Beyond The End Of Tears vol.2 LIVE REPORT (2011-09-17)

My lady told me about a live that her underclassman was performing in and mentioned that Flowers for the Broken Spirit was going to be playing. It coincided with the information given to me by their guitarist when I chatted to them at the Blood Stain Child live a few weeks before… The one I had said I would try my best to see.

It was decided then.

Trust 55 is a little venue on the 2nd and 3rd floor of a little building on a side of Takasaki I never go. Despite it’s small size the fact that the bar and stage are on different levels means you can pack a decent sized crowd in there. The sound is pretty good (much better than places like the BoHo and Bugsy’s back home) and it had a vibe that reminded me of my early, intense punk gigging days. at the end of High School.

大きな地図で見る

The live itself was organised and promoted by a group called UBUKOU which is a group of bands and friends who chose their name from a friend of theirs who also was the front man of the first group

UBK48

UBK taken from UBUKOU was a middle finger to the face of AKB48 and all the brainless (albeit sometimes quite hot) derivatives thereof. These guys were not nearly as good looking as the originals but what they lacked in ‘talent’ they made up with musical talent. It was a mini side project by some of the Flowers for the Broken Spirit’s band members that got a few laughs and warmed everyone up. The most amusing part of their live was the beheading of a Gibson guitar by Shin (the guitarist). Fun and Games.

Liguria

I have a thing for all All girl VK bands so I was quite pleased when they took to the stage. that said the bar is fairly high and so I went into it with a critical ear. The bones of the music were solid. The drummer was skilled and passionate and the bassist was phenomenal! Whether it was the mix, the bassist’s stage presence or a mix of the two, it almost felt like the guitars were supporting the bass. As I listened deeper however I could hear the detail and skill in the guitar. A better stage presence would probably bring out her skill more. The vocalist also started a bit slowly but as she warmed up her passion drove the set and tied everything off nicely. They have potential. Not quite big-time yet, but potential. I hope to see them again sometime.

The next band…

I don’t remember their name and they were not on the listing because they were a once off cover band. Again Members of Flower’s for the Broken Spirit teamed up with members of other bands to create a good show. Unlike the first band, this setup was a good deal more serious. They covered a 90s band called Kuroyume. The music was tight and well executed but the magic lay with the vocalist. He was mind blowing. Better than Kiyoharu himself even! Didn’t get my body moving but they definitely got my blood pumping. EPIC!

Yuka Ota  with SKII

The band, was as the name suggested. a bunch of musicians supporting Yuka Ota. And thus you would expect her to be the centrepiece of the show with the band providing musical accompaniment. For a more accurate idea of what I actually saw live, It would be better to call them “Yuka Ota being propped up by SKII” Ok she wasn’t that bad. she was just woefully out of place. She is a solo artist who should be singing opening themes to anime. The only problem is to do that she would need the vocal abilities of the likes of May’n and Faylan. She doesn’t have that. On top of that, while I do love listening to May’n, I would be displeased to see here at a hard rock live.

The only thing hard rock about Yuka Ota, was SKII the support band. and they were really good. They were also holding back. The drummer was tight, fast and kept a solid rhythm (She is also my Lady’s underclassman). The guitarist was a sharp edge cutting the air with his riffs while the bassist had fingers of fire. I would love to see them again playing with their primary bands as they were at least 5 times as impressive as the vocals were un-impressive.

 

Flowers for the Broken Spirit

HOLY SHIT! THIS BAND IS

FU*KING AWESOME!!!!!!

They were in a different league to the acts that went before them. I thought they were damn good before but seeing them headlining to a charged up crowd showed me aspects of their skill that I couldn't experience when I saw them opening at FLEEZ. I had thought they were as good, if not better than some of the bigger bands there that night and I was very right.

They are now, at their humble beginnings, more skilled and talented than many bands that have been at it for years. They blew me away. They got the 5 people there with any minerals (myself included of course) pounding away in a mini pit and when not moshing, we were stomping and having a proper good time. Our energy fed the band and they fed it back to us. It built the set up to a crescendo that ended with an encore.

I want to hear albums, I want to see music videos, I want to design their CD cover even. I love this band. and I want to see them hit the big time. Unlike many of the bigger bands in the industry, Flowers for  the Broken Spirit is an unbelievably talented outfit!

Over and above the bands i dug myself deeper into the Gunma Hard rock community. Made new friends and Will get to see many more independent bands in the future.