"Leave Them All Behind" - 19 April 2009
Originally uploaded by nofrills
Leave Them All Behind
Sunday, 19 April, 2009
Liquidroom, Ebisu, Tokyo, Japan
www.smash-jpn.com/band/2009/04_leavethem/index.php
Conclusion: envy + Boris + SunnO))) + Isis + several hours sleep = vertigo + the loudest ever ear noise.
The show was sold out. All of my friends I met at the venue said it was surprising. "Heavy rock" in Tokyo have come so far.
Overall, it was LOUD. So LOUD. Sunn O))) and Boris. Their soundwave shakes your eye ball and brain - not only your eardrums. That is what Boris and Sunn O))) have been doing for years. I know. And so, I only wish I were ten years younger... Actually it was nothing on the next day back in the 1990s; I was all right (with less level of ear noise) on the day after I saw Boris live. ;-)
The LOUDEST of all was Sunn O))). So LOUD that they erased my memory. If you are going to see them live, make sure you are prepared. Take enough sleep, eat well, and don't drink too much. You stand on the floor and you just can't move during their whole set simply because of their sound. As you are being kept unmovable, the sound shakes your inner organs and changes your senses. I couldn't see the stage at all. Standing around me were people taller than I, and I was nailed to the floor and frozen. With things around you like that, there's nothing that can distract you. You are face-to-face with the sound wave. Theirs is the most creative way of using three-chord structure: repetition, feedback and wall of sound, for more than 45 minutes, live. The floor, your trousers, your shirt and your hair - you feel them tremble. Your eyes, ears, stomach, and everything get affected in ten minutes. You can't explode. You can just implode. Dope.
In fact, I wasn't fully prepared (lack of sleep etc), and I felt kinda physically sick at the end of their set, so I had to leave the floor early in order to get to the restroom without waiting - I have no idea how "early" it was as I totally lost the sense of time; maybe five minutes or so. Shame. Only if I had been fully prepared. Maybe next time.
And the fact is, they cured my dry eye syndrome. Next time, I hope they would shake my teeth and be my dentist! :)))
Somehow Boris' stage tonight reminded me of the first time I saw them live. A real floor shaker shakes your spine (and eye balls). It was a real shame that there was a persisting technical trouble with Wata's equipment. Even so, the music was good.
So, for me, ISIS' set was a bliss. After these two "VERY LOUD, and you are nailed to the floor" sets, they finally let me dance. They are a superb band. The song "Celestial" must be experienced live, at least once in a life time. They are a hardcore band in essence, methinks!
I had something to do before heading to Ebisu, and unfortunately I missed Growing. It was the first time for to see Envy play live in ... how many years I can't recall, and their live music is totally beautifully emotional. Check them out if you have a chance. Sadly enough I don't have much to write because my memory was erased during Sunn O)))'s show.
The crowd were like 70 percent male and 30 percent female, at least I could see. Apart from Japanese, I heard American accents a lot and some British accents on the floor.
It's Monday today, and I've been struggling all day to kill this super massive ear noise. This is the LOUDEST ear noise ever. And since I woke up, I feel a bit strange. My usual mayonaise or plain biscuits taste so strong. I opted for simple おかゆ (rice porridge), hoping my taste would be back to normal in a few hours. You know what I mean. Their records can't do this to you. Their live music does. This is what the true 轟音 is . Awesome.
Additional info:
Liquidroom has got a gallery space on the first floor (upstairs). Currently on the show is an Acid-house retrospective. A lot of eye-candies from the Second Summer of Love!
www.timeoutcafe.jp/news/090410000066.html
ourculturalhistory.com/
