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Moi dix Mois
Being in an M10M audience was like deja-vu. I know this kind of audience well, it's like home to me. ^^ A crowd with 80~90% of the fans in either cosplay or elaborate goth/loli outfits with towering platform heels and exquisitely done hair and makeup, which is all-important when posing outside the livehouse but becomes irrelevant when the show's about to begin. Nobody crowd-surfs or lunges, it doesn't suit the music (or the fans' clothing), but it's so packed near the stage that once you put your arm in the air it's NOT going back down to your side until the show's over. It was a good show. ^___^ Of course M10M couldn't do all the fancy theatrics they would have done in a large venue, but even for this performance in such a little livehouse they had the stage set with large goat-head crosses and a custom "Dix infernal" curtain for just the right ambience. One thing that might surprise overseas fans who've never had a chance to see M10M is how much of a BAND they are. Never mind who's in the middle of all the pictures, in concert it's NOT all about Mana. Juka and Kazuno are both lively and charismatic performers who each bring something uniquely their own to the band. Juka has a *beautiful* voice and sings with an astonishing level of ease and professionalism. He has a straight-man vocalist persona, dignified but with a touch of humor. Kazuno is more rowdy and rambunctious, and has a knack for shouting into the microphone to rev up the crowd that any screamy "OI!" sort of vocalist might envy. Even though Juka and Kazuno seemingly came out of nowhere when they joined M10M, they've each already acquired their fans who call for them and it's easy to see why. Mana is, well, Mana of course. ^^ Aside from the few times he came over to my (Kazuno's) side of the stage, I really couldn't see him well because of the cosplayers' hair and platforms. ^^; They played a LOT of new songs and now I'm really looking forward to their next release. There's much more variety of styles in these songs than on "Dix infernal". They played one ballad and a rather cheerful poppy song. One song had a sort of '80s goth feeling to it, with really interesting interweaving bass and guitar lines and a danceable beat. There were two more songs that incorporated some of the elements of recent indies visual (like the repeated raise-the-fist segments) yet didn't overdo it, blending them with the past M10M sound for a style that's both familiar and unique. Overall I was very impressed by the new songs. Unsurprisingly, every aspect of the music, performance, and everything else was perfect and highly professional. The music sounded great and there were no mistakes, out-of-tune instruments, or any of the other myriad things that frequently seem to happen to other bands. All the members performed with ease and confidence, seamlessly tossing cues to each other for smooth interaction. Anyway, I enjoyed the show a lot and would like to see them again. M10M has just filled my "priority band #2" spot left vacant since Aioria disbanded. ^__^ |