Angelo Dazzled NHK Hall

Angelo made quite an impact with their performance at NHK Hall on June 30 for their tour final. The show, titled “The outer wall of brilliant colors,” combined daring staging, fierce instrumentals and a charismatic performance that testified to the band’s showmanship.

With a confident five member line-up, Angelo came on stage ready to rock. Kirito (vocals), KOHTA (bass), TAKEO (drums), Karyu (guitar) and Giru (guitar) made sure to let the message out. “We are aiming for Kouhaku!” Kirito announced, in reference to the country’s popular New Year’s Eve music show, Kouhaku Utagassen which takes place at NHK Hall, the nationwide NHK broadcast considered a significant milestone for any artist.

Torches flickered around the stage while warm colored lights floated across the walls. Rock and electronics mingled fiercely in a smooth background tune that built up gradually to welcome the band. The lights froze and the walls parted to the audience’s surprise as one by one the members took their places. Their figures were shrouded in smoke and red fiery lights made for a wild, savage scene, setting the standard for the stunning visuals of the performance to come.

Moving confidently, Kirito took control with “RIP.” Holding the mic stand with open arms, he let it fly dangerously to the ground where it broke in two. Seemingly possessed by the belligerent tribal spirits that the song seemed to call upon he let out a piercing war cry, theatrics high as he emphasized the words with his every move.  Pulsing bass with drums setting the rhythm for pumping fists, “RIP” was a powerful opening.

Kirito kicking the air as he demanded more from the crowd, orange lights engulfed the stage and the temperature rose in concert to some smooth bass lines in “MOMENT.” KOHTA let his fingers fly effortlessly over the strings and the hall moved to the hot tune, Kirito setting an example as he swayed freely, hands behind his head in a sensuous dance.  The lights went wild for “Calvary,” hot red and pink taking over for the softer moments while blinding white flashed rapidly to thunderous drums for the determined portions. The song proceeded with TAKEO crossing his sticks in the air and setting the pace for Kirito’s contagious dancing. The vocalist was unstoppable, his voice perfectly maintained as he mingled sweet and demanding tones. Standing sideways, he headbanged passionately before, with a defying growl, he called the instrumentalists forward. While Karyu twirled rapidly, blond hair flying wildly in the process as he attacked the strings, Giru and KOHTA kept it cool, themselves lost in the beat.

Sweet and fierce, “FEATHER” brought out pumping fists to the crowd’s effusive shouts. The bass-work stood out considerably with KOHTA plucking some fiery notes from the strings. “Can you keep up? Come on, you can do it! I believe in you!” Kirito demanded teasingly before introducing the band’s new song, “The Crime to Cradle.” The number caused quite an impact, opening to a hot intro and building up gradually while Kirito half growled the lyrics, stomping about amid ardent dancing. Rapid-fire guitar riffs and heavy drumming gave the song a marching-to-war effect that got the crowd moving and headbanging zealously.

Pointing his guitar to the sky, Giru kicked off “CONVICTION” while Karyu broke open “SEVEN DEADLY SINS.” A growl rocked the venue and the guitars took over with some feisty riffs before vocals stepped in, taking on a fast rap style that got the crowd moving while Kirito showed his versatility by mingling softer and harsher moods in a superb performance.

The hall descended down into hell with “Forbidden Fruit,” the room red-washed while the crowd thrashed heads passionately. The fervent beat was contagious and the audience swayed with the front man, arms moving slowly behind his head like snakes.  The mood led into ballads, “Kirisame hoho wo nurashite” and “Rasen” which brought the vocals to the spotlight as Kirito displayed his full range and skill. Passionate cries and a haunting vocal solo made the transition to “Manic State High Pressure” very smooth. A shower of silver flakes descended onto the crowd, arms flashing up to catch them.

“Lend us your power!” Kirito asked for the casual emcee that followed, before adding with a challenging grin “Don’t wait for the end to warm up!” The room was dyed in red for the hot “My Strife.” The stage seemed to be engulfed by fire as a curtain of smoke raised into the sky. Grabbing the mic stand, Kirito thrashed it countless times on the podium and it wavered dangerously as he paced across the stage, firing up the crowd. The blazing numbers continued as torches came to life for “Prelude,” the drum work standing out with TAKEO attacking the cymbals with confidence.   KOHTA kicked off “CREMONY,” Giru and Karyu then taking the spotlight with some wicked solos. Guitars flashed up between twirls and thrashing heads and with the contagious song, the hall danced.

The tone became slightly harsher for the sweet yet determined “Destruction impulse,” vocals piercing the air in a defying lament. “I’ll say this many times because I’m Japanese and proud to say it, LET’S FUCKIN’ ROCK NHK!” Kirito yelled out with a grin before proceeding to the sensuous “EASTER AGAIN.” The audience pulsed to the tune while the vocalist paced and jumped frantically as if walking on cinders. Karyu followed his lead, jumping and twirling between riffs as he made full use of the stage. The blond guitarist opened “MICRO WAVE SLIDER” heavy growls joining to the feisty guitar for a powerful opening. The band moved, interacting with the crowd who responded with zeal to every sound and motion. As KOHTA took the front for a solo, the vocalist embraced him from behind and with a grin began petting him on the cheek. Despite his teasing, the solo was impeccable and the crowd couldn’t hide their excitement at the brothers’ fanservice.

“Are you ready for more? It’s the last!” the front man announced for the explosive finale. “PLOSIVE” rocked NHK hall with its funky sounds and got the audience craving more. Dancing, jumping and headbanging came together for the hot number that showed NHK that the angels from hell known as ANGELO are having a blast on earth. The energy was contagious and the heat palpable, an encore demand natural after such a powerful display of showmanship. The crowd didn’t have to wait long as Angelo promptly returned for “Kessho.”  Blinding lights announced the harsher parts, crowd following the furi for the strong ballad. A haunting plea under the stars brought Kirito under the spotlight, white surrounding him as he raised his voice to the skies, the plea transforming into a cry as he took the song home with a growl.

“Blind Light” followed in the same fashion, the growls and headbanging intensifying for the finale. “Thank you! Are you having fun?” the vocalist asked, giving the crowd some time to restore their energy. “This is a big hall! The tour was very hot and we are thrilled to be here today!” Kirito proceeded to introduce the members one by one, each sharing a few words and thanking the crowd for their energy and support. “This feels good! NHK Hall is awesome! It’s our second tour with five members and we can guarantee that we will keep on going in our own way! We started playing in our twenties and after ten years… we still feel twenty!” the vocalist laughed before changing the subject and childishly stating, “We want to come to Kouhaku.” The crowd burst out laughing and with a shy grin he added, “No, no. I’m joking!”

Angelo then summoned jumps and pumping fists for the catchy “MULTI PERSONALITY.” Hot, fast and energetic, the song had the hall moving to the pulsing bass and feisty guitars. “SQUALL” continued in the same fashion before, with a yell, Kirito called out “SCRAP!” All hell broke loose with the explosive instrumentals and Kirito’s torrid performance. Half-way through the song, the vocalist surprised everyone by jumping offstage and running across the hall while the crowd excitedly reached out to him. Meanwhile, the string trio moved around, demanding more from the crowd. The hall came together as one for the explosive finale.

The word is out: Angelo are ready to take on Kouhaku. Who knows what country they will move to conquer next after that! Stay tuned for more daring adventures.

Setlist

1. RIP
2. MOMENT
3. Calvary
4. FEATHER
5. The Crime to Cradle
6. CONVICTION
7. SEVEN DEADLY SINS
8. Forbidden Fruit
9. Kirisame hoho wo nurashite
10. Kissho
11. Manic State High Pressure
12. My Strife
13. Prelude
14. CREMONY
15. Destruction impulse
16. EASTER AGAIN
17. MICRO WAVE SLIDER
18. PLOSIVE

Encore

1. Kessho
2. Blind Light
3. MULTI PERSONALITY
4. SQUALL
5. SCRAP