Before VAMPS took on the US with their May tour, they rocked out hard with their fans for two days at Club Citta in Kawasaki. The live was for VAMPADDICTs only and the band brought all their energy, performing a host of songs from their newest album, UNDERWORLD. While it’s a fact that VAMPS are a powerhouse band, just listening to their studio recordings isn’t enough to fully appreciate just how much raw energy they pour into their performances. They’re a band that needs to be heard live.
The stage was set up with three platforms at the front of the stage for HYDE, K.A.Z and their support bassist JU-KEN. To the back of the stage was supporting keyboardist Jin, supporting drummer Arimatsu and a massive VAMPS logo looming over everything.
The show opened with “INSIDE OF ME” followed immediately with “Lips”, “EVIL” and “BREAK FREE”. It was the perfect way to get the fans fired up and even though they were packed tightly together, it didn’t stop them from pumping their fists in the air, headbanging and screaming the lyrics at the top of their lungs.
HYDE was prowling across the stage, leaning over the edge of the stage and interacting with the audience members closest to him. Without stopping they flowed into “DON’T HOLD BACK”. HYDE switched effortlessly between raw screaming and melodic singing throughout the song as K.A.Z and JU-KEN continued with their relentless riffs.
The venue went dark and then a techno beat blasted throughout the room and flashing lights began to swirl. HYDE crouched down before the crowd screaming, “Get loud! Can you hear me?!”. The audience yelled back in response as the beat continued to build up behind them, getting louder and louder. Arimatsu began pounding heavily at the drums and HYDE grabbed bottles of water, spraying it over the overheated fans. The music cut and was replaced by heavy, catchy riffs for “SIN IN JUSTICE”. HYDE slung the black VAMPS pirate flag over his shoulder, dancing to the beat. The stringed instruments that wove together with the harsh riffs and drum beats made for an especially beautiful contrast.
“ENJOY THE SILENCE” brought a stillness over the crowd as they watched the band put their full focus into the performance. At the end of the song, HYDE was standing with his arms stretched wide, vocalising into the microphone as the music swelled around him and finally faded out. “BLEED FOR ME” and “IN THIS HELL” brought the room back to a state of chaos as the crowd moved as one, jumping and reaching towards the stage. On stage, the band was just as fired up as their fans. K.A.Z played the guitar with his entire body, throwing himself forward and back as he strummed. Similarly, the bass and drums were a heavy thrumming that you could feel vibrate across the room, guiding the actions of the mob.They stopped for a breather and HYDE looked at the tightly packed audience, asked if they were doing okay and received a chorus of cheers and screams in response.
“Today it’s a lot of new songs. Don’t forget the feeling of hearing them for the first time. We want you all to enjoy them.” He then added jokingly, “I’ll do my best not to make any mistakes!”
The next song was the album title track, “UNDERWORLD” a perfect song, according to HYDE, for anyone who felt they hadn’t had the chance to headbang as much.
It opened with flashing blue, green and white lights as HYDE prowled around the stage, getting the crowd riled up. It was the perfect song to go wild to and everyone joined HYDE in screaming “Yeah!!!” at the top of their lungs making the performance even more intense. At one point, K.A.Z and JU-KEN stopped playing, leaving just the steady pounding of the drums and the raw screams of the audience together with HYDE.
“AHEAD” was a fan favorite and with his guitar in hand, HYDE screamed at the crowd, “You know this one right?! If you do then scream!” The crowd new just what to do and it wasn’t long before the venue was a flurry of people crowdsurfing and going crazy.
“RISE OR DIE” was particularly fun because the crowd was singing together with HYDE as a call and response, screaming at the top of their lungs. The studio version of “CALLING” couldn’t compare to the raw intensity that the live performance had. At the end, HYDE was standing on the platform, gesturing at the crowd to scream even more. He teased them when he didn’t get the response he wanted
“You guys don’t feel as energetic. Are you embarrassed?”
This made the fans erupt in even louder shrieks and yells. To which HYDE responded, “Are you all Bloodsuckers?!!” He repeated it over and over, throwing the crowd into a frenzy. Perfect for the performance of “Bloodsuckers” which was always pure energy and a chance for everyone to go wild.“RISE UP” was a bit more subdued in tone but they ended with “DEVIL SIDE”, ending the main set with a burst of energy.
Of course a performance like that warranted an encore and it wasn’t long before the familiar catchy riffs of “REVOLUTION” blasted through the venue. The stage was still empty but the crowd had already started screaming, “Bang on, stomp everybody!”. The members trickled in; drums, bass then K.A.Z and they all started playing along. HYDE came in last, telling the crowd, “Louder! LOUDER!” until they moved into the main riffs. It was impossible not to get sucked in and dance along.
K.A.Z talked to the crowd for a bit afterwards, commenting on the new album and then mentioning their US tour.
“We have marks on the map of where we’re gonna go and it’s a hell of a trip!”
The fans yelled words of encouragement, telling them to do their best for the tour and K.A.Z thanked them again.
HYDE took over the mic and talked about the next song “B.Y.O.B. (BRING YOUR OWN BLOOD)” and how it was a bit of a tongue twister to get the words right. He practiced the lyrics with the fans for a bit then they continued with the song for real. The classic rock riffs was enhanced with a disco ball swirling overhead and flashing red and blue lights, giving a pure party atmosphere.
The last song of the night was “SEX BLOOD ROCK N' ROLL” starting with the drum riffs to get the room fired up. K.A.Z and JU-KEN were running across the stage, going as close to the edge as possible and keeping the room in a state of frenzy. It was non-stop energy till the end and HYDE blew a kiss at the crowd as the band left the stage amidst screams for more.
Setlist:
- INSIDE OF ME
- Lips
- EVIL
- BREAK FREE
- DON’T HOLD BACK
- SIN IN JUSTICE
- ENJOY THE SILENCE
- BLEED FOR ME
- IN THIS HELL
- UNDERWORLD
- AHEAD
- RISE OR DIE
- CALLING
- Bloodsuckers
- RISE UP
- DEVIL SIDE
Encore
- REVOLUTION
- B.Y.O.B. (BRING YOUR OWN BLOOD)
- SEX BLOOD ROCK N' ROLL
Photos by Kazuko Tanaka
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