[2024.09.28] deadman x sugar x umbrella x CHAQLA x MAMA. Khimaira Vol. 5 @ Ikebukuro Edge
I wasn't really thinking about going to this live, but decided to go last minute since it's deadman... and Ikebukuro Edge. I'd never been to Edge - I don't really go to minor lives or taibans with lots of small, young acts, so this was definitely a first for me.
One thing I messed up on was that I should've looked for cheap resale tickets on twitter before buying a full-priced one from eplus - people were selling their tickets for like 2500-3000yen. Ugh, I could've saved so much money.
I had a last-minute B ticket and was one of the last people to enter. The place was pretty full, but not too full - most people were crowded around the back for some reason, leaving the middle area empty.
(This entry is going to sound quite negative by the way. I didn't enjoy myself that much.)
I found a spot next to a deadman regular and in front of three young Chaqla bangya who did NOT stop shit-talking everyone around them the whole time. I really wanted to go behind them, but they wouldn't budge, and people were piling in behind me, so all I could do was hope to move spots later on.
1. Sugar
This is my second time seeing sugar - the first was their debut live at BugSummit in August this year. The vocalist Nea sounded a lot better than last time. Perhaps his nerves were acting up before. (There were tons of important people and senpai bandmen watching during their first time.)
They still sound like peppy kizu to me, but I do appreciate how everyone seems to be happy to be on stage and doing their best. I wouldn't say I'm crazy about them, though.
At the end of their set, Nea stayed behind to talk about his feelings for a minute or two while the curtains were closing around him. He talked about being grateful and the kind of music he wanted to bring to the audience. To be honest, it sounded a lot like his little speech at the end of the BugSummit live. (At the time he mentioned that the higher-ups at the company told him not to talk too much, but he just HAD to tell us his feelings.) This time it sounded a bit more rehearsed than the BugSummit speech, which kind of put me off a little. It felt like they were trying so hard to market Nea as "authentic" that they lost the plot... but that's just my opinion.
2. Umbrella
Next up was umbrella and honestly, I had never heard of them until I bought my ticket to this live.
They had a pretty sizable 3 to 4 row crowd of fans. One of them had REALLY high heels on during the wait, but when the live was about to start, she took them off and stood barefoot upon the sticky Ikebukuro Edge floor. I'm sorry, but that's just crazy to me. She was quite near me, and I was so afraid that I or someone else was going to accidentally step on her feet. Anyway, if you're going to a live, please wear proper footwear. I can't stress this enough.
Nothing much to say except I didn't really enjoy their music or the vocals.
3. Chaqla
Once umbrella ended, there was a flurry of activity as the first 3 rows all started exchanging spots and going off to buy cheki. I tried to make way for the people in front of me, but the 3 mean bangya behind me nudged/pushed me forward pretty deliberately. And I'll be damned if I'm going to let 3 teenagers push me around, so I turned around and slapped them went to find myself another spot.
Chaqla had a pretty big crowd. Maybe 5 or 6 rows of maximum effort furi. The band's energy was quite memorable. They came in doing a "chakra pose" where they held their fingers up to their foreheads in the shape of a triangle, and their sound was very hip-hoppy. I was surprised when the vocalist started rapping. The fans were like, jumping up and down and very high energy. At one point the vocalist took out a toy gun and shot the bassist, who fell over pretty dramatically. All in all, it wasn't for me.
They had a short MC where the vocalist said that their band truck broke down and was really expensive to fix because it was an imported American vehicle. The parts are expensive, so please buy our merch, is what he said. I liked his accent (Kyushu?) and I think he was a pretty good vocalist as well, but the band's probably too high energy for me. The band's barely 2 years old, but the fans seem pretty dedicated. I guess they're going to sell pretty well from now on? Either way, I don't think I'll be seeing them a second time.
4. Mama
After Chaqla ended, all of their fans rushed to buy cheki (no doubt as a result of their desperate MC), but almost all of them returned for Mama.
Honestly, it wasn't that memorable - they were pretty similar to Chaqla, and I didn't think they were particularly amazing or anything.
5. deadman
Ahh, yes, finally! The first two rows were all taken by people exchanging spots, so I got myself a third row spot with an okay view of the mic. Could have been better, but I was dealing with some other stuff at the time and didn't really have the energy to keep hunting for a better spot.
The center spots for rows 1 and 2 were all taken by deadman regulars, who took it upon themselves to bring light-up rings. Honestly, it was annoying, and deadman is obviously not a kirakira band, so wtf??? Plus, the regulars were way too old to be doing stuff for attention - we're talking about a gaggle of 40-50 year olds over here.
Mako had this huge wig on, which I'd only seen in photos up to that point. I had fun doing the furi for blood and lunch box (both of which I can basically do in my sleep by now.)
It was a little annoying when the light-up rings came out during Arizuka. (If you don't know, the lights are basically off during Arizuka, with Mako's contacts and hair extensions being the only fluorescent thing on stage. This happens every live.) So these rings interfered with the atmosphere quite a bit, especially since they were waving them in Mako's face. Gosh, I hope they don't pull this shit again.
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