Live report of the Underneath's show at Shibuya O-WEST on June 13.
Five minutes before the show, the hall was packed full all the way to the back. Unusual for a visual kei audience, there were not only teens but people in their thirties and forties, and a large number of men in attendance. Many of them were probably fans of the band's previous work as TRANSTIC NERVE, mixing for the first time with the fans who know them as the Underneath. This rich variety of people would make for an exciting audience.
At 19:05, the SE stopped. The stage was lit with blue and green light as the members appeared one after another. Finally vocalist TAKA stood at the mike stand and the lighting changed drastically, dying the stage a dramatic red. And with that, the first song, GETTING CLOSER, began. It appeared as a bonus track on the Japanese version of their first album MOON FLOWER, released in Japan on July 23. TAKA's expansive voice balanced with the twin guitar, the powerful drum, and bass sound. The song gave the impression that the highest tune had been completed in it. The fans raised their hands during the song, pumping their fists. And so from the very beginning the crowd was drawn into the world of the Underneath. The second song MARIE was another one from the album. The audience responded by jumping as soon as the intro began. They enjoyed it as though they'd listened to it many times before, though despite having been released in the United States, it hadn't yet come out in Japan.
"Welcome to the Underneath's live!" came the short MC, followed by four songs from the album. GEKKOH was a melodious song whose lyrics really made you listen. MASATO lifted his guitar up high during the performance, to the delight of the crowd. This was followed FAT FATTY FUCKIN' PIG'S, a song of slightly radical lyrics that pleased the crowd with its catchy melody. "Hey! TOKYO! Let me see your power! Jump!" TAKA stirred up the crowd. The audience responded accordingly, earning a "Thank you!" from TAKA. The succeeding FALL and PRAYER were songs with powerful melodies, and in FALL particularly the twin guitars were impressive. The next song was a new one. The audience eagerly listened to the introduction with fresh ears. During the chorus there was call and response with the audience, and it seemed like a song that would become standard at the next live.
TAKA gave another MC, doing call and response with the audience who called for the members. He continued, "We did 34 lives in the United States this year. And, the hide memorial summit in May makes 35. And now we're finally here able to do this live for you! Were you waiting for us? Did you want to meet us?" After enthusiastic cheers from the audience, he went on, "This next song will also be performed for the first time today, it's a nice one. It's another new song." The second new song that day was a loud fist pumping number. After it ended TAKA yelled, "Thank you. TOKYO!"
The following song was ALONE TOGETHER. TAKA moved around the stage from one side to the other, singing to all the people in the hall. He stretched out his hand with his "Let's dance together, the dance of loneliness" and the audience also reached out. DEEP began with quiet singing, but eventually TAKA spread both hands and sang powerfully. This was accompanied by a beautiful piano that resounded throughout the hall.
"There's no other now but now! Please make it the best night! Make a lot of noise to your heart's content!" said TAKA. He began jumping and pumping his fist along to CHAIN and the audience enthusiastically followed his lead.
The next three were all new songs. First was a pop tune that used a synthesizer, followed by a hard number that called for head banging. During this song bassist RYO gave an excellent solo. There seemed to be some technical problems at times, but the two guitarists moved around the stage to the rhythm of the blinking light at a fast pace, and the tension of the audience punching the air shot up during the song.
The audience's upsurge peaked for the last song, WOMB IS PLANET. The band's incredible performance enveloped the entire hall, and the applause boiled up when the song ended and the members left the stage.
The members made another appearance, obliging the audience with an encore. Vocalist TAKA chatted about their future plans: "On June 29 we'll do the live American Syndrome, with MUCC and D'espairsRay, who we toured the United States with. On July 15 we have an event with D'espairsRay in Nagoya, and the Japanese version of MOON FLOWER will be released on July 23. We did a mix for the Japanese version, so please listen and compare the album with the American version!" The first encore piece was a quiet ballad. The crowd was mesmerized by TAKA's voice as he sang in the blue light. The last song was BITE THE BULLET which had the crowds once again riled up and punching the air. When TAKA raised his hand up, the audience followed suit. He finished the show by saying, "We are the Underneath!"
Their first performance in Japan, the Underneath's one-man live established them as a top tier band and ensured that future expectations of them will be very high.
Set list
1. GETTING CLOSER
2. MARIE
MC
3. GEKKOH
4. FAT FATTY FUCKIN' PIGS
5. FALL
6. PRAYER
7. NEW SONG 1
MC
8. NEW SONG 2
9. ALONE TOGETHER
10. DEEP
MC
11. CHAIN
12. NEW SONG 3
13. NEW SONG 4
14. NEW SONG 5
MC
15. WOMB IS PLANET
Encore:
1. NEW SONG 6
2. BITE THE BULLET
