![]() At one point he lives up to his Thriller-esque jacket by kneeling down at the back of the stage and doing some robotic dance moves.įor the last song Exo-chika pulls out a tambourine (an unexpected choice of instrument for a goth techno group!) and the audience begins to clap along with the beat, determined to urge the energy level up even higher for their final song. Raveman spends most of the show attached to his turntables, but at times he ventures out from his corner to wander around the stage, sometimes with props–like a mini-floodlight he trains on Exo-chika’s face during one song to give the impression that she’s telling a ghost story. She declares her love for Katsucon and laughs. The audience seems slightly confused, but definitely entertained.ĭuring a break between songs, Exo-chika talks to the crowd: “Do you like Japanese anime? I like Naruto and Bleach.” Of course, those are the two magic words when performing at an anime convention and the crowd breaks into cheers of approval. The set list for the second half of the show is as follows:ĭuring バンボロ工房, Exo-chika picks up a red plastic children’s hammer and waves it around as her partner waves a pair of sticks that also look to be some kind of children’s toy. Raveman motions to her and she poses in front of the front rows of the crowd, flashing the peace sign for her partner’s camera and thanking the crowd with a wave and a toothy grin. He demonstrates firsthand just how open the group is as far as cameras are concerned by taking a break from DJing to take a few photos of the audience, much to their delight.Įxo-chika returns to even more uproarious cheering: she’s taken off her gothic dress and is now wearing a rather revealing see-through sleeveless top, shorts, and lace and vinyl bell-bottom thigh-high tights. The set lit for the first half of the show is as follows:Īfter Innsmouth, Exo-chika leaves the stage briefly (to the disappointment of the fans) while Raveman takes the downtime to perform a DJ solo, keeping the crowd revved and dancing. They make interesting and original use of visuals as well, employing a projection screen throughout the show, showing PV clips or strange original videos, for instance, of manga speech bubbles ostensibly showing the lyrics of the song being performed or of a kind of gothic aerobics program. At times he makes use of what seems to be a completely homemade and original synthesizer box, distorting the music while Exo-chika engages the audience with her vocals. Raveman strikes a mysterious figure in his red leather jacket and floppy black leather hat hanging over his mask-covered face, points of red light visible where his eyes should be. ![]() ![]() So, for those who have yet to experience it, what is Aural Vampire’s music like anyway? It has the dark undertones and synth of the industrial/gothic genre, but Exo-chika’s vocals are so cute and perky it makes for the kind of “genki goth” music even the most determined stoic would want to bop to. ![]() In spite of her antics, there is always a note of that sensual gothic elegance Aural Vampire is known for. She plays on her “cute” factor quite willingly, dancing around the stage, pulling her skirt aside and kicking her leg up high to one side in one particularly risqué move, to the rather appreciative cheers of the audience. Her stage performance is very energetic–though her vampiric fangs are quite visible, her demeanor is anything but intimidating. She is quite resplendent in a corseted gothic dress and black lace gloves, blond pigtail extensions and gothic rose and lace in her hair, and towering platform heels to complete the look, the kind of flawless outfit that would turn the head of any convention goer–and from the screams of the crowd, she’s a big hit!Ĭonsidering the nature of Aural Vampire’s music, with heavy emphasis on synthesizers and other modes of sound and voice distortion, the clean and pure quality of Exo-chika’s live vocals are almost like a whole new and entirely welcome twist on the group’s music. He works the turntable, getting the audience pumped up for Exo-chika’s grand entrance. There is hardly any wait at all before Raveman appears on stage, wearing a large and creepy orange and yellow mask shaped like a bird’s head over his usual Jason-esque one. The room has an electric air of excitement filling it. For a group that has only just gone major, the number of people gathered in the main events hall before the Friday night Aural Vampire concert is impressive, to say the least.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |