LIPHLICH 1st ONE MAN LIVE – 6 Degrees of Separation

LIPHLICH displayed their versatility and musical passion at their ardent first oneman on April 13 at SHIBUYA-REX. The show was divided into three sections, all with different concepts and plenty of exciting surprises.

The first act of a play – World of LIPHLICH

“The first act of a play – World of LIPHLICH” started dramatically, an old clock ticking heavily in the background as laser green lights cut through the air. “Liphlich yattekita” opened the set, vocalist Kuga moving his arms slowly as he swayed to the soothing yet fierce instrumentals. “Ladies and gentleman, welcome to our first oneman!” Kuga exclaimed dramatically before moving on to the smooth “Nekome no hakushaku Wendy wo koi suru.”The jazzy piano in the background and the seven stringed bass made quite an impression, LIPHLICH perfectly at home and ready to rock Shibuya. Moving to the beat, Kuga commanded the crowd like a puppetmaster. After calling Eiki (drums), Wataru (bass), and Akito (guitar) in turn for feisty solos the frontman took the song home, words leaving his mouth like machinegun bullets under bloody red lights.

“Bokura no tsukaisute ongaku” opened to fierce drums, the funky beat and sharp piano mingling interestingly with Kuga’s diabolical laughter. Contorting his body over the bass, Wataru allowed the instrument to sing before the vocalist approached him, engaging in a scalding dance under a shimmering mirror-ball moon. The bohemian atmosphere continued with “Kirai janai ga suki deha nai.” Wataru took the lead for the opening and Kuga threw his fedora aside. The band got the crowd jumping in unison while the music went on loud and fierce. Images of an ‘80s gangster thriller movie came to mind as the four moved around the stage in their black and red costumes, the words “I hate you” echoing like a mantra. “Inbi” took the hall to a frightful red night, echoes of falling rain accompanying the gothic intro. The rain grew heavier and with a yell, Kuga took over the song, dancing to the slow, dark beat. The song’s Arabic influences mingled with the smooth bass lines and steady drums.

“Wait, this was not supposed to be emcee time!” Kuga exclaimed with a grin as the song reached an end and the audience kept still. “We were supposed to move directly to the next song,” he assured the crowd who seemed to wait for a speech. “Well, since this is a one man I think we can have the emcee now! Thank you all for coming!” Moving right along, the show continued with a mix of heavy and smooth. “Amemoyou” and it’s gradually demanding vocals turned into growls giving way to “Awai drop iro no kami.” The song opened to a mournful violin, the dramatic opening seeming to prepare the band for battle. The guitar blazed and drum pulsed in a determined tune. Curved over his bass, knees slightly bent, Wataru plucked at the instrument. Moving rigidly right and left while glancing over his shoulder, he resembled a night creature trying to evade enemies.  The accordion ringing in the background and Kuga’s half-sung, half-growled words kept the crowd on edge and ready for the final song of the set.

Rain turned to thunder for “Koukai no toki.” The dark chorus opened the path for Kuga who, overly dramatic, held out a bottle. With a “Cheers” he let himself drown in the hot gypsy beat, the drums building up to muffle the sound of the heavy rain.  The song grew graver, like a storm in motion. Soft singing turned to determined growls and the vocals were carried to the sky by a slow guitar riff.

The second act of a play – LIPHLICH’s Bar

After a short break, “LIPHLICH’s Bar” brought the four men back on stage all in suits. Kuga and Akito casually perched on chairs while Wataru loomed with a double bass. LIPHLICH carried the hall to a world of smooth beats and lounge music. The acoustic set kicked off with the cool New Orleans arrangement of “Merry ga kirau gogo no kane (jazz version).” Kuga’s vocals were impressive, the vocalist skillfully molding his voice to convey an array of emotions.

“This is LIPHLICH’s bar so we have special drinks today!” For the next couple of minutes the talk revolved around the original drinks each member presented and their interesting names and alcoholic merit. “Bewitching,” “Beautiful Woman” and “Kid” seemed the most popular drinks among the fans but the one that got the hall talking was Wataru’s “Hentai” (pervert). “Did anyone order the Hentai?” Kuga asked. Two arms shotup and between laughs the band warned that the drink was extremely hard and dangerous. “Yours has no alcohol, does it?” Kuga asked Akito. “You know, Akito can’t drink! He drinks a tiny bit of Kaluha Milk and gets all red!” Shouts of “That is so cute!” filled the hall while Akito denied ever having touched Kaluha and apologetically Kuga confessed, “All the drinks are good, except this one!” and he pointed at Wataru’s cup of sin.

A strong drum and bass opening got the crowd clapping for the acoustic version of “Kirai janai ga suki de ha nai.” Half spoken, half sung, the song ended with moans and hot instrumentals, Kuga swinging lightly on his chair while the bassist maneuvered the double bass tenderly as if was holding a loved one. “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” played in the background while the band casually shared a few more words with the crowd. “We want to try a cover next. There are many songs we like that we could play here today but we chose one that is special to all of us. It’s a song about first love.” The sweet “Hatsukoi” allowed the fans to appreciate Kuga’s vocals to the fullest. His voice gained a nostalgic tone that matched the lyrics perfectly, rising and falling with ease as he seemingly remembered a warm love from the past. “I wrote the next song after watching the movie The Bridges of Madison County as I imagined myself there, on that bridge.” The movie was known for its tragic love story and for the masses it set to crying for over three hours. “Madison gun no hashi no ue de” followed in the same fashion.  Sad, longing vocals and guitar paired with shy bass lines in a desperate lament that gradually became consuming, drums pounding as whispers turned into growls for the grand finale.

The third act of a play – Evolution of LIPHLICH

The third act opened with the announcement of the band’s second oneman live at Ikebukuro Edge that raised spirits high for the last round of the show. “Thread of salvation” with its marching-band portions started soft but built up, making the transition for the heavy “KNOCK BLACK DOG JOKE” very smooth. Kuga moved his arms like a maddened maestro, head down with hair concealing most of his face while Eiki attacked the drums, singing the lyrics effusively. Akito flashed his guitar to the sky, engulfed in the beat.  The fast and furious “Guru guru jiikoui” with its raging headbanging followed intensely.

“Let Me See” maintained the heavy style, allowing plenty of interaction between band and crowd. The wild, funky and dark beat was reminiscent of a roving gypsy camp and got the crowd clapping and thrashing heads. “Were you surprised with the announcement of our second oneman? Please come because it will be filled with surprises!” the vocalist assured before introducing the next song. “Akito and I prepared it to convey our thoughts here today where we will play it for the first and last time!” The world turned blue for “BaSiL” and the guitar and bass seemed to race through a forest under a full moon in the dynamic lighting. Kuga shook his head countless times in disbelief, crushed by the fast, heavy beat. As he curled over the mic, the lament became more demanding, a dramatic growl set to red lights welcoming “My Name Was.” The classical goth intro got fists pumping and in no time hair was flying rapidly to the fiery vocals. The tone grew more cheerful with the original version of “Merry ga kirau gogo no kane” before the strong ballad “Recall” ended the set, a mirror moon twirling lightly to the beat before the band left between bows and cheers.

Clearly moved, the four returned and thanked the fans for their support and presented them with the positive and hopeful “VESSEL.” It was the perfect ending for an amazing show, crowd and band uniting voices for the last verses of the song in an emotional performance.

LIPHLICH’s musical creativity and willingness to step out of the box made for a delightfully original live show. In a genre with a plethora of traditions seemingly set in stone, LIPHLICH have no compunctions about breaking down the walls and letting in a breath of fresh air.

Set list

The first act of a play – World of LIPHLICH

1. Liphlich　yattekita
2. Nekome no hakushaku Wendy wo koi suru
3. Bokura no tsukaisut eongaku
4. Kirai janai ga suki de ha nai
5. Inbi
6. Amemoyou
7. Awai drop iro no kami
8. Koukai no toki

The second act of a play – LIPHLICH’s Bar

1. Merry ga kirau gogo no kane (jazz version)
2. Kirai janai ga suki de ha nai
3. Hatsukoi
4. Madison gun no hashi no ue de

The third act of a play – Evolution of LIPHLICH

1. thread of salvation
2. KNOCK BLACK DOG JOKE
3. Guru guru jiikoui
4. Let Me See
5. BaSiL
6. My Name Was
7. Merry ga kirau gogo no kane
8. Recall

Encore

1. VESSEL

There are 43 photos in this visual kei exclusive.

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