A live report of girugamesh's performance at La Locomotive in Paris for their 2008 European tour.
After invading the United States and Germany in 2007, girugamesh launched its 2008 European tour. The group's two albums already have European editions; the European version of girugamesh's most recent album, girugamesh, contains additional tracks along with the original playlist.
girugamesh's first concert in France was held on January 27 at La Locomotive in Paris, and had the feel of a Japanese live in terms of its scheduled time at 5 PM. Nevertheless, the arrival of the group gathered an audience larger than one could have imagined. Fans - and even people who had come out of curiosity - packed the room to near bursting. From the pit to the stairs, every corner of the room had been invaded. Everyone awaited the start of the live with uncontained excitement.
After a brief intro, the group entered the stage to the cheers of their audience. As usual, the members were dressed in black suits. girugamesh is easily recognizable with a look that changes very little.
The concert started off with titles from their most recent album, such as patchwork and Vermillion. Immediately, everyone went wild to the music. Shadan, one of the highlights of their first album 13's reborn, followed. To the joy of the audience, girugamesh played a mix of old and new songs.
Meanwhile, girugamesh was not to be outdone in their energy, and they were visibly happy to be there. They gathered several times around Яyo's drums, sharing their enthusiasm together. In the same spirit, ShuU and Nii played a duo face-to-face.
ShuU was particularly energertic, never staying in the same spot, and capturing the attention and participation of the audience. He backed-up the vocals while Nii concentrated on his parts. Яyo's drumming was rapid and powerful, even when interrupted by technical problems. Despite this, the concert resumed with a vengeance.
Though the band was not particularly talkative (save a few words from Satoshi, like "Are you ready to go fucking crazy?!" and "I want to see circle pits!"), they communed with their audience when they joined in during Owari to mirai.
After a brief break during which Nii and ShuU changed their instruments, the concert was introduced into its second half with the Mission Impossible theme, which seemed somewhat out of place, given what had been played so far. But it was with a smile that the concert resumed its course.
Satoshi's performance could sum up the group's image: simple but effective. Simultaneously dynamic and emotional during the calmer songs, he was not burdened by trivial details. Unfortunately, his voice was inaudible at times due to technical issues with the sound system; it turned out to be the microphone. However, the problem was quickly resolved, and with that, Satoshi launched into Jarring fly, another well-known track from girugamesh's first album.
The concert gradually touched down to its end with shining and Kowareteiku sekai. For the latter, the room was plunged into darkness with only a blue light cast on the stage, creating a special atmosphere; unfortunately, what would have been a high point of the live was marred by hissing noises and the camera flashes. Upon finishing the song, Satoshi left the stage quickly, leaving doubts of the possibility of an encore...
However, the group finally responded to the audience's calls and returned with one song, Kaisen sengen. With the encore, the live ended well. Even ShuU who was tearing it up on his bass, punched the air with his fist several times to the cheers of the audience. And to everyone's surprise, Satoshi flung himself into the crowd! No one backed off in their euphoria, but a staff member later helped him back onto the stage. ShuU also dove into the crowd, followed by Яyo, and then ShuU yet again. Back on the stage, Яyo sported an enormous smile. With that, the group left to return backstage. The audience headed to the exit, buying CDs and other goods while sharing their reactions.
For their first concert in France, girugamesh delighted their fans while creating a good impression for those who had discovered them for the first time at the concert. More than 750 people attended the concert, headbanging and moshing in the sacred atmosphere. Satoshi, ShuU, Nii, and Яyo can be content with their performance. It is without a doubt that many people are already impatient to see them back - and hopefully in a bigger room next time.
