LIVE REPORT: RAINDIA Oneman Live @ Ikebukuro EDGE

RAINDIA is a fairly new band in the scene consisting of members that are all newcomers to the visual kei scene. They’re steadily gaining traction however, and VKH Press was there to catch their oneman live at Ikebukuro EDGE on February 25th.

Blue lights flashed over the crowd and the band entered the stage to the gentle sound of a piano. Once guitarists Tak and S, bassist Ryu and drummer Tsubasa were on stage, the music changed, and vocalist Miyoshi took the stage, leading into the first song “Aurora (嘔漏羅)”. The song’s heavy riffs made for a great start and the crowd all headbanged in perfect unison.

“<Saikoro > (<骸/骸>)” was accented by red lights as the instruments slowly built up in volume and intensity. When it crescendoed, the whole room went wild headbanging. The members were having fun rocking out, headbanging or spinning based on their mood. Miyoshi stood on the platform alternating between singing and talking in a rapid, desperate tone.

The next song, “Mechanic CHACHACHA (メカニックCHACHACHA)” had the audience squealing in excitement and the band played off their mood by getting everyone to clap in time to the intro. Once the main rhythm started, it was easy to see what made them so happy as everyone began running from one end of the livehouse to the next. The band members moved closer and directed the audience. It was immediately apparent that the band pushed their fans to their limit and the fans didn’t disappoint, doing round after round of headbanging with seemingly limitless energy.

“Zangyakuteki kyoshi kyoku (残虐的狂死曲)” had everyone running around again then cooling down for a bit as they all sang together with Miyoshi towards the end. He opened his arms wide and sung acapella with a white spotlight shining on him.

“Hekiraku no higanbana (碧落ノ彼岸花)” began while the room was dark. Tak opened followed by Tsubasa and then the room lit up. Miyoshi had a guitar as well and played scales along with Tak and S while Ryu’s bass thrummed in the background. The atmosphere was calm and the crowd swayed in time to the ballad.

The sound of running water led into “Akitsuiri (秋入梅)” then the beat kicked up into something catchy and fun, making you want to dance especially with the strong bass. Miyoshi was on the platform doing furitsuke with the crowd. The song peaked with a wailing solo from Tak as the crowd held their arms open in support.

Tsubasa got the crowd hyped with a series of upbeat riffs at the start of “Kaigisei paranoia (懐疑性パラノイア)” then Ryu stole the spotlight with an enigmatic bass solo. The crowd kept dancing throughout the song and the band kept moving around the stage, keeping the energy up. Miyoshi went over to S during his solo, throwing an arm around him, watching him play.

From that point, the songs kept the crowd in a constant state of motion: headbanging, jumping, fist-pumping and running back and forth. Without even stopping for a breath, RAINDIA continued with their heavy riffs and relentless screams.

Before long, Miyoshi was screaming “Last!”, announcing the final song for the set. This one was “ “Akibin” (『空瓶』)”. It started with slow riffs from S and the lights were dimmed, keeping the crowd still and their eyes fixed on the stage. Then the beat got heavier and the audience fell forward in unison, doing an oritatami headbang. The whole room was in a frenzy, only quieting down for Ryu’s solo. Then it was back to action which went until the end of the song. With the last notes still ringing out, the curtains closed and the band disappeared from view.

The fans started shouting for an encore almost immediately and once the band returned to the stage (this time in comfortable t-shirts), they began the next song, “Zetsubou inferno (絶望インフェルノ)” without hesitation. The band got the crowd fired up with a call and response at the beginning of “Flashback the Complex” which opened with punchy drum beats from Tsubasa. The audience kept moshing for the entire song then ended with rapid headbanging.

It only got more frenzied from there. “NEO PSYCHO” was a flurry of movement as the audience members at the back of the livehouse dived onto the backs of the ones in front of the stage. Miyoshi crouched down and pulled fans closer, forming a growing pile of bodies. Meanwhile the other members walked around, making full use of the stage and encouraging the crowd to go crazier. Tak and S both hopped onto the platform, playing side by side. Miyoshi ran off stage then appeared in the crowd, throwing flyers to fans and grabbing their hands to mosh with them.

They ended the high-energy live with “Yuutsu”, a song that was still quite intense but was interspersed with melodic sections. Rather than causing the crowd to lose their steam, it gave them places to take a breather before going even harder, headbanging and screaming.

At the final note, Miyoshi left the stage leaving Tak, S, Ryu and Tsubasa to have an impromptu jam session, keeping the crowd rocking out for just a bit longer.



Setlist:
1. Aurora (嘔漏羅)
2. <Saikoro> (<骸/骸>)
3. Mechanic CHACHACHA (メカニックCHACHACHA)
4. Zangyakuteki kyoshi kyoku (残虐的狂死曲)
5. “Doukesi” (『毒疑師』)
6. Hekiraku no higanbana (碧落ノ彼岸花)
7. Akitsuiri (秋入梅)
8. Kaigisei paranoia (懐疑性パラノイア)
9. Kokai shazai aa yuukai (後悔謝罪嗚呼融解)
10. Hidari tekubi to cutter knife (左手首とカッターナイフ)
11. Tanpopo batake (たんぽぽ畑)
12. “Akibin” (『空瓶』)
13. Zetsubou inferno (絶望インフェルノ)
14. Flashback the Complex
15. NEO PSYCHO
16. Yūutsu (幽鬱)

Photo credit: RAINDIA staff

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