-

volcano
Deceived Mad Pain

EN
Goku