Leetspeak Monsters Halloween Party featuring Luv Parade/Xanvala/Divers Croix/BabyKingdom/Wanvan 10/26 @KMA Paradise Hall
Starting to feel…a bit better. A trip to Shinjuku Gyoen Garden seems in order today.
B14 today. I seem to be in the final trickle of people into the venue, as most people just got these on first lottery.
I still get a half decent spot, right side of the stage, maybe nine rows back.
Wanchanwanwannekonyannyan
Mouth full, ain’t it?
I looked around, and I still couldn’t figure out if this was a VK band that just hasn’t been entered into VK.gy yet, or a pop rock band dressing up for Halloween as a VK band with vague military uniforms.
They open with a pretty jazzy song, before going into some more standard catchy pop rock songs. A decent portion of the audience seemed to know the furi to their stuff, but the vocalist did still guide us through it.
During the final song, he points to a fan in the audience who had been doing it right the entire time and gives her kudos. Now, that’s how you know these guys aren’t VK. In most VK bands, girl would have had a target on her.
I did leave with something, though! A pick!
BabyKingdom’s sound check is now, sounds like someone tripped the fire alarm. A staff member reassured us that nothing is wrong, but I can’t help but smell…something. Kind of a maple syrup after smell, accompanied by warm air.
By the time they get it shut off, we’re nearly 20 min behind schedule.
BabyKingdom do come out, vocalist Shogo with Joker hair and makeup to compliment his Muddy Candle era costume, the bassist Monyo with a pumpkin head covering this time.
After three songs, they head into Funny Circus and then some stereotypical Mexican music plays while they introduce their newest single, Calavers.
Afterwards, Shogo asks the crowd who was seeing BabyKingdom for the first time. After a bit more hype, they finish off with Haikara.
So after BabyKingdom finish, the entire crowd pretty much moved forward three rows as they file out for merch. The curtain still open, changeover is happening and right after the Shiki and Monyo of BabyKingdom come back out to grab some leftover stuff, the members of Divers Croix have also come to help set up, to the audience’s cheers and amusement.
An old school throwback style band, Divers Croix did announce something undecidedly new school in its approach, for their performances, recording and non-flash photography is allowed.
Opening with Kourashita Yogurt, the 90s vibes already reverberate through my body and I just can’t bear to record the whole thing, needing to stop and do the furi.
The vocalist Tink pulls out his Card Captor pole during the third song, Tamakin, and pretends to play it like a guitar during the guitar duet.
Halfway through the set, they do a short skit to GTO, where the bassist Misuji and drummer Dagaki pretend to be racing through the desert on bikes, while the guitarists Kikato and Tacato keep the rhythm.
Eventually finishing up with their last song, 6 Nensei wo Okuru Kai.
They’re off, and we’re movin on up again. This time, to fifth row.
Time for Xanvala, oops, I meant “zomvala”.
What else can I say? The energy from just a few nights ago definitely hasn’t diminished, with Desperate being the closing climax of the audience’s enthusiasm. Just can’t say we got anything different.
I’m getting the feeling that this is going to be one of those lives where the bands just sell their stuff directly after their sets, then piss off. Oh well, I don’t feel like running up and down the stairs for a 20 minute window just to buy cheki.
Lines are starting to get more cramped now, but I still move up one for Luv Parade, and looked slated to move up even closer for Leetspeak.
But I’ll admit, the lack of drink and constant standing is wearing on me.
At the time that Luv Parade goes on, we’re a full 50 minutes off schedule.
After their opening cover song, we get a listen of their upcoming single, Shoot it Down.
The second half is definitely where the set takes off, though.
- Poker face (Lady Gaga)
- Shoot it Down
- Bad Guy (Billie Eilish)
- Joker
- Trickster (D’espairsRay)
- Tonight Tonight Tonight
Karyu’s pick bounced off my shoulder and the chick behind me dived to get it. Pissssssed.
Second row Leetspeak. These sets are really awesome and everything, but I don’t know how much more I can take of this super annoying Halloween backtrack.
So I get to be in Yoshi’meer’s private cheering squad today, instead of just behind them like for Kansai Rock Summit.
It’s almost as if the guy has separate furi just for him, as his cheering squad kept moving even when everyone else in the crowd stood still.
I’ve seen these guys often enough at this point that I’m like “Oh, he’s telling us to make bobbing motions with our hands, must be Mr Halloween”.
Towards the end, they started trading off vocal parts between D13, Yoshi’meer and Euskyss.
- Monsters Party
- Black Owl
- Room 666
- Mr Halloween
- Night at the Museum
- Trick or Treat
- Gothic
So we’re finally finished, past 10 pm, and I rush to go see what’s left. Quickly grabbing four Leetspeak cheki, I manage to pull a two shot ticket and a “special event” ticket…provided I’m going to the Halloween show…which I’m not.
Oh well, at least there’s still the 2-shot…
Oh wait, no? They want everyone to leave, because it’s so late?
Then why even give this to me?
Things to ponder in a couple days…
After showing a fellow foreign fan to the station and exchanging lines, I’m rewarded with a free Euskyss cheki?! She apparently had plenty of him.
Turns out, we also leave the same day. After saying a quick goodbye, my headphone batteries running low, as well as my own, I manage to get home before midnight. I’m still craving pancakes.