#sukekiyo shows in August

[yridenergyridenergy]

02/16/2024 sukekiyo - Tsumetai Chinmoku live report

SETLIST

Margaret

Gloss

Aishita Shinzou

Candis

Valentina

MOAN

Kuchi ni ringo

aftermath

Houmonsha X

Rongai na ikimono toshite

Kawattekuremasen deshou ka?

Yumemi doro

Scarlet

Tada, mada, watashi.

Hakudaku

Uso

Kokyuu

The show started if not on time, then way earlier than Dir en grey usually does. Yuchi, Takumi, Mika and UtA walked on stage in silence, swirvingly grabbing their instruments. Snow or ash was falling on screen, and the tour title appeared. Then, when everyone was ready, Kyo finally entered. All members were wearing their outfits from the MOAN music video, except that Kyo didn't have the head piece/veil. Instead, he had stuck pink braids drawn back almost like large bows, except that there was no knot visible. I'm quite sure that there were two on each side of his head. Based on the reflection of the light on his skin, I'm also certain that his hair is still shaved completely, and there was a clear demarkation between the circle on the top and his blank temples, so that crown of haywires with flames or fake hair seems to be tattooed permanently.

For makeup, Kyo looked like he had black dots around his eyes, but he mainly had sparkling white circular shapes around his eyebrows and the top of his cheeks.

What I remember from Margaret is all the glitter and sparks being shown on screen.

Gloss was surprisingly bare when it comes to stage effects. There were about seven poles coming down from the ceiling with a lightbulb at their end, and that was basically what was used for the entire song.

Aishita Shinzou was the beginning of a very pop-y bunch. Kyo bounced on stage like we saw him do in one of the videos from August 2023. The lighting was a mix of green and red. I remember that when singing "aiseru", he placed his hand near his crotch and swayed seductively, not sure how to better describe it though hah. The song ends with Kyo inside a pyramidal cage made of green light beams, which he stays inside until the next song, as if truly imprisoned in the moment.

Then Candis came, and the instrumental introduction was definitely a bit different than in the footage included in EROSIO. Like some of the instruments didn't make enough sound.

Anyway, Candis was extra special because they projected the venue at which the PV was recorded above and around the members, so bam: suddenly we were teleported on set. There were seemingly screens hung everywhere to show excerpts of the PV too. And when comes the time for Iya Iya Iya, that kanji pops up behind/above Kyo in the empty space that was there.

Valentina then starts without further ado, like the band wants to give the audience no rest and if they're already playing around in their bags for one penlight, might as well get that out of the way then, in the spirit of minimizing noise.

Aaaah, Valentina. All the classic moves, Kyo's right leg folding high at the knee to hit both ankles together in emphasis of "Lie Lie Lie Lie" and the "ii" in "Nakanai watashi ga ii?", although that one is definitely accompanied by a reprobatory fist on the hips, Kyo folding his arm up and down like a chicken wing. Dance!

When the one other pop song started playing after that medley, I had a very bad feeling. It was not subtle at all, the way they grouped all the pop songs together early in the show. I apprehended how the rest would be the polar opposite. And, well...

Anyway, for now, MOAN had Kyo gesture everything like in the PV, and parts of it were projected on the screen too.

I don't remember exactly for which songs, but Kyo did a lot of robotic dance moves and he seemed to hop left and right often too, as a default.

Kuchi ni ringo also had almost no stage effect. I think it was in this song that the crowd on the first floor was covered by a layer of blue light, making them completely disappear and giving the impression that there was a lake or something. And very oddly, at no point was there any red used. In fact, right after Kyo sings "That's not the bright red color I want", there's a blue light that erupts in the centre of the stage. Like, no kidding, that's not red at all. At the end, Kyo formed a kind of wide crystal shape with his index fingers and thumbs, which he would move from his abdomen outward in different directions. "Ah I want a womb" incessantly.

...aftermath on an orange autumn background...

But more important is what happened after aftermath. Kyo stepped back to his equipment next to Takumi's and promptly sat down on a plushy but otherwise ordinary high stool chair. Then, a man walked up to him from the side of the stage while the other members played a session, improvised or not. The man wore the tour long shirt, I believe, and he never turned to look at us. He pampered Kyo's forehead and cheeks two or three times with a white towel, as if to absorb the sweat, and he also (re)applied lip stick on Kyo. It was a bit funny to witness, because Kyo kept the same posture, hands by his sides legs not moving at all, hanging straight from the seat. It was as if he was a doll, but it seemed like he minimally parted his lips to help the man apply the lipstick. Rather than a doll, that gave mostly the image of a spoiled child or something. It happened for more than one layer, so maybe gloss was applied, rather than retouching the colour every time. The man swiftly left and Kyo walked hurriedly to his mic to sing lyrics that ring a bell to me, but I couldn't tell you what they were anymore.

Houmonsha X was amazing. The PV was projected on the screen. I had to remember to breathe after a while, which I'd apparently forgotten when the song started.

At first, Kyo sang before the lyrics appeared on the screen, as per the PV's English subtitles, but he seemed to fix his timing after a couple of lines. I hadn't felt that he was too early compared to the instruments, but it was otherwise done seamlessly.

Rongai had to be one of the songs where robot dance moves were used. It was intense of course, with bright spots of light appearing at every climax. At the end, Kyo only sang the first and third/last "I kill time with the likes of you", which seemed fond just because he was staring at the crowd, so it gave the impression that he didn't mean it as much as in the recorded song. And of course, there is no reverse lyric being sung or played like in the album version.

Kawattekuremasen deshou ka? came with the surprise of projected images. They showed mainly maximized ice cubes, maybe sparks too. I was somehow too absorbed in this song to memorize much from it. Next time!

Yumemi doro (not Furusaseru - I always confuse the two!) was then played and the movie projected contained a lot of swirls. Kyo dropped to the floor and swirved left and right sloooowly on his way back to a standing position. It was so smooth, effortless despite requiring strength. Oh and he was wearing his beloved pink Margiella heels, by the way. I had actually gone to see an exhibition titled "Beyond Fiber Art" at MOMAK that day and the way his knees moved below his black lace dress really reminded me of the hypnotic flows of fabric that I witnessed earlier. And yo, the other thing about Yumemi doro is thar in the newest recording, Kyo uses more diversified tones of singing than in the demo, but in this live performance, we were able to hear even more intense switches of tones. It was ingenious.

Scarlet also involved a ton of fractal swirls and the sphere of smoke, reminding me again of the art exhibition. It was a rather powerful song too, not necessarily pop but the emphasis created by showing just a couple of the lines on screen, like: "I want love" stressed the need even more.

I'm not sure in which songs anymore, but Kyo really put his hand between his legs more than once during this show. I thought Kashikomi Kashikomi would be played eventually as a reference to that, but sadly not.

Tada, mada, watashi. was performed with such strength and emotion that it was as though it was the band's eternal, signature classic. Breath-taking, really.

Hakudaku came next and it exacerbated my feeling that we were being driven to a dire end. The video showed a young woman whose face seemed to be scarred or disfigured at least on one side.

Uso was up after that and damn, of course it was emotional too. Being on the second floor/balcony, I appreciate that when Kyo gestures the "To the eyes set on tomorrow" up to us. I think that the screen displayed some sepia scenes that gave the impression of being memories.

Then, a longer pause than usual happened, with Kyo gripping his mic stand. Finally, the piano notes of Kokyuu started and ugh, I had imagined that it would be an ending song, if the band wanted to be cruel. They were ruthless. Fuck. Most of the lyrics appeared on screen both in Japanese and the English translation underneath, right in front of Kyo. At times, he stretched his arms out to the sides as if to seize possession and emphasizs those specific lines. I think it was in this song or in another with lyrics of a similar meaning, but Kyo grabbed his chest tight with both hands when relating that he couldn't be like others. He broke down for a bit with sorrow in the middle of the song. Until...

"The sadness will never end . . For whom?"

Right after uttering this in the most soft-spoken way, like in the album recording, Kyo walked off the stage. No "oyasumi", no mic drop, no nothing. For whose sake will the sadness never end, on his birthday? Puncture my heart.

Having abided by the rule to stay quiet during the show, it took Mika waving goodbye widely for us to start clapping. It continued until or during the instrumental of Margaret, clearly doubling though as everyone joined in when sukekiyo's name was displayed on the screen. The announcement was made for the July tour of four consecutive days in Kyoto.

I wish they would have played The Hole, Frameout kara no and Kashikomi Kashikomi, but I guess there's hope for a different setlist tomorrow?

[kyotakumrau]

2022.10.06 sukekiyo at Zepp Tokyo Diver City

Wow, just wow.

sukekiyo has no bad shows in my experience but today was something different!

Let's start from the beginning.

It seems they prepared finally enough penlights and other merch items so there were no sold out items until much muuuuuch later.

Some of the BGM was an interesting arragment of Akira's soundtrack, very cool.

Good info - many cameras today, including two cranes. So there definitely will be some footage released.

There was a see-through screen in front of the stage as usual for sukekiyo's seated shows.

Intro video - sorry I don't remember much detail besides the band's name etc.

Takumi entered the stage first, then Yuchi, Mika and utA. Kyo last.

Kyo wore a jacket with a partly open back, cropped white shirt with a huge white bow in the front, the back also showed a black bra (I think it might've been attached to the jacket). White sleeve bits added on his forearms finished with lace. Black suit pants. He had his hard slicked back and wore make up. He totally blurred the lines between feminine and masculine.

They started with 'Scarlet', it was so hard to try to stay still😂 I admit my head moved a bit... a lot😂

Sesshoku had a robot dance from Kyo.

I think in Creeper Kyo changed G.O.M.I part but until I'm 100% sure I won't say what he shouted instead😅

I loved the cute hammer with ribbons Kyo had during Aishita Shinzo (the one from the stickers). Kyo danced while holding it, the situation/story getting steamier until he snapped and used the hammer to kill the lover, taking wild swings. He even dropped the mic for a moment he got so lost in it.

zephyr was followed by a session.

Kyo placed the chair in the front of the stage at the beginning of Furesaseru, using it to dance during the song but then didn't do anything more with it, just left it there in the front.

It's a shame that SOMA the Pipe didn't seem to work tonight?

When Kyo just walked off the stage after Naburi it was quite surprising. But it was not because of the pipe as he was soon followed by the rest of the band.

Soon after that a video started on the front screen, with the Sukenori commercial from Candis MV, then we were surprised by the "Midnight Top 7" - the music program from Candis. But that's not the end. The two TV hosts from the MV actually came on the stage🤣

(thank you pure luck - I was 2nd row shimote and they were basically in front of me)

They were commenting on the week's top 7 songs as we saw the short videos for each on the left side of the screen.

no7 - Jealous Guy Sakamoto

no6 - Pika Pika Group - 'they're really oh so shiny, aren't they?'㊛

no5 - Cool Boy (Gara) - 'the hot rock ballad'㊚

no4 - sukekiyo's Mozaic Shoujo - 'new sukekiyo's song 1st apperance on the chart'㊚

no3 - sukekiyo's Candis - female host gave us the comment about sukekiyo being into metal casette tapes (like in the MV)

no2 - sukekiyo's Valentina - how amazing that sukekiyo got 4th, 3rd and 2nd spot

no1 - Sibil bashir's 'GOKUMI' aka Fujifuji's old band🤣

(and just a comment - the two hosts played quite different roles, the female host㊛ was a cheeky one (almost evil tbh) while the male host㊚ was playing a silly character)

Then they invited Takumi to join them on the stage, during the short 'interview' the rest of the band members quietly returned on the stage in the dark.

The interview

■new songs

They started the tour in August and Takumi explained that they were rearranging the new songs after the shows. ㊛: you didn't think about how the fans who heard the song then would feel??? T: We did!! We changed them for better! ㊛: the fans who went in August might be here today. They'll be basically different songs now. T: No!💦 same just better. ㊛: I see.

■Takumi's hair

㊚: Did you cut your hair, T? (we all laughed because with the braids T's hair is sooo long right now😂) T:no, it's braided. Is it different? ㊚: it's not. Do you never cut it? T: I don't ㊛: you better don't ask anymore questions.

■Sibil bashir

㊛: I'd like to ask you about Sibil bashir. You know each other well right? So you've placed 4th, 3rd and 2nd. You have to work really hard to get the first place. T: Yes, we'll do our best to not lose to Sibil bashir. (we all chuckled)

㊛Do your best with Mozaic Girl (the whole time speaking in a very unfriendly voice, making Takumi sweat😂)

㊛What a shame [they didn't place first]. Thank you for the interview💀

They talked a bit more about hair when Takumi left, but were 'rudely' interrupted with a guitar sound, 'ah the band is ready to perform'.

Kyo has changed for the 2nd half of the concert.😳

The dress he wore was so interesting! It wasn't proper white, more like very like tan? off white?, the top was basically a cropped trench coat with a lot of lace at the neck line, finished with a wide elastic part in the waist. Then he had a really fluffy knee length organza petticoat skirt, and he had bare legs, the look was finished by his pink tabi boots (he wore black shorts underneath, we could sometimes see them when he was twirling and jumping, those kind of skirts are so fun to move in). Again, a blending feminine and masculine.

He was kind of coquettish during Mozaic Girl, but finished with 'smoking' (no real cigarette, just gesturing).

And we got again an instrumental part before Candis so we could get penlights ready. I REALLY can't wait to see the footage from tonight to see how the floor looked like with the penlights 😆

They followed it with Valentina so we quickly switched to purple penlight😂

Then it was dancy, with Kyo being on fire on stage, singing and dancing. And it was softer.

And then when I heard uso and saw the end credits on the screen I remember thinking 'nooo, i don't want the concert to come to an end' and... it stopped😂 And started to rewind😂

So we were surprised again😂❤️

It rewinded the performance to land at Hyohaku Flavor😆

We also got the MV on the screen including Kyo jumping from the building and Kyo in a bunny suit. On the stage Kyo was dancing until he suddenly stopped and walked off the stage without a second look, diva like.

Gradually they all stopped playing and walked off the stage, until it was only Takumi playing 'on the broken piano'. Then he also left.

We clapped as he left, but only fot a bit before the annoumcements started

■Tour info

October 2023 ...😂

sukekiyo will have their 10th anniversary

Each place is under repair (lmao)

■MV

We got to see the music video for Mozaic Girl. Wow it's fun😆 as soon as I saw the shoulder of the bunny I couldn't help but laugh, knowing what will follow😂 I'm sure they will publish it soon, so won't say more.

I hope to see next year the other half of things Kyo wants to do but couldn't include yet! Because being not only awed again and again by the musical performance, but also being surprised, seeing a performance becoming something new, literally seeing the music video world being brought on the stage, it's all very thrilling!

[vnshkk]

DIR EN GREY [2017.08.03 - BARKUP Fukuoka]

SE  Deity MACABRE (original version) Hotarubi Cause of fickleness Chain repulsion Audrey myaku injection Hydra 666 Children (SixUgly Version) Berry Riyuu  Zakuro  EN. aint KR Taiyou no uta  (Kyo: “Even though this place is a live house its nice and cool in here isnt it?”) Rasetsukoku (Kyo: “lameeee (Lol) YOU GUYS CAN DO BETTER THAN THAT CANT YOU?!” Utafumi

This show was special for me in all kinds of ways. Not only had I somehow managed to get a ticket in the hundreds for such a small venue, it was also 7 years to the day since I had seen Dir at koko, not to mention the fact that the day of the show August 3rd Thursday comes up in the lyrics to Riyuu which had created a buzz since the morning that maybe something special would happen. 

Under the cut for more screaming about kyo. 

Barkup is a what is technically referred to as a “live house” which generally speaking means its a lot smaller, a lot closer to the stage and gives the feel of a ‘real live’ and mateeeeee thats what this was.  I havent been that close to the stage since I first saw Dir during the Kerrang tour back in 2009 (?) when nobody knew them and i basically had the front bar to myself.

I could see every detail of Kyo and my god he was glorious (the right side of his mouth is free from fillings btw) 

His hair is now more of a faded candy apple green, although it looks very turquoise in some light. (during the encore when the lights were down it looked red and i was like OMG DID HE DYE HIS HAIR DURING THE ENCORE?!) I tried to remember what everyone was wearing but I really only have the brain capacity for kyo so; tight tight tight black skinny jeans, a long sleeved white frilly shirt that was slightly sheer so you could see his tattoos underneath as he moved, the long black coat with buckles and straps, and make up very similar to the sukekiyo shows (light blue contacts, smudged lip stick and his usual eye show, similar to that in the androgynos pamphlet. 

During the encore he wore the 666 shirt which he had cut the sleeves and the neck. The sides hang open and you can see all his stomach like a muscle tee? with two black crosses in tape on the front.  I must say this venue was.....meh? The macabre tour is visually stunning and Barkup really didn’t achieve that. There was no screen, so Kyo didn’t do his light play during macabre and there was no disco ball during Zakuro BUT it was so close and intimate that it changed the show entirely and made it into something out of control.  Everyone knows when to be quiet at Dir shows. It’s an unwritten rule that no one breaks and in partiular with the Macabre tour people have been clapping between songs but last night it was as if everyone had lost it. 

Normally between songs theres about a minute where this track plays and the members do shit (I like to spend these moments staring at Kyo like a psycho. Yesterday he squatted on the floor and sipped water like a little cute lovely thing) Normally everyone is silent but last night suddenly someone shouts “KAORU!!!”. We all look around, this kind of this isn’t normal, no one breaks the unwritten rules unless they’ve never been to a show before and don’t know any better. Suddenly someone else shouts “TOSHIYA!!” theres a murmur across the audience before it explodes and everyone is screaming for their favourite remember. It was amazing, even the members seemed to have noticed that something was happening. The same thing would happen during the clapping after songs. Everyone would clap for like two seconds before they couldn’t hold it in anymore and exploded into screams.  Kyo was completely and utterly into every single song, dancing and spinning and jumping all over the stage. Honestly the crowd was incredible and I think that really put him in a good mood. 

The encore was really where everything was incredible and i still can’t get over it. 

So as I said, Barkup is a live house thus generally smaller and MY GOD, i have never been so crammed in my life. Like the staff kept calling for us to move forward and the people around me were like “THERES NO WHERE TO GO THO???” 

So with how packed it was we were all dying and dripping with sweat and Kyo grins at us all from his box, with one hand on his hip and goes  “Even though this place is a live house its nice and cool in here isnt it?” then runs his hand through his hair.  After that it explodes into Rasetsukoku and me and Kyo had a moment and now we’re married.  The crowd went insane, all of us trying to head bang despite being crammed tightly together, then Kyo screams at us to become one and we all start head banging in perfect harmony.  After utafumi ended Kyo spent ages and ages on stage playing and laughing. He threw his bottle cap to the front and then threw the bottle right to the back. At one point he leaned on Die and Die pointed into crowd and directed Kyo where to spit his water whilst Kyo puffed his cheeks out and sprayed random people in the crowd. 

Kyo spent so much time coming back to the ‘kyo’ area and pointing at us and motioning with his hand for us to cheer more and just generally teasing us.  At one point Kyo sort of headed over to Kaoru’s stand so we all started chanting Kyo’s name over and over again and his head like shot back to us and he grinned massively before coming back over. Last night was hands down one of the best Dir lives I’ve ever been too. I still can’t get over it I LOVE THEM ALL SO MUCH.

Sorry its mostly about kyo. I HAVE E_YES ONLY FOR HIM>

[drkreviews]

Best of... August 2017

Here I am with the monthly chart in “Best of... August 2017″! Another Summer is getting to end and the days are bright and slowly less hotter. But the Japanese rock scene is becoming more and more steaming, with new bands made of old and renowned people, whose style is appealing and unique in its own, making the choices really diffficult. So I tried to pick five of the most entertaining releases of an interesting month, a sure prelude to a more compelling musical Autumn. And now... let’s start the countdown!

5) Acme - Senkou [Flash] (02.08.2017)

Following up the disbandment of the acclaimed visual band DIV, the singer Chisa and the guitarist Shogo formed a new band, which debuted this month with a mini-album.

Why they are here: The sound featured is freaking, cheerful and rhythmical in its own, as someone could expect looking to this band for the first time, but the most relevant note is Chisa’s voice, who developed a lot, going from the clearer notes seen in DIV to maturer tones, putting him at the same level of some good singers of the scene.

TRACKLIST

Senkou

TrickxTrap

Monster

Edgy

Melody

Tebanashi rider (Released rider)

Kamikaze

4) Seraph - Génesi (18.08.2017) *already reviewed by me*

Along with Kyo’s Sukekiyo and Die’s Decays, even the drummer Shinya has started a brand-new project, which has debuted with the first single.

Why he is here: Compared to the rough metal sound of Dir en Grey and to what his band mates are doing with their side projects, Shinya chose something really different and in this song we can see an heavenly melodic theme, accompained by the rhythmical potency which always characterized him and by the ethereal voice by the emergent Moa, making it more and more fascinating.

TRACKLIST

Génesi

3) Shin - Good Morning Dreamer (23.08.2017) *already reviewed by me*

The former singer of the acclaimed band ViViD has debut as solo artist last year and he officially started his own path with this first album.

Why he is here: We all know that Shin is a really talented and experienced singer and this album shows off what he is capable to do, between good guitar riffs and intense rock melodies, meaning that he has all the cards for making a brilliant career.

TRACKLIST

Jack the ripper

Why not?

Just going true side

4444

Weakend

Territory

Dirty Hurry

Restart

2015.4.29

2) Shape Shifter - Shape Shifter (09.08.2017)

This really promising gothic metal band has unfortunately announced their disbandment, expected for next month, but not before releasing their first and only full release.

Why they are here: With band members coming from famous visual bands, such as Moi Dix Mois, Art Cube, Triggah and Endgam∃, the final result of this release can only be good, with refined metal themes, accompained by compelling vocals and structured instrumentals, which unfortunately didn’t achieve to be appreciated, and make only hoping to hear their work in other future projects.

TRACKLIST

Toki no naka (Sometime)

Kanjou ame (Emotional rain)

Yami saku hane (Darkly divided feathers)

Kurikaesu yasashi-sa (Repetitive kindness)

Moumoku no boku (My blindness)

Kareta hitomi (Withered eyes)

Eien no rei (Eternal zero)

Masquerade

Kawaki no tobira

Torikago (Birdcage)

Kanashimi no kioku (Sadness memories)

Doukei (Longing)

1) Gibkiy Gibkiy Gibkiy - In Incontinence (09.08.2017)

And the best release of the month is the second full album by one of the most mysterious bands of the visual kei scene, Gibkiy Gibkiy Gibkiy, one year after the previous one.

Why they are here: After having caught our interest with the single I love you, this band, made of names from the angura kei scene, showed that they are not so common and in this full release they showed off the darkest metal tunes possible, with creepy melodies, astonishing vocals and a macabre atmosphere surrounding their songs, making this album one of the best releases of this year.

TRACKLIST

Muchuu mu (Absent)

Chi to chuu kanketsu (Completion of blood and air)

Ai toyuu, hentai (Love, a pervert)

Toaru sunda haru no asa ni (In a certain clear spring morning)

Kokuhaku (Confession)

Danari to tareru (Untied and adrift)

Tougai, magai (Cranium, imitation)

Straitjacket

Suspend

Inran bunshi (Immoral molecule)

That’s all folks! See you tomorrow for the final week of this third season of Darkest Reviews in “Lyrical Love”!

Thanks for the reading!

[yridenergyridenergy]

Quite a few sukekiyo news:

A new music and video compilation called "Ius Cerebri" "Sinistro Cerebrum" will be released on 2024/07/24. The regular edition will be on sale on the same day in all Japanese records stores but the typical limited edition will be a GBS exclusivity.

This was announced on February 16th, but there will be a special four-day event called "Gion Matsuri, Moufuku no Gyou" in July, the first of which is also a -Suzaku no Ma- special. No further details at the moment. Open to sukekiyo-online members only.

In August, a new standing tour aptly named "Unaji ni Ase" (sweat on neck) will be held across Japan.

Lastly, today's show will be broadcast on U-Next from March 23rd 2024, but I believe this is not available to people outside of Japan... TBD.

[yridenergyridenergy]

Are you for real? The only thing upcoming for sukekiyo will be a Jet-Black Ceremony and there is no lively show like on the August tour in the foreseeable future? I really missed out...

Not interested in traveling halfway across the world just to stay immobile like in a funeral service, so I guess I really ought to go see Dir en grey in December now...

[yridenergyridenergy]

So, it looks like Dir en grey's tour23 Phalaris Vol.II will be the last tour from one of Kyo's bands to use TicketTown, a foreigner-friendly platform.

Sukekiyo is back to using e-plus for their August 2023 tour. In general, e-plus for us means: "You better have a friend in Japan who can help you", seeing as accounts there require authentification via SMS to a Japanese mobile phone number. But unless you are comfortable to wait until general admission and get a bad ticket number (not ideal when you are spending so much to travel across the world for that), then you want to apply as soon as the sukekiyo-online or kyo-online rounds (a knot rounds in Dir en grey's case).

However, I just tested it with my middleman, and the link itself to e-plus does not work unless you access it from your sukekiyo-online account on that site... Essentially, you would need to give your friend access to your account, not just provide them with the account ID etc.

I looked into obtaining a phone with a Japanese number, but apparently the setup needs to be completed in Japan even if you receive it shipped abroad, plus it does cost $45 per month...

Unless you're lucky to be super well connected, of course.

Short of being the death knell that the government's proposed law of requiring Japanese ID to attend shows would be, this is still a rollback to arduous times for overseas fans. And I can't imagine a good reason for abandoning TicketTown...

[yridenergyridenergy]

I almost cried upon listening to Mozaic Shoujo again hahah. It brought me back to the show almost two weeks ago. What a beautiful moment, I was so lucky to witness sukekiyo again. They are so, so good.

It can't be infatuation, it has to be love

A friend was accompanying me because he claimed to like sukekiyo more than Dir en grey, but he also barely knew their songs. So before the show started, I felt that my duty was to forewarn him of multiple things:

- context for the show: it's Kyo's birthday;

- he always ends sukekiyo concerts with "oyasumi" but this time they will most likely do an encore, whether that's before or after "oyasumi";

- they're more pop than the last album you heard, INFINITUM;

- case in point: we have penlights now, one for each of two songs and it's forbidden to use the wrong one per song or of course to take them out during any other time in the show;

- hm, here's a picture of how Kyo was dressed in their latest concert in August/September (scan of Kyo in the fluffy white dress/skirt);

- You'll see, people are dead. Have been dead before forever, will still be dead now. It all comes from a history of 'jet-black ceremonies'.

Not bad for a crash course right before the show, right?

And man, I am SO glad that my friend ended up being slightly in front of me so that I was basically standing in his blindspot, because hell, I was INTO the songs. I didn't have to be shy that he would see me hahah.

[yridenergyridenergy]

*sukekiyo releasing something new* me looking at my bankaccount, "saa shjiitt here we go again"

No kidding...

August - Fetish album by Petit Brabancon

September - The Final Days DVD by Dir en grey

October - AMOR music+video collection by sukekiyo

And shipping increased exponentially so it makes almost no sense to pay $100+ for shipping three months in a row...

[kyotakumrau]

GIGS No519 Interview 京 [Voice]

GIGS 2021 JUN released on April 27th (interview itself was done on April 6th)

The last solo interview is with Kyo. In the previous interviews, all band members from the music instrument squad all mentioned ‘simple’ in reference to Oboro. Yet how did he perceive the song and what feelings were put into the lyrics? Let’s discuss it thoroughly.

The most important thing is that I want to be able to let out honestly what I want express, what I see, what I felt or thought that one moment.

text: Yukinobu Hasegawa photos: Reishi Eguma translation: kyotaku (pls let me know if you see any mistakes!)

You can get GIGS 6月号 on Amazon Japan or HMV or CDJapan or TOWER RECORDS or other shops!

――It shows in the footage enclosed in the deluxe and first press editions of ‘Oboro’ that the songwriting for the new album started quite some time ago.

京   I was probably working on various things without thinking about a single, so I don’t really remember when was it. I’m working on songs aaaaaaaall the time (laughing). I don’t really grasp when each song was done or which one will become a single, so honestly speaking I don’t really know.

――You’re also doing sukekiyo. I have many chances to speak with sukekiyo members and they were surprised that ‘Kyo will be sending new songs ideas or melody anytime’ (laughing). Is your pace of coming up with ideas as high with DIR EN GREY?

京   On the contrary, I’m not saying much in case of DIR EN GREY. Just about ‘I’m looking forward to it’. I’m not writing songs, so upon listening to the demo of the song sent by other members I just give them my opinion like ‘how about we change it a bit like this?’ or ‘this way is good’.

――At the time you started writing songs did you already have an idea what you wanted for the next album?

京   I didn’t. Not at all, I felt I could read this and that about the album from the direction we were going from the atmosphere of the songs the members brought in earlier. In our case we often don’t have talks like ‘let’s make an album like this’. So, on the contrary I usually don’t say much about things like album image, I think we can make more irregular thing if I keep a flat position.

――So even you are looking forward to what kind of response you will have when listening to the song’s demo?

京   I am.

――Because of the spread of COVID-19 it’s hard to move around now, so how do you get input for the music, art and so on?

京   Nah, I don’t really do anything. If you ask about input... the most I do is watching various news.

――Do you feel that the things happening around you and around the world are something that drive you when you’re expressing yourself?

京   I’m sure they do. What I think when I see and feel various things, how I communicate that, it’s about that.

――The single ‘Ochita koto no aru sora’ you released last year had a digital release only thus there were no lyrics included, but fans listened to the song many times to try to understand the lyrics. As a result, I think they realized that it’s a song with a dreadful/intense message. Because lyrics include a such date as ‘㋇㏥・August the 6th’ among other things, there was a reaction also from fans around the world.

京   Frankly, I don’t check fans reactions. I don’t know what people will think after listening, but I don’t want to talk about the atomic bomb. In the end, the fighting continues, the same things keep happening again and again...like that. I think there are many issues, but there’s no right answer to them, it’s all just collisions of what we ourselves think is right and just. That’s why you can’t say that something is bad as a rule. It’s just one way of thinking, there are many ways we can look at things. For example, currently during the pandemic holding a concert is the right thing to do or not, won’t the answer and the way of thinking be different for every person? Now more than ever we got a situation when it’s very difficult to say ‘this is the way’. It’s the way I feel now seeing various things.

――Because of COVID-19 there’s a lot of hate crime against Asians in the US. It’s a crime, but the people who commit it may see it as an act of justice.

京   That’s true. There are also many other issues like the gender discrimination, in all of them Japan is seen as lagging behind. It can’t be simply denied because the situation now and in the past is different, depending on the country or culture the way people feel or think is also different. It’s a difficult issue, isn’t it?

――I think you write many lyrics that make us think about that. There’s not only grieving in ‘Ochita koto no aru sora’, there’s a positive message at the end. That really resonated with me. Do you feel like the way you express and communicate things has changed?

京   No, I don’t think anything changed.

――I’d like to talk about ‘Oboro’ now, it seems like it was a pick out of few songs. What was your impression when you listened to the original song?

京   It was like all demos felt more like the album songs than a single. It’s normal as we originally didn’t start working on them thinking about creating a single, most of the songs were intended for the album and we decided to finish one as a single. Recently we had many up-tempo singles, so I thought it would be a good idea to release a ballad, not as epic as previous ones, but a ballad that could be included on the album.

――What kind of response did you have when you listened to the original song for the first time? Talking about the lyrics, I thought that because of the pandemic it became difficult to move around, and the thoughts have turned inwards. You told me [at t an interview] some years ago that you had some traumatic events, I thought [lyrics] relate to them.

京   In terms of the worldwiev and lyrics, recently there were no lyrics directed at one person, a lot of them had a message from a very broad perspective, that’s why first thing I wanted to do was to have a narrower worldview. So when I listened to the original song and the scene emerged [in my mind], the past songs videos are very broad. This isn’t a continuation but it was a start for me to want to put something like that together. It’s not about my own trauma, it’s a narrow worldview inside a big worldview. And without using grotesque expressions, I wanted to depict various feelings like love or hatred, and wrote lyrics with that in mind.

――The past songs you mentioned were also songs that had music videos made for them at the time. I was actually watching the video and having a flashback. The pain and agony of a woman, and I dare say her feelings about her aborted baby. That’s what gives a shape [to the new song]. At the moment is your expression or the direction of what you want to bring up in your lyrics changing?

京   I don’t mean it like we all should try being positive (thinking about the future) together, but as one should think about various things, I always want to write about what we think is the right path or what is just. But as I said before, what is right varies per person. It’s something I want to write about on the next album in the future.

――In other words, like stabbing/piercing each person’s feelings?

京   Well, yes. I think I’ve been thinking like that since the last album The Insulated World, but this time I’d like to go further into that direction... I mean it’s not like I have something precise I want to convey or I want to bring up this and that. The most important thing is that I want to be able to let out honestly what I want express, what I see, what I feel or think that very moment.

――As your age and work experience accumulate, I think people’s ideas and thinking will also change. What can you think of [that has changed] in the last few years?

京   Nothing (laughing). It’s not something you know about yourself. On the contrary I want to stay without changing. To change because the world is becoming a certain way is really not like me, I was always my own type of person, so I want to continue as I am. This is something I’m saying all the time, but I hate fixed ideas, I want to be always free to express myself. But there’s not much freedom in the world nowadays. Besides the problem with COVID-19, many countries have civil wars. That’s where we learn the importance of freedom again, and I also wondered if having a lot of freedom is not justice. When you start thinking like that it messes with your head, but I want to be free just in the world of expression. I feel like this is a one right no one can take away from me.

I think the most negative thing, for fans, for the band and for me, is not being able to show our real selves at the concerts.

――Are you taking that stance now as well when you’re writing for an album?

京   Nah, I haven’t written anything yet. We’re in the early stage of pre-production, so it’s not the point where I write lyrics yet. The songs are still in the middle of being changed, so it’s like I want to see more of them. Also, most songs don’t have a melody decided for them. And what I feel and think, what I want to express, things inside of me are changing every day. I want to be able to pack as current me as possible into [the lyrics], and to put into lyrics as recent images from the songs as possible, so I haven’t decided on them yet.

――Did you write the lyrics for ‘Oboro’ just before song-writing time as well?

京   Yeah. After the length/scale of the song is mostly decided in pre-production next is a step when I’m inserting temporary lyrics and then start recording.

――You have a [recording] vocal booth at home, so did you record ‘Oboro’ deciding the vocal direction by yourself?

京   If it was different, I probably wouldn’t be singing. I don’t want to go to a studio outside (laughing).

――Do you sing creating an environment for the song’s world like getting your room all dark when recording?

京   Nah, I’m a person who doesn’t do things like that, I can do it anywhere as long as I have a vocal booth. Just, I sing when I want to sing. When using a studio from what time and until what time is decided, engineers have their schedules, so even if I’m not happy with something and want to rerecord it, it takes time to get ‘let’s listen to it’ or ‘I’m gonna organize data’. And sometimes that timing doesn’t match my own rhythm. And, there are times when I want to sing soon after waking up or want to sing when I’m anguished not being able to sleep. I value this kind of speed so I can’t record outside my house anymore.

――In ‘Oboro’, even the trembling of your throat when your voice comes out got recorded, which helps the listener to get into the song even more. What were you looking for in terms of singing?

京   It’s a bit old-fashioned, isn’t it? In the past I was singing with my emotions so my mannerism/habits would really come out hard. After that I tried to get rid of them as much as possible, and as much as possible tried singing putting emphasis on the pitch and timing. For example, when the timing of each sound in first A melody and second A melody didn’t match perfectly, I would be unhappy, but now I just sing naturally so the timing can be a bit off. I deliberately sing with the feelings that were matching the flow of the song, so I don’t record with the intention of singing perfectly.

――You absolutely prioritise the emotions?

京   That’s right. But in case of ‘Oboro’, the lyrics don’t have a worldview where the emotions get stirred up to just burst out. They are hidden inside, I thought it would be interesting to sing in a restrained way without exploding. With that point, I recorded the song with the emphasis on the flow of the song. And I think I will keep that point the same when recording the album.

――There was a time when you were thinking like drawing a blueprint with many different voice tones and the arrangement of the choruses, it was interesting for you to play tricks with them, right?

京   There was a time when I pulled that out as a part of me, but now I want to pull other parts out. Increasing the things I can pull out, if I think the approach you just described is good, I just have to drag it all out. When I listen to the album as a whole, if I think there’s not enough appeal, I’d try a more gimmicky approach. In the end I won’t be satisfied with myself. I want to keep searching for more and more new ways, not only sing the way I’ve sung before.

――You had this kind of attitude from the start. As a coupling song for the single you have a customary self-remake song. This time it’s ‘TDFF’, to listen to the original song from the past again... ah, you don’t do it. I’m shaking my head for jumping into your answer (laughing).

京   I just briefly look at the old lyrics and decide I want to keep this part, I don’t need this part and so on. To some extend in myself I’ll just extract some part and from there extend the image and add things to it.

――Is it like breathing new life into a song?

京   Nah, it’s just the 2021 version. If we redid it now it’d look like this. We wanted to keep as many good parts as possible, but there were also parts where we felt ‘here it’d have been better to go with this’, so they got changed in the current version.

――By changing the song to a newest version can you see your attitude towards the singing or your thoughts?

京   I’m always putting in the things I’m feeling at that time, so I think to an extend I can see it. But it was originally a simple song, so it was easy.  

――It was also recorded in your vocal booth at your home, right? I think I’d actually like to have a peek at you singing to see what’s it like (laughing).

京   Ah, it’s a really simple booth about the size of the phone booth. There’s a small thing working as a desk and I put my computer there, singing while sitting down and using a hand-held mic. I don’t want to use a recording standard stand mic. I want to sing as much as possible the same way I sing at concerts. But there’s no space for me to stand up so I sing sitting down (laughing). But in my case, it doesn’t matter if I’m singing standing or sitting down or sleeping (laughing).

――It doesn’t really affect your concentration.

京   I usually can finish recording one song in less than 2 hours, so I think anyone can concentrate for about 2 hours (laughing).

――The 3rd song on the single is a live track. How do you feel about performing without the audience?

京   Honestly speaking the songs that require a response [from the fans] were a bit tiring, but there was no change with the songs focusing on the worldview or the songs that just explode. Doing it naturally is about doing it naturally. I haven’t listened to that live track yet, but yeah.

――But yeah (laughing). Did you choose the song that got the most votes?

京   Nah, I’m okay with any live track. Like ‘please choose whichever you want’, I leave it to the other members or the people in the company. Concert is a raw thing (=unedited, live), I had many live tracks in the past where my voice was all messed up or where I was singing cleanly. That’s why now I don’t have anything that would make me go ‘wait, this is a bit...’. I think the me from that time is packed there so anything is fine.

――You’re soon going to have a first in a while concert with the audience on May the 6th. I think you might answer ‘not at all’, but how are you approaching it?

京   Today I was at the concert film screening event in Osaka, and we talked there about the concert. And I said there that because it’s still a month away I don’t think about it (laughing). Listen, if you were told you will be having this and that for dinner in a month, you would listen with only half an ear being ‘yeah got it’ (=you’d forget it next moment) (laughing). I start thinking about it about a week before the concert. I’m not the type of person to go ‘I’ll do my best!’, I’ll just let out my honest feelings at the time.

――During the time when you didn’t have the type of space or time that is a performance with the audience, were there any moments when you started wondering ‘what are concerts?’ and so on?

京   No, there weren’t. There were moments when I felt like I’d like to do a show, but I didn’t really think about things like ‘why are we doing concerts?’ or ‘what are concerts for me?’. It’s not like all my music activities stopped, so I didn’t have a moment to think that deeply about it. If anything, rather than us I think it’s the fans who were thinking about it.

――Because for many people concerts are something they live for. Kyo, you’re looking healthy.

京   There were times when it was very hard for me mentally, I don’t know what was the reason. Now... I’m trying not to think too much about unnecessary things. I’m trying to only think about what’s in front of me or about things I’m able to do now, I’m trying not to push myself too much. I’m trying to accept myself as I naturally am. But even then, there are still things that keep piling up, making me worry endlessly. I wish I would be able to let them erupt at concerts. I think the most negative thing, for fans, for the band and for me, is not being able to show our real selves at the concerts.

[yridenergyridenergy]

Ooooh, I see! Thank you for writing such a detailed reply! What a relief lmao I've even asked someone else about this as well because I was starting to get anxious haha That's actually a very lovely gesture! Outside of the worst case scenario I thought it could be for the shock value. Like in the Ash PV there's someone (Die?) wearing a literal nazi armband, and I interpreted is as irony or just a way piss people off, like MANY people in the 70's punk subculture did (which they were obviously inspired by like the whole vk movement I think). What's your opinion on this? I've read that just in their latest shows they even had a burning USA flag with RIP AMERIKKKA written on it and hell yeah what an amazing fucking move. Just like Shinya's feminist t-shirt and the TDFF lyrics. They seem very politically critical so I'd really appreciate it if you could tell me more about their stances on this kind of stuff! And thank you once more for your time! I like DEG and sukekiyo more and more everyday and it's very nice to get to know them better❤️

Hm I cannot remember them by heart. I know that Kaoru posted a black square on the day that people on social media were highlighting Black Lives Matter. One major event politics-wise was when Dir en grey created a Scream For The Truth movement to ask the Japanese government to be more transparent, and I think that was after the earthquake and the Fukushima disaster.

Personally, I find that Kaoru is really missing occasions to denounce more things via his The Freedom of Expression channel on YouTube and often it's Joe or Tasai taking stances that he silently agrees with I guess.

Stuff in their video clips and live background videos is chosen by their director, not them per se. Songs are often not literally written with those visuals in mind, so don't take it very literally. However, I imagine that if they disagreed with being associated to this or that image, they could refuse to have it included and send the director back to the drawing board. Plus, they do have an input in the videos, we just do not know the extent of it. Unless it is mentioned more specifically inside the fan club magazines...

That being said, Vinushka and a couple of other songs are indeed understood to be about the bombing of Hiroshima at the end of World War II. Any time August 6th is mentioned in the lyrics.

Other songs such as Obscure and Mazohyst of decadence present the point of view of the babies being aborted, but I would not jump to conclusions that the band is anti-abortion or anything like that.

This is what comes to my mind right now... Not exhaustive.

[kyotakumrau]

2020.09.27 Rolling Stone Japan - interview with SUGIZO - translation (selection)

SUGIZO talkes about how he met his friends and why was it important to him now to release a live album

Original text: Joe Yokomizo

Photos by Keiko Tanabe

Translation: kyotaku

SUGIZO is releasing the first live album in his solo career, 'LIVE IN TOKYO', on September 30th. This work delivers the two day birthday performance 'SUGIZO 聖誕半世紀祭～HALF CENTURY ANNIVERSARY FES.～' that was held last year on July 7th and August 2nd at Nakano Sunplaza, giving you a chance to not only enjoy the live atmosphere but also the magnificent collaboration with his sworn musician friends.

It's a masterpiece I'd love many people to listen to, but it might be surprising to people who only know SUGIZO from LUNA SEA and X JAPAN and not his solo work.

In this interview we will get to the bottom of it, discussing the live album, the foundations of SUGIZO's solo work and his music, and the history with the artists who joined the project.

ー It's the first time in your career you're releasing a live album, which is very unusual now that the video releases are so common. You were that happy with how those 2 days turned out?

I was planning to release a live album from before. I heard from my staff they wanted to release the material from this half century celebration, but because I've released live video works so many times I thought it's time to change my approach.

I feel that young people nowadays are not really familiar with live albums. These times we can easily watch live videos everywhere including YouTube. But back in our childhood the live album from the artist we were indulging in was a real prize. For me it was YMO, JAPAN and PiL. Miles Davids or Frank Zappa also had quite a few live releases. And, Deep Purple or Peter Framptom also had famous live albums, even as I wasn't influenced by them. With such artists, live albums in 70s and 80s were treated as extremely valuable. I have a lot of admiration for those times, so I was hoping to eventually be able do it myself.

－ I see. Before we talk about the content, I wanted to ask you when did you encounter the so called psychodelic trance music that is the foundation of your solo music?

In the mid 90s. First, I was really into hardcore techno or minimal techno in early 90s, speaking of the ambient world like The Orb or 808 STATE, I really love the scene of that time. And few years later, at the same time when I started my solo activity, European drum n bass or abstract hip hop were very popular, I was quite influenced by the club culture and music around then, and then naturally I gave myself to trance.

The first rave I went to see was Vision Quest in 2001, and from then I got even more into it. The feeling of life in the perfectly linked music and the flow of universe, like dancing with the rising sun and chilling in the afternoon, my instincts were telling me that people had a connection with this kind of music from the ancient times. Not the music from the cities, the music with roots in nature. Kind of primitive music. I found great value for music there.

◆Then they discuss JUNO REACTOR, learning what kind of rhythm feels good, how working with a South African percussion team Amampondo helped them grow spiritually, especially thanks to the drummer Mabi, SUGIZO's chase of the 'black groove' to finally understand East has its own good points; he can be proud as Japanese and SUGIZO's solo activity reflects everything he's learnt.

Next, Joe asks SUGIZO for a primer of his solo work, SUGIZO lists 'Misogi', 'FATIMA', 'DO-FUNK DANCE' and 'Lux Aeterna'◆

meeting Kyo（DIR EN GREY/sukekiyo)

－ Remarkably for each of two days you invited guest vocalists. All of them are musicians you're very familiar with, could you tell us first about how you got to know Kyo (from DIR EN GREY/sukekiyo)?

From the start I was close with some people they know and their staff members. So I went to see their show and we were introduced. It was surprisingly recently, like around 2005 or 2006.

－ What was your impression when you saw DIR EN GREY for the first time?

It was the first time I felt threatened by a younger band. I'm sorry for saying this, but I haven't felt threatened or impacted by any of the younger artists, within this genre. That's why I was quite surprised with how great they are. What they're expressing, their worldview are incredible. At that time I could feel that their performance or sound are not there yet, but I could already feel the intensity of what was pouring out of them, the endless possibilities.

I was especially looking at Kyo thinking 'he's a genius'. There's no theory or detailed reasoning with him. He's just doing things by instinct. But he's good with words, good at drawing, as an artist he can express himself in so many different ways. Then, when I met him in person he was just so pure and innocent, doesn't it seem like he's not greedy at all? So it was a shock of 'a genius like this exists?'.

－ It was Kyo who wrote the lyrics for your collaboration song 'Zessai', was it a request from you?

Yes. Thinking to sing the best it'd be better if that person writes the lyrics, and when I asked [Kyo] he happily did. When I sent him a 2nd stage Mix demo asking 'it will be like this, what do you think?', he already had the singing (melody) put in. And the lyrics have been done too, when I asked 'woah, that's the actual thing?', he replied 'yup, I've done them'. It's the same with DIR. Thus, he's a genius. When an image comes to his mind he cannot wait. It all felt so fast. He's really a phenomenal creator.

－ How was the performance at the Half Century Anniversary?

I felt he definitely is someone who follows his instincts. When you stand on the stage and things get serious it totally doesn't matter if you're younger or older (as in how long you've been working in a music business). Of course there was no stage fright, I felt as a performer he's just huge, and at the same time it felt like there was mutual respect. It felt like it would be a waste to let it just finish like that. That's why I'm very happy that we can release the collaboration from the stage [on the live album].

◆Next, they talk about TERU and TAKURO (from GLAY), followed by Kiyoharu (I'm skipping here a lot)◆

－Kiyoharu said 'I've performed on various stages so I can't imagine myself losing, but when playing together with SUGIZO the pressure is very different'. Often when two different performers stand on stage together sparks will fly.

The same thing can be said about RYUICHI and SUGIZO, the spark/heat of the collision of a guitarist and a vocalist is often very attractive. In a way there's also the aesthetics of traditional rock, that the combination of Kiyoharu and SUGIZO might be able to embody this spark's attractiveness. That's why the collision on the stage makes me shudder, but also it's possible to blend together. With [the combination of] Kyo and SUGIZO there's no blending together, it feels different. And with TAKURO・TERU we're different type of people. When Kiyoharu is on stage I feel he's the same species as me.

－ It's interesting that the character of all those three groups of musicians is totally different.

That's true. I think it's amazing I could have a line-up like that, it's really by chance that they are my good friends coming from the same genre.

◆they finish the interview talking about the sound and working with Dub Master X, sound mixing for the album, SUGIZO wants the live sound to have intimate, close feeling◆

一 So how was it to complete a live album without compromising on anything?

It's a live album, but it it makes me feel like I was able to create a 'SUGIZO's Best Album'. 2 years I go I released what was meant to be my biggest compilation, but obviously the sound from the studio and from the concert have totally different types of energy. As someone who's been performing on the stage for a very long time, I'm really glad to able to pack that energy for the first time officially on an album. Of course live performance has less precision than the studio album, but performance has way more energy.

Another thing is that as you know it is difficult now to perform due to the pandemic. I haven't played live for half a year, when thinking about it, it's the first time in my music career to not play any shows for this long. That's why I'm really yearning for the stage performance, the live show. When I was still doing them it was something obvious, but now that I can't, making this album made me keenly aware how important concerts are in my life and how much I need them; and to tell the truth working on this live album was like saving myself in a way. Obviously a live album can't rival the real thing. Not even a live dvd nor a live stream can match the excitement of being there [at the show], but I worked on this album hoping to let you feel at least some percent of that feeling. At any rate, I'm really grateful to be able to create a work like a live album that inspired me so much as a child.

Btw 絶彩 feat. 京 [LIVE IN TOKYO] available here

[yridenergyridenergy]

Wait so LUXURIA is available for ORDER at the sukekiyo shows this weekend but we are supposed to wait until the 5th, pre-order them on GBS and wait until the end of July/beginning of August for those copies to ship instead of buying the resales hahahah?

Yo they messed up this release so fucking bad. No reason we did not get a 2- or 3-month pre-order period like every other release.

[kyotakumrau]

sukekiyo ohp 2020.08.20

A notice to the fans who cannot attend the talk and signing event held instead of the 'TOUR2020 DRIPPIN' additional show' which was cancelled.

We took into account the situation of the fans who unfortunately cannot attend the talk and signing event which will be held on August 23rd and it was decided to send them sign postcards on later date (same design as used at the venue on the day). Interested fans should confirm the aplication method below and send the ticket and a note with necessary information within the specified period.

Furthermore, it is possible for the fans who will attend the event to receive signed postcards on behalf of other fans who cannot come. In such case please bring the unused ticket (torn off ticket stub will make it invalid) and hand it to the staff. Please understand that organizer cannot take the responsibility for the delivery of the signed postcards.

◆how to apply

【for fans with a paper ticket】

①please prepare the ticket, make sure the stub wasn't torn off

②prepare a note with the following information

your name

your full address

day time telephone number

mail address

③please send both items to the address below within the specified time

〒106-0032 東京都港区六本木5-18-18 プレシャス六本木ビル4F

「sukekiyo サイン発送受付係」

(✉106-0036 Tokyo, Minato-ku, Roppongi 5-18-18 Precious Roppongi Building 4F, 'for the sukekiyo sign hassou uketsuke')

※we're sorry but fans have to pay for postage when sending tickets to us

※there's no specified postage type, but please be aware that in case you send it as a normal letter and the letter gets lost we won't be able to send you the signed postcard. We recommend using recorded mail.

※in case of tickets with missing stub we will not be able to issue a signed postcard.

【for fans with smart ticket (electronic ticket)】

Please send us an email with the information below within the specified period.

[address] drippin@sukekiyo-official.jp

[title] sukekiyoサイン発送（スマチケ）

[mail body]

your name

your full address

daytime phone number

[attachment]

a screenshot of smart ticket

※please be aware that if the ticket was torn off we won't be able to issue a signed postcard.

◆application deadline

[paper tickets] August 31st 2020 (postal stamp)

[electronic tickets] August 31st 2020, 23:59

Fans planning to attend the event should double check this ohp entry!

[yridenergyridenergy]

Gigs Dir en grey interviews

Highlights, regarding The Insulated World: 

Kyo -

His input in the Ranunculus PV is that he approached the producer with ideas of “How do I know if it’s correct?”. That is how they ended up with televisions showing news from outside - the footage is presumably worse, but how can you know what is better between inside the tower/yourself and outside?

With “Devote My Life”, Kyo clarifies that this song was not written for or with his parents, but to let them know that he is not their responsibility. 

“Downfall” initially had a wide(r) variation of vocals. But after more of the composition proceeded, he decided to change it. 

The interviewer noted that Aka brought forward a sort of feminine, sukekiyo influence. Kyo somewhat agreed, commenting that this song differed from his past songs by proposing that death had a softer side. 

The first sentence of the first song (Keibetsu to Hajimari) is related to the last sentence of the last song (Ranunculus) and this was done on purpose.

He expressed a lot of anguish in albums like Withering to death., so he wonders if he is just bad if people still don’t get it. 

Shinya - 

Kyo was the one who suggested the use of a specific snare drum for the intro of “Devote My Life”. 

Keibetsu to Hajimari was among the first songs completed, but its drums have changed a lot since conception, after playing it and other early songs live. 

Overall, Shinya was very conscious of keeping things simple, and he found out through playing songs live that he sometimes had not simplified the movements and beats enough. And that was just how the whole band felt, without talking to each other about it. 

Apparently, there is no piano involved anymore and the members send each other computer arrangements only now. That also explains why, without being able to really practice on a drum, Shinya realized that there were modifications to do near the end. 

The composition and recording apparently all got finalised late (last week of August). In addition to touring for the “mode of” lives, Shinya feels like he really had no time. 

Toshiya - 

Sometimes, he felt that he wanted to hear a guitar segment more and therefore dialed down on his bass line to allow all the focus to be on the guitar. 

He also sometimes suggested to Shinya that they should align more with the guitars. Overall though, he does not have the impression that his bass composition and playing has changed. 

In the song “Followers”, Toshiya expects some improvisation during the live shows, with Shinya. 

From what I gather, the two guitarists are usually the main composers, but Toshiya apparently provided the main skeleton for “Values of Madness” and “Devote My Life”. 

Toshiya purchased a few additional basses and equipment, but he mentioned that distortion was the primary technique he used in this album, notably in “Keigaku no Yoku”. He does not expect that all of the same sounds will be reproduced during live shows. 

Kaoru - 

He felt like he hit a wall, making this album, but was able to tear it down in the end. First of all, other members had way more patience than he did, and they were even the ones who suggested that “Zetsuentai” should be a long song. It was difficult to come to a point where: “This is it”. 

He acknowledges that Ranunculus would have been a much longer song under previous Dir en grey composition mindset. 

With The Insulated World, he felt a sense of creating songs that were not bound to themselves, so that they could be played live while allowing some consciousness (room to move or do something else). 

He did not want to add solos, because he finds that they are sometimes forced, like “I needed to fill this space”. 

Die -

He contributed the most to “Rubbish Heap” and “Aka”. He finds it weird that, just like RED... em, the colour red is associated to him. Like Kyo did it on purpose. 

For “Rubbish Heap”, there was apparently quite a bit of direction/request from Kyo. The songwriting stage came very early, therefore Kyo was waiting and getting new ideas as time passed. 

Die mentioned that there was a “metallic” feel to composing these songs. By adding too many sounds, he feels that sometimes you lose the edge, therefore there was more work put into this album to try to produce as much of a punch as usual, with less. 

He considers that DECAYS has helped him come back to Dir en grey with more amazement. He easily separates both bands, but taking this time away helps return to the initial band with as much interest as before. 

When creating songs, especially “Rubbish Heap”, he had laid down two guitar riffs but did not know what to do with them, and he was amazed by how Toshiya, for the most, was able to create a bridge and link the two segments together in a coherent whole. 

Sometimes, they barely got half of the lyrics, but just the energy and atmosphere of the singing were enough to hint toward the flow and what music should accompany it. 

[vnshkk]

Sukekiyo [2017.08.10 - music video broadcasting]

August 10th 2017 (THUR) 04:00-04:30am

Sukekiyo’s music video [en] will be broadcast on the music video show Visualism.

Click here for more details