Avanchick ended their tour “Ashita moshi sekai ga owatte mo” with a milestone final held at Akasaka Blitz on December 7th. Despite the band’s relatively short time together, being able to perform at a venue like that was even more proof of how far they’d come. They also gathered to celebrate vocalist NOAH’s birthday a few weeks early.
The stage was visible before the show began. The back of the stage was dominated by a towering cross. At the start of the live, the cross began to glow an ominous red as heavy music blasted through the speakers. The crowd began chanting in unison as four of the members, Otake, Kagari, Rey and Hyu-ga walked out stage wearing hoods. Throwing them off dramatically, they grabbed their instruments and took their places.
There was a platform at the front of the stage and as the crowd watched, it opened up and NOAH rose from the depths. He paused for a moment gazing at the crowd, then the show began.
They started with “Nee...Kami-sama?” and the venue burst to life. The stage had two additional runways on the far left and right, which gave the band more space to move and get closer to the fans. NOAH’s voice rang clearly throughout the room and the crowd responded eagerly, stretching their arms out towards the stage. It started the live on a strong note. “Idol” was next and the members immediately spread out across the stage. The fans were clapping and jumping from left to right and the band urged them to go wilder. There was a moment’s pause in the movement during the bridge and each member was illuminated under a spotlight. The instruments were rich and clear, especially Kagari’s bass.
“Tanin no Fukou ha Mitsu no Aji” was an intense performance enhanced by deep red lights and NOAH’s guttural screams. The crowd went just as hard as the band, headbanging and jumping nonstop during the chorus.
They paused to welcome everyone to the live and thanked them for coming. Then NOAH taunted the crowd telling them that they were “stray kittens that I want to tease some more”.
This got the crowd yelling in anticipation as they transitioned into the next song “Suteneko”. They built up the excitement with a call and response. Although the song itself was midtempo, the fans continued to be responsive. They screamed their support when Kagari hopped onto the platform at the front of the stage and threw their arms wide when Otake and Rey continued with a duet, hidden in the shadows at the back of the stage.
“Hitorigoto” was slow and dark, showing off Avanchick’s skill for performing songs with primal, heavy rhythms. It was chilling to see the crowd throw headbang non-stop while NOAH blended his vocals with a series of guttural growls and high-pitched shrieks. The other members went hard on their instruments and Hyu-ga’s drumming vibrated through the room. The slow violin at the beginning of “Yo cho ~ageha~” gave everyone a moment to catch their breath before the band pulled the crowd into another fast-paced performance.
After that they had another break to chat with the crowd. NOAH mentioned that he was going to be 25 years old on the 25th of December and the crowd cheered in response, wishing him an early birthday. They continued with the catchy melody of “Pierrot”. The members were making good use of the space, spinning and dancing across the stage. Otake and Kagari playfully pressed their foreheads together then turned, grinning at the crowd.
“Shineba ii no ni” was right after, opening with Otake in the spotlight. The crowd alternated between jumping, headbanging and furitsuke. They kept perfect pace with the band and neither showed any sign of losing energy anytime soon. “LIAR” was straightforward and aggressive. NOAH held nothing back, screaming and headbanging wildly on the platform.
During the next MC, NOAH expressed just how blown away the band was feeling because they were able to play at Akasaka Blitz. They thanked the fans and got ready for the next song with a call and response.
NOAH whispered, “Do you need me?” to the audience and they began pumping their fists and chanting as the band spread out across the stage. They amped up the energy when they continued with “Haikei tsukaisute no kimi he”. The crowd moved tirelessly as the atmosphere became more and more frantic. At a certain point, the audience dropped to their knees, still continuing to headbang. Then when the music slowed for the bridge, they all reached towards the stage as the band members towered over them in spotlight.
Soon enough, NOAH began screaming “Last!”, signaling the final song, “Tsumi to Batsu”. The band moved to the edges of the stage as the crowd began separating themselves. Then the fans dived onto each other, forming a writhing mass of bodies. The people at the top of the pile stretched their hands out, reaching for the members who grabbed onto them, pulling them even higher and closer to the stage. It was pure chaos as the band played round after round of heavy riffs with NOAH screaming and growling constantly, keeping the venue riled up. It ended with the audience crouched on the floor again, headbanging until everyone was worn out.
The band exited the stage but before the crowd could begin chanting for an encore, a screen was lowered with an announcement from the band. The first announcement was that they were going to leave their current record labels. The air became heavy as fans probably wondered if they were going to disband. Luckily they immediately lightened the mood by announcing a countdown live and a “revenge” tour in March of 2017.
While the stage was still empty, the wall at the back of the stage lit up in a deep blue, then tiny yellow lights flared to life, looking like a perfect image of a starry night and eliciting awed gasps from the crowd. Before anyone had noticed, a spotlight shone down on Hyu-ga sitting at a piano. He played a slow, instrumental version of “Ashita Moshi Sekai ga Owattemo” as the crowd listening intently. As he played, the rest of the band quietly filed onto stage. Kagari’s bass joined Hyu-ga’s piano and the guitars joined. NOAH’s voice was clear and filled with emotion. At the chorus, a disco ball began to spin, scattering light across the room. When the song ended, NOAH whispered, “I love you.” as the music faded out.
During the MC, NOAH explained to the crowd their reasons for leaving the record company. One of the reasons being that he wasn’t allowed to see his father who had fallen sick. He even started crying as he explained how frustrating it was. Although it was a hard choice but they were determined to stay together as Avanchick and keep moving forward.
After the other members talked some more, they prepared for the final song.
“Eternal” was frantic and the energy was high. It was perfect for shaking off any lingering bad feelings as the band and the crowd put their all into ending the live on a high note.
Setlist
~SE~
“Nee...Kami-sama?” (「ねぇ。。。神様？」)
Idol (アイドル)
Tanin no Fukou ha Mitsu no Aji (他人の不幸は蜜の味)
Suteneko (捨て猫)
Hitorigoto (ひとりごと)
Yo chou ~ageha~ (夜蝶~ageha~)
Pierrot (ピエロ)
Shineba ii no ni (死ねばいいのに)
LIAR
Do you need me?
Haikei tsukaisute no kimi he (拝啓使い捨ての君へ)
Tsumi to Batsu (罪と罰)
Encore
Hyu-ga Piano Solo
Ashita Moshi Sekai ga Owattemo (明日もし世界が終わっても)
Eternal
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