meat

Oraoraoraoraora!!! JoJo is the BEST!

Some of background graphics, and possibly the backing tracks, were nice but this whole losing computer track thing was such shambles that they should just perform without it in the future. It was a much better "live" experience anyway

As far as I could tell, the technical issues they had were: terrible feedback on Kyo's mic and Die's guitar during Devote My Life Die's guitar was really out of sync with the others, especially overpowering Kaoru's during Phenomenon someone spotted Toshiya raising his hand to signal he had some problems at one point But despite all the stopping, starting and frustratingly long wait for both the band and the audience, it was obvious the guys really wanted to play the gig. The first half was solidly good music with the band loving every minute of it, head banging and (Kaoru's awkward) dancing throughout. And when they finally came back having solved all the syncing problems, they got rid of the video backdrop and gave their rawest, most intense performance. The whole place was totally rocking. And what a killer setlist!

I like the new look. It's funky without being too over the top, it's very them

Speaking of merch, if you are looking for baubles for your christmas tree, may I suggest the "wearing human skin" set... I can't tell which is meant to be Kaoru or Toshiya 😕

Five fans at a time? That’s 1 fan : 1 member ratio. Seems like a pretty good deal to me ;D

It's always nice to hang out with fellow fans so I'll PM you ^^x

I'll take any footage of the legendary 三毛猫病院 (mike neko byouin) please!

I'm a bit worried about the ticket I bought for the Warsaw date. I bought an e-ticket from a company called Go Out when they were first released but when I checked Progresja's website last night, it says the ticketting company is now called Knock Out Productions, which is a totally different company. Is my Go Out ticket still valid? Anyone else bought one through them?

I've been into these guys since around 2004 and am still gutted that I couldn't see them live on the Devil and Freud tour, or any other time ever ;_; So happy to see there's finally a thread for them though x

Only reading the lyrics to Ningen wo Kaburu properly today. There's a weird linein it "残響Twelve"... So is the whole song about the main chatacter "Twelve" from the anime 残響のテロル (Zankyo no Terror)!? It kinda fits the rest of the lyrics too 😂

Ooooohhh This has made me really happy now

It seems the twitter user KISAKI54175241 has been in contact with the police. I hope they deal with the crimes properly and give the mother and child all the support needed

I'm guessing the "-7" is for the years they went on hiatus?

Apart from all those mentioned above, surely cali≠gari deserves a mention too

I translated a bit from a talk between Die, Gara and Boo here: https://www.monochrome-heaven.com/topic/115-merry-fka-メリー/?do=findComment&comment=606026 Gara mentions about the hardcore drinking sessions DEG does and he had to go along with it, whilst Die mutters that it's Kaoru who forces shots on people. What I didn't translate was a large section in the video where Die and Gara talked about some of the senpai/ kouhai bullshit they have had to put up with. It's been a while since I watched that vid for a while now so don't quote me on this. But I seem to recall Die saying that him and Kaoru were expecting to clean Yoshiki's toilet upon arriving at his LA home and was told (by someone from Luna Sea or X Japan, can't remember) that it's alright and they should drink some Dom Perignon and chill. Die told it as a positive senpai story If bandomen can be so awful to each other, I wouldn't be surprised at the horrors gyas have to put up with. When especially considering the conventional way for Japanese people to get to know each other, or just to have fun, means copious amount of alcohol. Mixing that with gyas and kouhais who want to impress, I wouldn't be surprised if 100% of those tanuki posts actually happened.

It seems that like many here, I was also very attracted to Ryutarou's hairstyle. Most of the cuts he's had over the years just seem easy to wear with or without any styling. I went to the hairdressers with a few photos of Ryutarou's layered bob but the hairdresser gave me a mullet with random chunks of hair missing! I never attempted the haircut ever again.

It would be pretty sweet if they would do a MUCC style year of re-releases for their 20th anniversary

Thanks Zeus for the constructive review as always. I have been listening to Diru on and off since Macabre but nothing of theirs have really grabbed me as much as the last two singles. I love the latest experimentations and there are parts on both Utafumi and Ningen that are just sublime for me. I can't wait for the next album and see what else they are going to come up with. I'm also digging this version of Ash way more than any of the others but the live version of Utafumi sounds rather flat to me. All in all, it feels like an odds'n'ends collection of songs rather than a fully thought out package.

I don't follow DEG that closely so I've never noticed until recently that Die has a really cute accent that's all soft and rounded sounding. Is it a local Mie accent? It's such a shame that he doesn't speak naturally like that on any of their "formal" occasions

I think on top of everything that has been mentioned already, the visual scene is considered just a little scene within Japan's music industry. Sure, bands like X Japan, Luna Sea and DEG have paved the way for others to explore the non-Asian market and reach new fans. But vk bands are still seen as too obscure, weird and subversive to be pushed even within Japan when "alternative rock bands" usually mean mediocrity like Orange Range or Bump of Chicken, with Laruku being like waay out there. I am pretty sure that the government's Cool Japan" strategy of formally exporting Japan's pop culture does not include vk music because of this perception. Then there is also a certain amount of prejudice and xenophobia within Japan that says gaijin fans simply won't get their music. So even if bands themselves want to promote their stuff overseas, their parent labels might not be willing to invest in the trouble.

*Ahem* Yes, I remember all the sparkly banners for displaying your allegiance. I also remember a number of bands had chatrooms on their HP where, if you join at around late evening JST, you often ended up chatting with the bandomen themselves.

How many times have I heard that Tanuki is dead over the years? Glad that it's back and we can read about shit noodle bandomen forever. Long live Tanuki!

*sighs* No Europe dates

I don't know why so many of you youngsters are trashing their look. I see nothing wrong with their latest look/ outfits. It must be a generational gap thing. I'm a middle aged MUCC grandma who is similar in age and music taste to the MUCC boys. They are a few years older than me and have been good guides to my own fashion choices in the past. And just like Yukke and Miya, I expect to be dressed in black (as I do now) but with loads of colourful warning tapes over my jacket and have heavy black bags under my eyes in a few years time to show off how rebellious and relevant I still am in my 40s. This is how all middle aged people should dress