Reported by Delight Ng and Geraldine Lee
Fans of Japanese music partied late into the night on the 2nd day of Music Matters Live with J-Rock bands – WEAVER, flumpool and SID – at Beer Market. Long before the first set started, eager fans were seen arriving up to five hours earlier just to get a good spot to catch their favourite artists, filling up the venue.
Rockin’ on first – WEAVER
There was a buzz of excitement in the air as WEAVER took the stage for their sound check, with the fans exploding into loud screams when asked if they were ready to begin. Drummer Kawabe Toru made everyone smile with his hyperactive drumming and wide grins, even standing on the seat to drum at one point.
With this being WEAVER‘s only performance for Music Matters Live 2013, they prepared a surprise for fans – an English version of their song! Toru and bassist Okuno Shota showcased their skills in a special bass & drum number. Vocalist and pianist Sugimoto Yuji impressed the audience with his talented and dramatic playing as he played with his back facing the keyboard on a few occasions. The crowd was sad to see them leave but they promised fans that they will meet again soon.
Rockin’ on next – flumpool
flumpool was up next and they wasted no time, jumping right into their first song. The handsome quintet in school uniform-like outfits easily charmed the audience with their bright smiles and the cool, talented way in which they handled their respective instruments. The audiences had their hands in the air, waving in time to the fun, rock tunes of the band.
Vocalist and guitarist Yamamura Ryuta made a short speech in English to thank the audience for coming to see them. “We felt we can connect to everyone in the world by music,” he proclaimed with a smile to loud cheers of agreement. And connect they did. Not just to the fans who came to support them, but also to fans of the other bands that night and even to the patrons who stayed behind to check out the event. Ryuta then switched his guitar to a semi-acoustic for a slow rock ballad Akashi, their last song. He was joined by guitarist Sakai Kazuki, who provided the backing vocals for the song. They ended their set with wide smiles on their faces as they waved to the audience enthusiastically, thanking them again and again.
Rockin’ on finally – SID
Despite the event being way overrun past the scheduled time, determined fans stayed on to wait for SID‘s set, cheering exceptionally loud when the four-member band – blond-haired vocalist Mao, guitarist Shinji, bassist Aki and drummer Yuuya – made their appearance on stage. Fans sang along loudly to crowd favourites like Monochrome no Kiss and Uso, both of which were used as anime theme songs. There was an infectious energy in the air as the band roamed around the stage, singing and giving fanservice not just the the fans in front but also at the sides of the stage.
During the member introductions, Mao skipped over Yuuya who proceeded to ignore him and play the drums by himself causing the audience to burst out into laugher and chant his name. Their amazing synergy, teamwork and talent on stage won over the other fans who were there for other bands. As they bid their farewells after the last song, the crowd immediately banded together to chant “Mou ikkai!” (“One more time!” in Japanese) shocking the members. After much deliberation and discussion with the crew, they played one more song for their encore and the whole venue stood on their feet to party with them.
It did not matter that the artists were from a different country or that the songs they sang were in a different language. There was a special connection shared with everyone in the room that night. And judging from the faces of the fans gathering outside the venue after the live, there were absolutely no regrets!
Music Matters Live 2013 Coverage: Look out for more photos on our Facebook page and read about Day 1’s Aussie BBQ which presents Australian indie artists, as well as Day 2’s David Choi‘s showcase.
