BORN oneman, BLACK MASSIVE ANIMALS

BORN ignited O-EAST with their first tour final one-man on August 12, entitled “BLACK MASSIVE ANIMALS.” Twenty five songs and a fierce performance got the ground shaking and proved that BORN are ready to take on bigger halls.

The final was the pinnacle of the band’s first national one-man tour and the heat from the crowd was palpable from the start as the supportive fans welcomed Ryoga (vocals), Ray (guitar), K (guitar), KIFUMI (bass) and TOMO (drums) to a loud, angry intro. Heavy metal structures attached to the ceiling gave the stage a futuristic flair, matched by Ryoga’s audacious red outfit. The front man let out a deep growl as he demanded in English “Come on baby!”

“DEMONS” got the hall thrashing and jumping to powerful drums. Ray seemed to be in a great mood, moving freely to the beat in a refreshing contrast to his usual cool and unfazed attitude. Hands on his knees as he squatted, Ryoga violently headbanged with the crowd, bending backwards for a yell that set the drums on a wild ride for “more Deep.” Unruly madness broke loose as the crowd held hands and dashed right and left, sweeping up everything in their path.

The daring choreography continued through “[beauty;beast]” and “MY SWEET BLACK.” The five men were unstoppable, moving constantly between twirls and thrashing heads. With one leg over the metal bar that kept the crowd at a distance, Ryoga demanded more, his body convulsing to the heavy tune as if electrocuted by the lightning riffs.

“Welcome Shibuya! We missed you!” the vocalist growled, adding the band’s trademark English greeting “We are BORN!” Drums roaring in the background, he continued, “We had a hot tour that brought us here today! We want to make this an awesome day you will never forget! People in the back, I’ll go there soon!” he mischievously assured. “Come on baby!!!” Doing justice to the shout and its title, “MAD whistle” brought back the wild dances, hair flying violently as the crowd moved back and forth to the heavy beat. The outfits, hair and wild attitude gave Ryoga a deranged look that contributed to a visually strong performance. While the vocalist paced back and forth like a madman, KIFUMI flashed contagious grins between jumps, twirls and fierce bass lines.

“Dizzy you” was followed by “Mosaic.” “Shibuya, are you having fun? Let’s have sex!” Ryoga challenged. The words “Fuck you!” carried defiantly across the hall. Girls went flying over the front bars while Ryoga danced provocatively, thrusting his hips and grabbing his package in the process. The theatrical number lifted everyone off their feet. “This feels good!” Ryoga confessed before K took the forefront for a passionate solo. All stopped, like the calm before the storm and with a grin, the vocalist asked, “Are you ready?” Jumping forward, he dove into the crowd, carried back and forth with fans’ arms flailing out to touch him. Back onstage, he let out a piercing evil laugh that took the song home.

As the crowd yelled out their favorite members’ names, the vocalist casually lay down on the floor, the atmosphere familiar and relaxed as they moved on to some slower numbers. From the sweet “ProudiA” with its crying piano and melancholy guitar riffs, BORN moved to the determined, “white harmony.” Opening like a lonesome early morning ride, the song built up gradually, becoming fiercer and more demanding. The bass and drum work particularly stood out, TOMO’s confident strikes on the cymbals smoothly combining with the sounds KIFUMI skillfully plucked from his bass.

Silence reined before the striking bass solo that cracked open “Gurou.” With KIFUMI at the wheel, the five got back to familiar ground, cleverly mingling catchy tunes and hard music. Hair flew between jumps and semi-rapped lyrics as one by one the members took the spotlight for a short solo that got the audience yelling out their names. Mastering the crowd, Ryoga was unstoppable and TOMO’s energy behind the drums was equally noticeable as they proceeded to another loud number that stirred the crowd once more – “AGITATOR.”

“Thank you all for this amazing landscape!” Ryoga declared emotionally. The crowd’s response was a warm and teasing “Fuu!” that he chose to ignore as he continued thanking the fans for their unconditional support. From the familiar “BLASTED ANIMALS” to the new “BODY” they moved with plenty of fanservice, mainly between Ryoga and K who teased each other with devilish grins. “Are you ready to headbang? Let’s get heavier!” came the shout before the four men in the front faced the drums and the instrumentals were loosed for the blazing “RADICAL HYSTERIA.” The popular number was packed with blazing guitar riffs, torrid bass lines and wild dances, the crowd rushing side to side between twirls and jumps. With both feet on the metal bars, Ryoga tried to keep his balance, the crowd literally lending a hand as they held his ankles.

The temperature rose and towels became twirling fans for the wild, “Ranshido ºC.” The heavy and wild choreography then came back for “Criminal Berry” and “DIRTY STACKER.” Ryoga exemplified the moves, jumping, twirling and headbanging with the crowd. Guitars and bass combined skillfully while the powerful drums pounded like an unyielding heart and half-sang, half-growled lyrics topped the clever mix. With the hall moshing once more, BORN took it home with another loud chorus of, “We are BORN!” accompanying the five as they bid farewells.

The encore was even hotter, with some all-time favorites to reward the patient fans. This time, it was TOMO who yelled out “Come on baby!” as he kicked off “THE ANTHEM.” The heavy numbers just kept on coming with “Kuroari” and “Karasu” and the impressive bass work they featured, KIFUMI’s fingers flying confidently over the strings.

The emcee that followed was sweet and heartfelt. “Thank you all for your support! This is indeed a dream coming true!” Ray confessed.

“The tour was great and despite some bad moments, the good ones prevailed and we are very happy to be here,” the bassist added.

K’s speech followed the same tone with a promising, “Let’s get bigger together!”

Ryoga was next and he spoke with emotion about the sweet and powerful “-SAKURA-,” explaining that it was the most requested song throughout the tour (during which the band accepted song requests from the fans). The number brought the hall even closer. Solemn and haunting, it ended with loud applause.

“Grave Dance Punish” and “Chemical Romance” closed the set with a blast of sound and color and brought back more crazy moshing. KIFUMI threw the bass around his body while Ray knelt for some fiery riffs and Ryoga growled and paced around like a lunatic while TOMO delivered fierce blows on the cymbals. Hand in hand, fans and band jumped in unison for the finale. “I don’t wanna go home yet! I don’t want it to end!” the vocalist complained before leaving the stage. The faithful crowd came to the rescue, screaming “Encore” over and over until they drew the band out one final time.

BORN’s traditional and peculiar ending song “RADICAL HYSTERIA?” brought the night home. Twirling left and right, the crowd went wild, giving it their all for the last round. With unflagging energy, BORN made sure to leave a lasting impression in the minds of those present, their energy and daring antics a promise that they are here to stay and will continue winning over fans and live houses!

Set List

1. DEMONS
2. more Deep
3. [beauty;beast]
4. MY SWEET BLACK
5. MAD whistle
6. Dizzy you
7. Mosaic
8. ProudiA
9. white harmony
10. Gurou
11. AGITATOR
12. BLASTED ANIMALS
13. BODY (new song)
14. RADICAL HYSTERIA
15. Ranshido ºC
16. Criminal Berry
17. DIRTY STACKER

Encore

1. THE ANTHEM
2. Kuroari
3. Karasu
4. -SAKURA-
5. NEO SCREAM
6. Grave Dance Punish
7. Chemical Romance

Encore 2

1. RADICAL HYSTERIA

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