Shilfee “solo” - Installation humming painting live 10/26 @Shimokitazawa Blue Monday
Today, after getting some quick groceries and eating a portion of noodles that was probably too big and a portion of meat that was probably too small, I figure that I need to start getting out more. So I take my umbrella, and head out to Koenji for the Koenji street festival.
There’s singers, local Awa Odori cultural groups doing dances and taiko drumming, a representative of the military showing off one of their tanks, food trucks, and a ring set up on the North side for wrestling and idol groups (odd combo, I know). Plenty of stuff to watch and see for free.
After chilling for a few hours and grabbing dinner, it comes time to head to my actual target neighbourhood, Shimokitazawa. You may remember this venue from the last time that I saw Full. He’s become a creature of habit, I suppose.
I know that Shimokitazawa has a Disk Union, so I hope in there to see what I can find.
They have a promotion where you can qualify for 15% off if you buy 3 used items. So I pick up an album each by The Back Horn and Pierrot, and I find a 7” Thee Michelle Gun Elephant single.
So I sit around until about 5:40, when I head up to the lineup for the doors. Tickets aren’t numbered at all, so it’s first come, first sit.
There are definitely some familiar faces I recognized from last time. I have a full sized chair this time, because it seems like the chair’s height from the ground is geared to which row you’re in this time. High stools at the back, squat little director’s chairs in front.
There’s a photo wall, where prints of photos that he and his band members have taken are on display and for sale. A see through mesh screen is in front of the stage. The ticket for the show is in German for some reason.
I’ll be honest, I didn’t quite know what this live would be about. Humming as in, he hums along with the song? He paints a hummingbird? Will there be any singing?
So he comes out on…floor and it’s time that I test out a trick that Jeremy showed me.
The “transcribe” feature. Run Google Translate, and set it to transcribe and it should (hypothetically) pick up audio in the source language and translate it for you.
I’m not able to get a great test, because he said that he wants to get started right away (literally).
He starts with Oboro Watage, off of Pinhole. Pleasantly surprised, as I couldn’t recall any Nookicky songs last time. Like last time, he sounds really good after all these years.
At the same time that he’s singing, he picks up two paintbrushes and starts going to work on the mesh screen. He had said before that he was already quite sore from the previous two shows, so this must have taken a lot out of him to be kneeling, stretching, standing for the whole set.
“I’m in trouble”, he says after the first song, getting a chuckle from the audience.
Following up, we get Furusu from Noon Moon, and Su-Ochi no Okina Hina from that same album a couple songs later. One or two other songs may have been Nookicky too, but the instrumentals weren’t exactly the same as the originals so I mainly had to go by Full’s vocals/lyrics to match the songs.
“It’s hot!” He proclaims, heading backstage to turn on the AC.
After Looping Story Teller, we hear the familiar melody of Zujou no Ishi, a Guniw Tools song from last time followed by Fade Story. For our third Guniw song of the set, we get From the Inside this time.
A couple songs later, we finally get our initial reveal of what he’s been painting for 55 minutes. But I won’t show you until the finished product.
He still has touch ups, so he starts up Moss Phlox off The right are each other album and eventually starts singing a couple of covers. Not sure exactly what of. Probably at least one Japan song in there.
It’s come time to wrap up the main set, and here’s the result.
Damn.
There were other things I could have hypothetically went to today. I had a ticket to Rorschach Inc’s Halloween show prior to finding out about this. A couple people I know were going to Crazy Monsters Halloween Day 2, and even caught a Mana pick.
But damned if hearing Full sing Guniw Tools, Nookicky and Shilfee songs while frantically painting on a mesh screen isn’t the neatest thing I’ve seen here so far.
10/10, would do again.
He starts talking a bit after he sits down, so I try my translator trick. And…the mic won’t pick up his voice. So much for that.
He points out his two band mates from Shilfee little known, Kuruta and Ruli, who have made it out to this performance. He invites them to head on…floor, to perform a short encore set of Shilfee little known songs. After a few, they start talking about how Chichiro is coming up on its 20th anniversary soon. People start clapping for yet another song, as I suspect that they were waiting for a song that got played the last two days too.
The sound effects start up, deep drum machine echos. We’re getting Dead Leaves, complete with weird opera vocals.
So now that we’re finished, the members pose for photos underneath the arch of Full’s creation.
Now comes the packing up. The more dedicated Full fans stay to help put everything away, and he’s running around for at least 20 minutes before I think to myself that it might not be worth it to stick around. I’ve already taken a Setlist picture (which was technically useless, as it was from the previous two days and not today). Maybe I’ll just drop the Maple Syrup I brought him off with his merch staff.
She does eyeball him though, and encourages me to stick around.
I do get to talk a bit to Kurata, who noticed me standing by my lonesome and decides to chat a bit. He apologizes in advance for his lack of English proficiency but I say it’s daijoubu desu. Between my Japanese and his English, we understand each other just fine. We talk about Guniw Tools and I mention my autographs from all three original members.
So people are starting to approach him, even if he isn’t 100% done packing. He seems to accept it in good spirits, so I decide to be person #4 to approach.
My phone seemed to be acting up, not translating anything at all, so I decide to keep it in as much Japanese as I can remember.
I greet him by saying “Once again, I return to Japan.”
“ええ？”
He doesn’t remember me. Is it the glasses?
So I told him that I was there last November…with the Nookicky records…
Either way, here’s some syrup.
“Oh, Canada?” Followed by a heartfelt thank you for the maple syrup “But, it is quite sweet, isn’t it?”
“Yes, but just use a little bit. You don’t drink it.” He laughed a bit at that. He can have carbs again, but he does have to watch the sugar still.
I say that he must be hurting after all of that standing and kneeling, and tell him to take care before I thank him again and bid him a Mata ne. He thanks me, and bids me another mata ne as he goes to talk to people in the cafe downstairs.
So it’s a bit too late now for that onsen that I was wanting to check out to ease my muscles. Tomorrow will be my first real test for endurance as far as furi is concerned.
I figure if Full can do all of that, I have no right to complain.
Mata ne
me every day i need Guidance
. Welcome back to Japan”
Loved it.
I was hoping you’re going to one of their concerts again. Hopefully there will be the day they’ll announce a tour in Europe 
(and when I say Europe, I mean Germany. And when I say Germany, I mean Hamburg. Pretty please 
)
).
