LIVE REPORT: PassCode - Miss Unlimited Tour Final @ Shin-Kiba Studio Coast

PassCode, the newcomers from Osaka making waves with their idolcore sound, held their “MISS UNLIMITED” tour final at Shin-Kiba Studio Coast on December 28th. The group of four consists of Minami Nao, Takashima Kaede, Imada Yuna and Ogami Hinako. They rocked the stage with their unique aesthetics and solid backing band, performing for a rowdy crowd of die-hard fans.


A burst of multicolored lights announced the start of the show and the hoard of fans quickly squeezed themselves as close to the stage as possible in anticipation. PassCode’s silhouettes appeared behind the curtain and the crowd went wild. Then the curtain dropped and the girls all fanned across the stage, building the crowd’s anticipation even more.

They set a brutal pace from the beginning, performing 5 songs in succession without so much as a pause for breath in between. Their fans matched their pace without hesitation, immediately forming mosh pits, circle moshing and crowd surfing. Imada Yuna showcased her impressive range of screams, going from high pitched shrieks to low growls, stoking the crowd’s excitement.

The members alternated simplistic dance moves with more technical dance breaks, making good use of the stage and keeping the audience’s attention. Takashima Kaede urged the venue to sing along with them during “Nextage”. The crowd complied and continued to sing with them during “Gekidou Progressive”. Takashima Kaede and Ogami Hinako had a brief rap duet, showing off more of the skills in their arsenal.




They finally paused for a break after “Cry Out” and all the members introduced themselves and welcomed the crowd. They pointed out their amazing live band and mentioned that it was their first time having a keyboardist as well.

“TRACE” was next and the atmosphere immediately turned heavy in response to the harsh guitar riffs. Bursts of flames shot into the air at the back of the stage and the crowd continued to mosh and pump their fists in the air.

So far, there was not a single lull in the energy and all the songs were upbeat and aggressive. They followed with “AXIS” and “Club Kids Never Die”, which had a quirky chiptune like beat mixed in with the harsh riffs. This time Imada Yuna and Takashima Kaede shared screams back and forth, standing on opposite ends of the stage.

“XYZ” continued the heavy pace then “Dreammaker” switched it up to more of an idol song. This time, the atmosphere was much more poppy and girls sang in a higher pitch. Their fans matched their energy and instead of moshing, a chunk of the crowd began wotagei dancing. Some even brought out penlights, waving them in the dark.


From there, they transitioned into their first ballad of the night, “Orange”. It began with a slow piano intro and gold light illuminating the stage. It eventually got more upbeat but the crowd was still and there were no techno elements, bringing the focus to their voices. When it was over, PassCode quietly left the stage.

Unsure if the set was over or not, the crowd immediately began screaming for an encore. However they went still when a spotlight shone over the keyboardist, coba84. He and drummer Kid'z (from the band MY FIRST STORY) began began a catchy beat that immediately got the crowd chanting and dancing. Then bassist Toshihiro stole the spotlight with a solo followed by guitarists Yoichi and KENT. Finally, they all joined together, for a slick-sounding jam session.



As soon as they finished, PassCode returned, amping up the cheers even louder. Without any delay, they continued with “Never Sleep Again”. Although it was hard to see any signs of tiredness before, the quick break had made their dance moves even sharper in comparison. They danced in sync as the crowd screamed “party people!”.

“Kiss no Hanataba” and “Now I Know” showed off their softer vocals in contrast to the more intense instrumentals. The screams and growls in “Asterisk” were excellent. Imada Yuna threw her entire body into the task and the group as well as the crowd were headbanging.

The last two songs were “MOON PHASE”, which was a fun and catchy song, followed by “from here” which ended the set on a melodic note. Minami Nao thanked the crowd one more time before they left the stage.

Given the crowd’s enthusiasm, no-one was ready for the show to be over. After chanting and calling, the group was back out for round two. They started right away, performing “NINJA BOMBER”. The accompanying dance was reminiscent of ninja fight moves and featured lots of jumps and posing in the air which was extremely fun to watch. During the instrumental break, you hear a shakuhachi playing in the background which added a traditional twist to the metal sound.



“Seize the day!!” had a bright and uplifting feel to it. It started with the backing band getting the crowd riled up and then everyone was jumping and pumping their fists in time to the music. For the bridge, PassCode called their fans to raise their voices and sing. Members of the crowd climbed onto each other’s shoulders, getting as close to the stage as possible and singing at the top of their lungs.

They ended with a final jump together with the fans and left the stage. However, the fans still wanted more and they came out for a final encore. Each member took the time to thank all the fans for their support and for helping them get this far. They ended the show with a performance of “Link”, bringing it to a close with a final burst of upbeat energy.



Setlist:

1. MISS UNLIMITED
2. Toxic
3. Nextage
4. Gekidou Progressive (激動プログレッシブ)
5. Cry Out
6. TRACE
7. AXIS
8. Club Kids Never Die
9. XYZ
10. Dreammaker (ドリームメーカー)
11. Orange (オレンジ)
12. Never Sleep Again
13. Kiss no Hanataba (Kissの花束)
14. Now I Know
15. Asterisk (アスタリスク)
16. MOON PHASE
17. from here

Encore:

1. NINJA BOMBER
2. Seize the day!!

2nd Encore

1. Link

Photo credit: Shingo Tamai, Shumpei Kato, 3104imamura & Takuya Oyama

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