What a night...
I went to the Liverpool leg of the Kerrang! Relentless tour with Cath last night, and it was amazing! My legs are still stiff today after standing for so long, though. Having agoraphobia for so long means that I have to get used to going out all over again...
The bands playing were In Case Of Fire, Black Tide, Dir En Grey and Mindless Self Indulgence. (Bring Me The Horizon were supposed to be playing, but they didn't turn up to this show.) The venue was already really hot and stuffy as soon as I got in, and the humidity in there meant that I almost felt like I was swimming rather than walking at times!
The first band, In Case Of Fire, were quite good, but so loud! I've only ever been to prog rock concerts before, and one oshare kei concert, so I wasn't prepared for how loud it would be. My ribcage was vibrating like I'd never felt before, and I was already deaf by the time the first two songs had finished. It was good to see the audience get so much into it, although I stayed back, by the stairs. Still, with the way they all surged forwards when it started, I'm glad I stayed at the back, or else I would have been crushed!
Black Tide were okay, although I wasn't paying attention at that point. Cath had gone ahead into the crowd, but I sat at the bar during their set, just watching my synaesthesia. It's difficult for me to see anything except murky blurs at that volume, although I did catch some gorgeous blue and green keyboard sections in one song. (And on a slightly off-topic note, the drinks at the bar were so expensive! £1.90 for a bottle of water is going a bit too far, I think...)
Once Dir En Grey started, I really began paying attention. The lights came on over the stage, but the stage was still empty, and the audience was chanting for the band. Then they came on, and the place erupted! Kyo is a brilliant frontman, although he rarely spoke to the audience, other than "hello Liverpool" (I'm not sure if he really knew enough English for much else). He sang each song perfectly, and had the audience under his spell for the entire set. And as much as I'm not really interested in guys, even I have to admit that he has the sexiest hips known to man... Oo He was mesmerising, yet almost scary to watch. At one point he started really smacking himself hard on the chest, over and over. Later on the music all but died down, leaving him just shrieking and howling down the microphone. The songs were amazing (they played Concieved Sorrow! :D ), and the lighting design was also great. And I finally worked up the courage to venture into the audience during their set! thankfully I quickly found the air con, so didn't get too hot, and I was treated to the brilliant sight of one guy messing about in the breeze, and acting somewhat like Slash in front of a wind machine. :P If you ever read this, mysterious breeze-guy, thank you for a brilliant show! XD
Anyway, after Dir En Grey's set, Cath came running up to me, looking slightly anxious. It turned out that she'd caught one of the drumsticks that Shinya had thrown into the audience, and was scared that she'd get mobbed by Shinya fangirls at any moment! After hiding the priceless object in my bag, we waited by the bar for the final act of the night...
Since I knew I could handle being in the audience now, I had no problem joining in when Mindless Self Indulgence came on, and I'm so glad I did. They were incredible, and Jimmy Urine is so funny! They opened with Shut Me Up, and their set quickly dissolved into pure madness, with Jimmy dragging people up on stage to sing, berating the young teenagers in the audience for skipping school, joining the audience, and asking the audience maths questions. The band's energy was incredible, and the whole show was perfect. Jimmy stripped throughout most of the show, ending by mooning the audience (the bit where he took off his tie was especially brilliant!).
By the end of the night, my legs ached, my throat was sore, and I was deaf, but I still couldn't help but feel hyped about the whole night. Even falling down the stairs on the way out couldn't ruin my enjoyment of the night... :P And now that I know they're okay and not at all scary, I think I might start going to more concerts than just the usual prog rock ones. Although I won't start joining in with mosh pits just yet...
The bands playing were In Case Of Fire, Black Tide, Dir En Grey and Mindless Self Indulgence. (Bring Me The Horizon were supposed to be playing, but they didn't turn up to this show.) The venue was already really hot and stuffy as soon as I got in, and the humidity in there meant that I almost felt like I was swimming rather than walking at times!
The first band, In Case Of Fire, were quite good, but so loud! I've only ever been to prog rock concerts before, and one oshare kei concert, so I wasn't prepared for how loud it would be. My ribcage was vibrating like I'd never felt before, and I was already deaf by the time the first two songs had finished. It was good to see the audience get so much into it, although I stayed back, by the stairs. Still, with the way they all surged forwards when it started, I'm glad I stayed at the back, or else I would have been crushed!
Black Tide were okay, although I wasn't paying attention at that point. Cath had gone ahead into the crowd, but I sat at the bar during their set, just watching my synaesthesia. It's difficult for me to see anything except murky blurs at that volume, although I did catch some gorgeous blue and green keyboard sections in one song. (And on a slightly off-topic note, the drinks at the bar were so expensive! £1.90 for a bottle of water is going a bit too far, I think...)
Once Dir En Grey started, I really began paying attention. The lights came on over the stage, but the stage was still empty, and the audience was chanting for the band. Then they came on, and the place erupted! Kyo is a brilliant frontman, although he rarely spoke to the audience, other than "hello Liverpool" (I'm not sure if he really knew enough English for much else). He sang each song perfectly, and had the audience under his spell for the entire set. And as much as I'm not really interested in guys, even I have to admit that he has the sexiest hips known to man... Oo He was mesmerising, yet almost scary to watch. At one point he started really smacking himself hard on the chest, over and over. Later on the music all but died down, leaving him just shrieking and howling down the microphone. The songs were amazing (they played Concieved Sorrow! :D ), and the lighting design was also great. And I finally worked up the courage to venture into the audience during their set! thankfully I quickly found the air con, so didn't get too hot, and I was treated to the brilliant sight of one guy messing about in the breeze, and acting somewhat like Slash in front of a wind machine. :P If you ever read this, mysterious breeze-guy, thank you for a brilliant show! XD
Anyway, after Dir En Grey's set, Cath came running up to me, looking slightly anxious. It turned out that she'd caught one of the drumsticks that Shinya had thrown into the audience, and was scared that she'd get mobbed by Shinya fangirls at any moment! After hiding the priceless object in my bag, we waited by the bar for the final act of the night...
Since I knew I could handle being in the audience now, I had no problem joining in when Mindless Self Indulgence came on, and I'm so glad I did. They were incredible, and Jimmy Urine is so funny! They opened with Shut Me Up, and their set quickly dissolved into pure madness, with Jimmy dragging people up on stage to sing, berating the young teenagers in the audience for skipping school, joining the audience, and asking the audience maths questions. The band's energy was incredible, and the whole show was perfect. Jimmy stripped throughout most of the show, ending by mooning the audience (the bit where he took off his tie was especially brilliant!).
By the end of the night, my legs ached, my throat was sore, and I was deaf, but I still couldn't help but feel hyped about the whole night. Even falling down the stairs on the way out couldn't ruin my enjoyment of the night... :P And now that I know they're okay and not at all scary, I think I might start going to more concerts than just the usual prog rock ones. Although I won't start joining in with mosh pits just yet...