LIVE REPORT: Sick2 「女の子を騙すだけの簡単なお仕事です。5」@ TSUTAYA O-WEST

On August 27th at TSUTAYA O-WEST, Sick2 performed their summer oneman “Onnanoko wo Damasu Dake no Kantan na Oshigoto Desu. 5 (It’s an Easy Job to Deceive Girls #5)”.

The live began promptly at 6pm, and the curtains opened to a fast paced instrumental track as the members all entered. The crowd that filled up the venue were mostly female and as soon as the music started, they began eagerly calling out the names of the band members in cute voices.

When everyone except for vocalist Gene had positioned themselves on stage, the upbeat music suddenly cut off, causing the crowd to gasp in surprise. Without warning, the atmosphere changed as loud blasts of static sporadically rang through the venue and the lights dimmed. Seemingly out of nowhere, there was a hospital bed in the middle of the stage with a body lying down. Gene crawled out of the bed and within moments of his appearance the instruments kicked in and the live started up again at a frantic pace with the song "deep:sleep."

Vo. Gene (ジェネ★)

One of the first things that stood out in the band’s performances was the continuous use of furitsuke (hand and arm movements.) Using a portable mic, Gene led the crowd in a continuous series of elegant, violent, and energetic hand motions depending on the music and lyrics. The fans would execute these moves perfectly in unison and then switch abruptly to frantic headbanging and moshing.





Another interesting part of Sick2’s performances was the band’s interactions with the crowd. More than just playing in front of them, the members were continuously grabbing the outstretched hands of fans and making eye contact, something that the smaller venue gave them the freedom to do.

During the second song “Pandemix,” the members crowded to the very edge of the stage and at a certain point during the song, the fans performed a gyaku-dive. The people at the back would run up to the front of the stage, jump onto the backs of the persons in the front row and grab the members’ outstretched hands. They took turns and were encouraged by the band, which made it more fun for everyone.

After the 5th song “鬼畜カレシ (Kichiku Kareshi),” there was a pause in the music and the crowd went crazy, screaming their appreciation. Gene egged them on, urging them to scream more and more until the venue was echoing, then he put his finger to his lips motioning “shhh” and there was dead silence. He took that moment to thank the crowd for coming to the show and for participating, urging them to make the rest of it as fun as possible.

One of the most dramatic performances of the night was "眼球 (Gankyu)." The venue was doused in deep red lighting accompanied by heavy guitar riffs that thundered through the live house. The audience all covered their eyes and stood perfectly still as Gene moved on stage like a puppet; all dramatic hand movements and stilted body motions. The other members were mostly still, adding to the eerie atmosphere. The song ended with Gene singing acapella in almost complete darkness and his voice echoed throughout the venue.

Gt. Matsuri (祭-まつり-)

After the inactivity of the previous song, things got crazy during “VOID.” The song was fast paced and had a good bassline. The crowd went wild moshing from left to right and headbanging without abandon. Gene was so close to the edge of the stage that he was practically crawling into the crowd, making the audience go even crazier. Guitarist Yuzu doused himself with a bottle of water and he and bassist Takuma were so engrossed in playing that they bumped into each other a couple times.



The song ended and with everyone clearly exhausted, so Gene suggested that they take a well-deserved break. He asked the members which one of them would like to talk on the mic. Drummer Hiroshi eagerly volunteered and gave a cute self-introduction and welcomed the audience. While he kept the crowd entertained with his bubbly character, the other members took a rest.

Guitarist Matsuri took the mic next thanking the staff for doing their jobs well so he could do his. Yuzu and Takuma followed, getting the audience pumped up again before Gene decided to continue the show...only to be stopped by Hiroshi who had prepared something special for the live.

Gt. Yuzu

Gene reluctantly gave up the mic and Hiroshi then sang his own special song about Tsutaya-O-West (much to the amusement of the audience) which then led to a hilarious argument between the members about what direction the English word “West” was. Without getting even more distracted, the show began for real after Gene hurriedly interjected, “Okay let’s go!”

Despite the long break, the second half of the show picked up at full energy with “CLUBSICK.” Colorful lights flashed through the venue and the members were all dancing and doing furitsuke with the audience. Hiroshi paused his drumming to stand and dance along with the crowd. Everyone was smiling and you could feel the enjoyment of everyone in the area.

From here on the band picked up their pace and there was less elegance as they threw themselves into playing hard and fast. “Isotope” had everyone crowding the front of the stage again while Yuzu and Takuma sprawled out on the speakers. Yuzu playfully teased Matsuri, treating the crowd to fans ervice before launching into a slide-filled solo.

Ba. Takuma (たくま)

During the last song “ヴィデオドローム” Takuma seemed to be having slight technical troubles with his bass, but the other members kept the crowd active and in high spirits, so it went unnoticed. When everything was fixed, the crowd and the stage was in a frenzy with members running back and forth, spinning and headbanging. While hair flew in every which way, the audience matched them in energy.






At the end of the song, the crowd showed their appreciation by making hearts with their hands and showing it to their favorite member. The band filtered off stage until Hiroshi was the last man left, still drumming before he stopped to thank the audience then waved goodbye.

As soon as the stage was empty the crowd began to chant for an encore. They continued non-stop for almost 15 minutes until it seemed that the band would not show up. Suddenly, a screen on the stage lit up and a video began to play announcing 4 surprises:

Surprise #1: The band’s upcoming single “CRAZY TOKYO” due November 4th, 2015.
Surprise #2: Oneman tour limited to 100 persons per show entitled “100 kill”
Surprise #3: Sick2 separation???
Surprise #4: Oneman live in 2016 (It’s an easy job to deceive girls. #6)

After that, they showed the PV for their new single CRAZY TOKYO and then the band re-entered wearing their new costumes. They performed their new song "Crazy Tokyo" which was a definite crowd pleaser; upbeat with elements of traditional Japanese music mixed with techno and modern pop beats.

The members all took turns MCing again as well as bantering with each other and teasing Yuzu about his interesting hairstyle (he said he was inspired by a member of Ensoku.) They expressed their desire to go all the way to large venues like Budokan and Tokyo Dome together with the fans and thanked them for all of their support. They performed two more songs, “LIVE ALIVE” then “Lavi!” Suddenly, giant multicolored balloons began raining down on the audience. It turned into a game where the members continued playing the song, but would also throw the balloons back and forth between the delighted audience.

Dr. Hiroshi (大志)

The show ended on a high, positive note and when all the members left the stage, there was an announcement over the intercom (in the style of a supermarket closing up for the day), telling everyone to politely exit the premises and giving the crowd something else to smile about as they left.

Sick2 performed their entire setlist without ever once losing their energy and connection with the crowd. Gene directed the crowd without sacrificing his vocals and the other members continuously interacting with the audience created a fun environment. They weren’t always technically perfect, but their enthusiasm and energy more than made up for it.

The band skillfully manipulated the atmosphere of the venue and the mood of the audience, switching effortlessly between loud frantic riffs and slower, hypnotizing melodies. True to their name, the speed in their transitions were like whiplash, leaving you a little disoriented before they yanked you back into the full-force energy of the live.

Setlist:
deep:sleep
Pandemix
サイコロジカル・ラビリンス (Psychological Labyrinth)
Dr.Earache
鬼畜カレシ (Kichiku Kareshi)
(MC#1)
ロデオドライブ (Rodeo Drive)
LIP/SERVICE
Fiv Five
冬の終わる場所 (Fuyu no Owaru Basho)
眼球 (Gankyu)
VOID
(MC#2)
CLUBSICK
(8-bit)ch
Isotope
カッターナイフ (Cutter knife)
ヴィデオドローム (Videodrome)

Encore:
CRAZY TOKYO
(MC#3)
LIVE ALIVE
Lavi!

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