LIVE REPORT: Kyuso Nekokami & 04 Limited Sazabys @ SPACE SHOWER RETSUDEN @ MILLIAN SINGAPORE

It's not every day we can enjoy music from 4 talented bands in one venue - which is what makes tonight so special! Singapore warmly welcomed Kyuso Nekokami, 04 Limited Sazabys, THE ORAL CIGARETTES and Frederic! As part of the SPACE SHOWER RETSUDEN ASIA TOUR, these 4 bands made their appearance in several countries such as Thailand and Taiwan.

Seiya (Vo./Gt.)

Just as I stepped into the venue, I could feel the aura from the crowd. They were all ready for the gig and just as the first band Kyuso Nekokami appeared on stage, the crowd screamed in excitement! It looked like everyone was ready to rock the night. Kyuso Nekokami is a 5-man band consisting of Seiya Yamasaki (Vo./Gt.), Shinnosuke Yokota (Keyb./Vo.), Kazuma Okazawa (Gt.), Takurō Kawakubo (Ba.) and Taisuke Sogō (Dr.). They immediately started off with their first number, "MEGA SHAKE IT!". Certainly a great song to get the crowd rolling!

Their second number "Phantom Vibration" was so addictive that I could still hum the tune easily today! The significance behind this song was also great as it represented how reliant we are on our smartphones. This song is definitely one of my top recommendations! "Sagi-grapher" immediately followed on. They sure have different antics for each of their songs; this time was a special moment during the song where they paused to simulate as though they were getting mass photographed!

They then began introducing themselves through the cue of Seiya. The way he introduced himself was full of swag. They then hoped the next time they come, they would see many fans welcoming them at the airport. I'm sure the next time many will do so! Following was "DQN" and then "Happy Ponkotsu". Their music is really full of life. This really raises my expectation for the next few bands coming up! Then came the highlight of the show; Seiya definitely made this show as wild as it can get when he stepped forward off the stage to do some "crowd surfing". Definitely something unexpected!

(L to R) Sogo (Dr.), Seiya (Vo./Gt.) and Shinnosuke (Keyb./Vo.)

Their last number was Onegai Shenron which was very entertaining when they included the all famous Dragonball's "Kame-hame-ha". The growls from Seiya through the song was also powerful. Bands that incorporate such minor segments into their lives really make the whole event more amusing and people will remember them more easily. They then give endless thanks to the audience for their presence.

Being the first band to perform, they had to have an epic exit. Seiya brought out a "Flying Nimbus" which highly resembled that of a surfboard and with the other members holding on to the surfboard, he then propped himself on the cloud and "floated" out of the venue. They are surely the most interesting band I have seen.

SETLIST: 
1. MEGA SHAKE IT!
2. Phantom Vibration
3. Sagi-grapher
4. DQN
5. Happy Ponkotsu
6. Bibitta
7. Onegai Shenron

The trailer of the band was then played. It was revealed that the band was 04 Limited Sazabys! Being my first exposure to this band, it had certainly caught my attention. The vocalist is definitely cute and unique. 04 Limited Sazabys is a band consisting of GEN (Vo./Ba.), HIROKAZ (Gt.), RYU-TA (Gt./Cho.) and KOUHEI (Dr./Cho.).

GEN (Vo./Ba.)

In this day and age, it is not just the music that needs to sound unique, but the voice too. GEN has one that can be easily distinguished from any other artiste. The fusion of a high-pitched voice with rock is less seen but they are really doing it justice.

When they came into sight, they ensured everyone was ready before they began their first song of the night, "buster call"! A song that can really be considered a warm-up as they immediately progressed to their next number after with "monolith" when the crowd was gaining the momentum. Everyone was jumping to the rhythm which was really amazing. I would say that the segment from Kyuso Nekokami did not drain the audience's energy but in fact made them more high for the night. GEN really sang the songs with emotions which made the whole gig more heartwarming. They relentlessly carried on with "fiction".

(L to R) RYU-TA (Gt./Cho.), GEN (Vo./Ba.)

One key part of this segment was when GEN guided the crowd to jam to the song when he asked them to repeat after him. The humorous part was when the crowd failed to repeat that last single syllabus which led to a small laugh amongst everyone. All these was done to build up for "Chicken race"! They then followed on with expressing their thanks and hopes that the crowd can go crazier; which was another buildup to the next song "Warp"! I guess this way of handling flow control of the gig is an interesting style and it works really well, thus I really commend them.

Then we "Do it Do it"! This whole segment was definitely not as wild as Kyuso Nekokami. However, one thing for sure is that we could enjoy their music way better. I figured that their songs are really well composed as it totally fits their personality. "midnight cruising" was up next. GEN then proceeded randomly saying in Japanese "いいね" (ii ne) which translates to different meanings depending on context, but he then further mentioned Facebook, which linked things up for which he was asking everyone to like their official Facebook page!

HIROKAZ (Gt.)

It was their first time being in Singapore so they expressed their heartfelt emotions and they promised they would be back for sure. GEN then used "Terminal" as their promise! A rather fitting song indeed! To end off their first time, they performed their last number "swim"! As we have reached the first half mark, I would say this tour was well setup as the bands were really amazing. We hope to see both Kyuso Nekokami and 04 Limited Sazabys again!

SETLIST:
1. buster call
2. monolith
3. fiction
4. Chicken race
5. Warp
6. Do it Do it
7. midnight cruising
8. Terminal
9. swim

Special thanks to Viola for the great photographs! Stay tuned for the second part of this review as there will be THE ORAL CIGARETTES and Frederic!

Photo Credits: Viola Kam (V'z Twinkle)
Special Thanks: Amuse Inc. Asia

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