Merry: Underworld Vol 6. at Ebisu Liquid Room

Taking over Ebisu Liquid Room for a whole six days concluding on November 13, Merry made the most of their tenth anniversary as they treated their fans to a showcase of each album of their career thus far. The final day, entitled Vol.6 “Underworld” presented a dark but playful Merry with songs full of interesting twists and turns.

Drummer Nero himself read out the pre-show warnings: “Please don’t smoke except in the designated areas… Damn.” His ad-lib had the crowd cheering and laughing before the band had even appeared onstage.

Already warmed up by the pre-show music, the crowd stepped up to the plate, yelling and dancing, as the lights flared and guitars heralded “GI・GO.” The band were mostly hidden behind a screen, but under the backlighting, the shadows of guitarists Kenichi and Yuu built up the anticipation. Eventually, as the opening riff of “Friction XXXX” broke out and the screen fell, the band could be seen. Amidst the simple black attire of the rest of the band, vocalist Gara alone made a colorful impact in a red checked shirt, left hanging open. In contrast to the poppy feel of the prior song, “Under-world” began with a shriek of rage, heavy in nature with drums like machine-gun fire and a random melodic line interspersed with instrumentals of a different style again. There was plenty for the crowd to get into and their physical expression of the various musical sections made for a fun time all around.

When “Kigeki no Taboo” came around, Gara was in full swing. He paraded about with the mic stand, nonchalantly resting it over one shoulder in a display of carefree rock spirit that matched the old Brit-rock style of the number. The crowd picked up on his every whim, clapping when he did so and then pumping their fists the moment he stopped. With so much going on, the instrumental silence following the loud music of “montage” and “Piranha” was like a spray of ice-water even with the crowd’s relentless shouts to fill the void.

“Gesshoku” picked up with that famous drumbeat of Queen’s “We Will Rock You,” and the beats tingled down the spine and through the toes. A sunlight aquatic blue and red swirled with the rhythm of the song and enhanced the darkly surreal mood of the number which gained speed and grit as Gara sang out a jazzy round of shalalalas. From one mood to the next, the set just kept on shifting, and the following number was a real theatrical highlight. Into the dark of the stage shone a bright ball of light, suspended by Gara’s face. In the twilight of “Akai Kutsu,” Gara hefted a cane, sending the light swinging eerily back and forth until it clocked him in the head in revenge. Throughout the number, Gara almost appeared to bend the seemingly sentient light to his will, controlling it with his own hand until the moment when he waved goodbye and illumination fizzled out. The showmanship was fantastic with only one downside: the cool effect was so distracting it left you wondering, “Wait… What was that song about?”

Once again shifting drastically, “Katamichi Kippu” was a crazy affair varying between screaming and a slow, sluggish tune with an accordion lilt. The following “Kanaria” was similar. Painted red under the lights with green spots beaming upon him from behind, Yuu hopped up for the opening solo. The full sound of the measured, melodic solo filled the venue and the fans cheered as Gara jumped up on his school-desk platform in the half dark. After some spazzy music and matching spastic “dance” from the vocalist, the verse struck up with the same melody as the opening guitar. With his antics, and now half naked, Gara naturally had the crowd’s attention, but he earned it vocally. As he sang out in a strong tone, his vocal strength and range was showcased to perfection, proving he’s got more than screams and husk.

A brief but stirring interlude followed as Gara left the stage. Soon though, drums beat with guitar and bass in tow, and the crowd welcomed to the stage a megaphone-toting, shirtless body topped with a rabbit’s head, all raising their hands to him in mockery of the Nazi hail. The rabbit-Gara rambled political protest into the megaphone while the guitars kept up a cool tune beneath. Dropping the megaphone, he jammed the mic into the rabbit’s mouth, shouting to the crowd who responded with zeal. Without hesitation, “[human farm]” stepped in with instant clapping and the crowd went wild, moshing and dancing. Instrumentally repetitive, the slight variations on the theme kept up interest throughout.

Next came something new with the noisy opening solo of “stupidXcupid.” Yuu’s guitar took on the unstable whine of a radio on the fritz and revved up into high gear for a rhythmical song to which a few in the crowd twirled traditional red panties. Gara put on some vocal FX, his yells making for a retro number with a wicked bassline for a spine.

“Midnight Shangrila” opened on more neat bass from Tetsu while Gara got up close and personal with the crowd, leaning over them and using their raised hands for support. Yuu hauled his guitar over his shoulders, fingering the strings casually behind his head. It was sex drugs and rock‘n’roll to the hilt. In contrast, “Tozasareta Rakuen” featured a gorgeous chorus melody with belted high notes, and Gara handed it over to the crowd who sang proudly over pounding drums and the light strum of guitar. The second time around, they were left to sing a capella as Nero conducted with his sticks.

The final number of the set was like a medley of about five or six songs in one, “Gekisei.” It began in darkness with the whisper of wind and rain. Into this came the sound of gently strummed acoustic guitars lulling the senses until the drums barged in with now scratchy electric guitar and Gara’s screams and head-banging. It morphed by way of rhythmic sections and a slow musical guitar back to the acoustic opening. But it wasn’t over yet: Gara began talking over another musical theme, the instruments building to epic intensity reserved only for true show-stoppers. Finally, as Yuu strummed alone, Gara walked off to a smatter of applause and the rest followed, Nero sauntering sluggishly after.

Re-taking the stage in silence for the demanded encore, Gara walked through a convincing flutter of light, falling snow that twinkled in the lighting throughout “Fuyu no Castanet.” The up-tempo ballad was in fact a Christmas song, simple yet effective. However, it wasn’t enough to placate the fans, and the second encore acknowledged this from the get-go, with an entrance piece, “choral” that seemed to begin the show all over again. The encore would have made a perfect short event set, beginning with the high-energy sing-along of “finale” before really rocking out with “Yakou” which sent the fans surging back and forth in a wave.

Dramatic drums introduced “Unbalance Kinema” and Gara ordered the crowd to dance–which they did and never stopped except to applaud, shout and cheer when the lyrics told them to in an extended pause. Gara’s dancing was just a little creepy, acting villainous and unnatural as befit the number. It also showed Gara’s naughtier side as he clutched his cane between his legs to rub up some friction and stored his water bottle down his pants. “Tokyo! Tokyo, ‘Zetsubou’!” he then shouted. The depressing title was wholly mis-leading as the chorus of “Zetsubou, zetsubou, zetsubou, zetsubou!” sped down the scale with exciting energy. The final song was the punk-rock “Identity,” which was a song infused with a fun atmosphere that brought the encore to an end on a high note before Gara’s brief but heart-felt speech. The vocalist thanked the crowd for supporting them through the six days. “We received a lot of inspiration and had a great time with you all!”

Still the fans screamed for a third encore, and what do you know? They got one! “You guys are still going!” exclaimed Nero. “This is the best tenth anniversary ever! We’re a useless bunch, but we’ll do our best for you so stick with us.” The hectic strains of “Shoudoku” were supplemented with a heavy dose of smoke from a fire-extinguisher-like contraption Gara fired from between his legs. He blanketed the crowd and the stage in turn, smoking out first the guitarists and then the whole stage. When all was said and done, Gara bent into a handstand, applauding the crowd with his feet to much appreciation. Left behind, Nero placed his towel on the drum kit, clasped his hands in a brief prayer, and then staggered to a mic. “Won’t cry today,” he asserted, before expressing his gratitude at the last.

Long after the band had left and most of the crowd had cleared out, a final cheer arose from those still lingering behind who joined their hands and yelled out their thanks. Whether for a great live, a great six days, or for the preceding ten years, the sentiment was unanimous.

Set List

1. GI・GO
2. Friction XXXX
3. Under-world
4. Kigeki no Taboo
5. montage
6. Piranha
7. Gesshoku
8. Akai Kutsu
9. Katamichi Kippu
10. Kanaria
11. Enzetsu -surrealism-
12. [human farm]
13. stupidXcupid
14. Midnight Shangrila
15. Tozasareta Rakuen
16. Gekisei

Encore 1

1. Fuyu no Castanet

Encore 2
Entrance Music: -choral-

1. finale
2. Yakou
3. Unbalance Kinema
4. Zetsubou
5. Identity

Encore 3

1. Shoudoku