Started in the early 80s by bands such as X, Der Zibet, Buck Tick, and D'erlanger, it describes a band that uses intense, shocking, provocative visuals along with elaborate costumes and stage performances (if they have the budget). In the 90s, the genre boomed with bands such as Malice Mizer, Kuroyume, L'arc~en~Ciel, Shazna, Dir en Grey, and more, each expanding the limits of the genre and establishing a new standard for visual kei bands and live performances.
(X in the 1980s)
(Malice Mizer in the 90s)
It's a genre that is entirely unique to Japan, and as it is quite removed from the mainstream most visual kei bands except for perhaps X and Dir en Grey perform overseas, so if you want to go to a visual kei live, you have to go to Japan. Of course, I've been to quite a few, and the details are below. These are also not in any way all of the lives I've been to, just a memorable few (that I have pictures for lol).
1. La'veil Mizeria in February
Modern band that was established a couple years ago, but they perform music and have the look of an old-school (kote kei) 90's era band, which is why I like them. Their music is kind of a mix between thrash metal and gothic metal, and they all have the very tall, colored hair and giant platform boots indicative of a 90s visual kei band.
Towards the end of the performance the audience did "dives," which is when the people in the front row lean over the rail and everyone else runs up, jumps into them forcefully, maybe gets to touch or shake the hand of one of the musicians, and then runs back. The singer got out a riding crop from who-knows-where and started whacking the other band members and then the audience members who divebombed the stage, which was pretty funny.
I kinda held back because I felt bad about potentially injuring one of the people leaning over the rail, but the guitarist Jaki noticed me and beckoned for me to come over. I came closer and he grabbed my arm, pulling me closer and I did the 'dive,' then he whacked me very gently over the head with the riding crop. It was oddly sweet, and I appreciate him trying to get me to join in with the performance. He also tossed me his guitar pick. Thanks, Jaki!
Around this time the singer went like "okay, I'm really tired," and he just sat down on the stage, continuing to scream. It was kinda funny, seeing this dude in crazy clothes with bright pink hair at least a foot tall sitting crosslegged on stage and shrieking with the force of a hundred angry harpies into the mic as the other musicians carried on as usual.
After the performance the musicians came out and went to the merch table or walked around, talking to the audience members. I bought cheki (polaroid pictures) from Jaki. (Because taking pictures during a performance is forbidden, they often sell cheki, little polaroid pictures the performers take before the performance). I thanked the performers for the good performance, and went home.
(the cheki I got of Jaki (guitarist))
(guitar pics: one from the guitarist and one from the bassist)
(my coord for the live, I wore old-school style lolita)
2. Moi Dix Mois in March
Moi Dix Mois is a gothic metal band from the early 2000s, started by Mana, the guitarist of Malice Mizer and owner/designer of the gothic lolita clothing brand Moi Meme Moitie. I've been a fan of Mana for quite a while, and when a Moi Dix Mois live was announced I bought tickets as soon as they went on sale. It took me 20 minutes because the site kept crashing from too much traffic, and by the time I got a ticket I was in the very back. The tickets sold out in under an hour though, so I'm happy I managed to get one. I went to Tokyo, as did my friends who I'll call F and S. I became friends with F and S as we always saw each other at Kamijo lives, and inevitably ended up hanging out, going to cafes and doing karaoke together. They're both really great and I'll be so sad when I have to leave them to go back to America. :(
The performance was absolutely incredible. Just seeing Mana in person, even if it was from far away, was a dream come true. He's so elegant and beautiful and his guitar playing is absolutely wonderful, each guitar solo added ten years to my life. Even the way he headbangs is graceful! And the music was SOOO GOOD. Hearing it in person was magical!!
(Mana in all his goth glory)
The setlist was phenomenal too, the song Solitude live is so haunting and beautiful and Seth (the singer)'s vocal range is amazing, he sung the high parts perfectly. And when they performed Vizard, he fell to his knees screaming and I could feel it in my bones. It's a harder song that's mostly done in a death voice, but he made it sound emotional and beautiful while still emitting incredible screams.
It was Mana's birthday performance, and the band presented him with a bouquet of roses, which he then proceeded to rip up and then throw/give to audience members. He never talks or smiles in public so I don't know how he felt, but I think he had a good time. It was an amazing experience for me, I even cried. I really hope I'll be able to go to a Moi Dix Mois live again someday!
(Poster for the performance)
(Selfie with the poster!)
(My coord, almost entirely Moi meme Moitie)
(After the live I went to Vampire Cafe with F and some other lolitas, took a selfie there)
3. The Willard in March
The Willard is a punk band from the 80s, not a visual kei band. I found out about them very recently, only about two weeks before the actual live. I went to a punk used record/CD shop to look for Der Zibet or Auto Mod records/CDs. The manager said they were hard to come by and he didn't have any, so I asked him for recommendations of other similar punk bands, and he dug out a record from a band called The Willard and played a bit for me. I really liked it, so I bought the record. (It wasn't until I got home that I remembered I don't have a record player. Oops.) I was able to look them up on YouTube though, and really liked their music. I found their website, and then saw that they were doing a live in Osaka, so I bought a ticket and went!
I was the youngest person in the audience, and the only foreigner. It was mainly 35-60 year old punks, with old leather jackets, but they were all nice. The music was really wonderful, and though I only knew about two of the songs they played I got really into it and was jumping up and down and got swept into the mosh pit like everyone else.
I had figured initially that since the audience and band was older that they'd probably be a bit more toned down than usual punk lives, but oh I was wrong! They were doubly, triply hardcore! I got kicked in the face at one point by a crowdsurfer (on accident) and I also accidentally punched someone in the head when I was moshing. Some guy would just leap into the air and crowdsurf to the stage, where he'd be thrown onto the stage and the singer would awkwardly roll him off and back into the crowd. This happened with just about every other song.
During the harder or more famous songs, everyone would crowd to the front (I was in the third row from the front) and press up super close to get to the stage. At one point I was squeezed in so tight between people that my feet weren't touching the ground! And during the song "Punx Sing A Gloria" everyone sung along to the chorus, which was sweet.
What was really fun about that event was that next to me were these two older punk dudes, who, as the concert progressed, got progressively drunker. They called me "gaijin-chan" - gaijin is an impolite word for a foreigner and -chan is an affectionate/friendly suffix, and between sets they'd be like "What did you think of that one, gaijin-chan?" I'd say something like "It was wonderful!" and then they'd yell "AYYY GAIJIN-CHAN SAID IT WAS WONDERFUL!" and everyone would cheer. Even though I was the youngest person, only foreigner, one of the few females, and in lolita, I felt really welcomed and safe.
After the live, I talked outside with some of the other audience members. One guy I talked to had been going to their lives for over 30 years! And when I left I was waved off and they all told me to get home safe. It was a really fun evening and I'm happy I went, even though I barely know the band.
(bathroom selfie from before the live started)
4. Thrash Metal 10 Band Live in April
Most recently, this weekend I went to a live that consisted of 10 different metal bands. It started at 3pm and ended around 11:30 pm, and I was in the second row from the front. Even though I was wearing earplugs, I could barely hear anything the next day and my whole body was sore, especially my neck (from headbanging)! I was invited by my friend M-san, who is a huge fan of a bassist named Juran-san (who would be playing at the event). Since I also like Juran-san and also because it looked really cool, I went.
(The poster for the live)
The event was for this one bassist called Lina who's been a metal bassist since the 80s. It was his birthday, and so all the bands he's currently in or used to be in got together to play, so he was in all of the bands. His stamina is incredible! His bass playing was also phenomenal, it was as if he had four hands instead of two, and his fingers moved so fast they were almost a blur.
There were so many bands I won't talk about them all, but I'll just mention the standouts. VAZM, the first band, was sort of a mix of electronic music and thrash metal, which sounds awful in theory but was actually really amazing. I don't think they have any CDs or music out, but I'd like to listen to them again.
(VAZM)
Anti-Feminism, lead by singer Kenzi, was also really good. They're sort of like a mix of punk and thrash metal, and have been around for quite some time. Kenzi is quite well known for his stage antics: in the past he'd often set himself on fire, for example. He's pretty old now though, so there weren't any pyrotechnics, but he did pull out hair and throw it at the audience, scratch himself bloody, and spit at us. His screams are amazing, he's like an infernal shrieking banshee or something, but in a cool way.
(Kenzi of Anti-Feminism)
The best out of the night was I think Rosenfeld. They started off as a thrash metal band in the late 80s and sung anti-war protest songs while dressed in Nazi-esque uniforms for shock value, which caused a bit of a stir. They've thankfully since quit the Nazi look in the 90s but still play the same music, which is really, really good.
The drummer was playing at an insane speed and by the end of the performance he was so drenched in sweat he looked as if someone had dumped water on him. The singer had to use an oxygen canister a couple times, he was singing/screaming that much. And the guitar solos--- my GOD the guitar solos!!!! One guitar solo was I think at least four minutes long and was completely insane, but the guitarist was just standing there with a nonchalant expression as his fingers flew across the strings.
(Rosenfeld)
It was an incredible performance! Afterwards they took a picture with the audience, and you can see me!
After the performance, I talked with some of the performers and Juran-san, who I've met a couple times at this point. I told him I was going back to America at the end of May so I might not get to see him again, but that I'd continue to cheer him, MojiMania and L'eveil en Roseraie (some of the bands he's in) from America. He told me that since I couldn't come to their lives he'd send me their music online, which is sweet of him. After that I went and got food with M-san and some other girls, we chatted and such, and then around 3am I got pretty tired so I went to visit Sannou-san's bar and talked with him until around 5:30am when I could take the first train home, and then went to bed.
This report does not in any way cover the multitude of bands/performances I've been to. Some bands I didn't include were:
- L'eveil en Roseraie
- FerrisWheel
- Kamijo
- Crucifixion
- The Ghost Inside of Me
- Unholy The 13th Preachers
- Redbronx
- Vulgarize
- Der Zibet
- Issay Meets Dolly
- Mojimania
- Foxpill Cult
- MuniMuni
- [...] (Silence)
- gibkiy gibkiy gibkiy
- ZIZ
...and more!
I don't have a lot planned for this month, but in May I see Issay, a hide tribute concert that a guitarist named Pata I really like will be playing at, L'eveil en Roseraie, The Ghost Inside of Me, Mojimania, and Der Zibet again!
What about Der Zibet and Issay, your new best friend? This is a wonderful account. Sounds very unique. You don't get that in Chorleywood
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