Luv PARADE DEVIL'S PARTY 2022 Vol. 2 at Spotify O-EAST

The day before visual rock band D'ESPAIRSRAY’s 23rd anniversary, several different groups featuring D'ESPAIRSRAY members and their friends took to the stage at Spotify O-EAST in Shibuya. It was the second DEVIL’S PARTY, an event hosted by Luv PARADE, a session band founded by former D'ESPAIRSRAY members Karyu, ZERO and TSUKASA.

As NUL. vocalist HIZUMI said, it was like a gathering of old friends. Toshiyuki Kishi, the programmer of NUL., is a former producer of D'ESPAIRSRAY's; NUL. guitarist Masato and Luv PARADE’s guest singer TAKA travelled the United States with D'ESPAIRSRAY on the Taste of Chaost our when they were members of the Underneath; NUL.’s guest bassist KOHTA is a bandmate of Karyu's in Angelo; H.U.G’s vocalist Ryo did design work for D'ESPAIRSRAY in the past; H.U.G’s manipulator Kazutoshi Yokoyama has worked with both D'ESPAIRSRAY and Angelo; and GOTCHAROCKA singer Jui’s former band VIDOLL were labelmates with D'ESPAIRSRAY at Sword Records.


NUL.

The first group to perform was NUL.. The gloomy but electric atmosphere the lights and screens created onstage during EVILA illustrated well what NUL. is about. Their live performance was a solid and high-class affair. Unfortunately, as this was the opening act, the crowd was only beginning to get into the spirit of things, which had an impact on the whole experience.

During the set, it became clear HIZUMI has found a way of singing that's suitable for his voice despite his persistent throat issues. His voice held up well for almost the whole performance. However, during Shiyuu no tenbin, it seemed like the singer may have wanted to give more of himself than he could. The echoing vocals in the song were vaguely reminiscent of D'ESPAIRSRAY’s early years.

The highlight of NUL.’s performance was XStream. The energy of their debut song song lit up both the band members and the audience in a spectacular way. Their second album EVILA, released in August, packs a lot of potential, but it seems fans may need a little more time to really get into it.

Set list

01. EVILA
02. JILL
03. GREEDY BLOOD FEUD
04. Yatagarasu
05. Shiyuu no tenbin
06. XStream


H.U.G

The second act of the night was Karyu’s session band, H.U.G. Their name is an abbreviation of "Hyper Undead Genius". The members enjoyed joking about its double meaning during their MCs. Karyusaid he forces the audience into a hug with his music and refuses to let go. It was easy to understand what he meant while watching their performance, since a project like H.U.G is something that many fans have been longing for.

H.U.G’s set consisted of four original songs and a couple of covers. Their new song DROP really did justice to Ryo’s voice. Both his clean vocals and roars sounded amazing. The eponymous HUG was a delicious cocktail of electronics, powerful drums, heavy guitar riffs and Ryo’s roars. The two covers included a new spin on D'ESPAIRSRAY's classic Marry of the Blood. Ryo’s version was very different from HIZUMI’s, but he pulled it off proudly in his own style.

The charismatic Karyu is always a joy to watch. He greeted the audience at both ends of the stage multiple times. Ryo and Karyu interacted a lot with each other, with Ryo even stroking Karyu’s backside as he walked by at one point. Sequestered at the back of the stage, even manipulator Kazutoshi Yokoyama didn't go unnoticed. Despite not being the main act of the evening, H.U.G sure played their part in building the party atmosphere inside Spotify O-EAST.

Set list

01. OKI
02. Marry of the blood (D’ESPAIRSRAY)
03. DROP
04. Flash dancers (TAG)
05. HUG
06. HEART


GOTCHAROCKA

The third act of the evening was GOTCHAROCKA, a band currently celebrating their 10th anniversary. Although quite different from the other groups performing that night, they had clearly been a big draw for many in the audience, who were in high spirits from the very beginning of their set.

The singer Jui and guitarist JUN, in particular, caught people’s attention. Jui is an extremely charismatic and energetic live performer who pays the crowd a lot of attention. He kept moving around the stage and, during OUT OF SERVICE, squatted near the stage's edge and made eye contact with fans in the front rows. The ballad SURPRISE was another memorable moment: Jui's singing was full of emotion as he held the microphone stand and kept his eyes closed the whole time.

JUN, dressed all in red, could be seen dancing over and over again. During DEATH FLOOR, he flirted with the audience – and perhaps with Jui too – licking and pursing his lips. His fellow guitarist Toya was considerably more restrained, but he too moved up to the front of the stage, playing side by side with JUN during OUT OF SERVICE.

Set list

01. BRAND NEW DEVIL
02. SENSITIVE DARKSIDE
03. PRISM
04. SURPRISE
05. DEATH FLOOR
06. OUT OF SERVICE


Luv PARADE

The main star of the evening was Luv PARADE. They started their set with a familiar intro used during the members' D'ESPAIRSRAY days. Although Luv PARADE consists of Karyu, ZERO and TSUKASA, guest vocalist TAKA said that he feels as if he is one of the members, and he certainly fit in perfectly.

The first three songs were covers of hits by Western pop stars, including Lady Gaga, Britney Spears and Björk. In a recent interview, Luv PARADE told JaME they want to stand out and be unique by doing their own versions of songs that are made for female vocalists. Their arrangements of Poker Face and Toxic were especially brilliant. In the tradition of all the best covers, they honored the originals while playing the songs in their own Luv PARADE style.

Luv PARADE served up many D'ESPAIRSRAY songs for fans during the concert. The first was DEVILS’ PARADE, and by the last, the whole venue was partying with the band. TAKA did an astonishingly good job at singing the D'ESPAIRSRAY songs. He didn't return to the stage for the encore, leaving Karyu, ZERO and TSUKASA to play DEATH POINT and MIRROR. The audience was encouraged to film and share the performance, so fans unable to attend could get a taste of the atmosphere too.

During the encore, ZERO told fans that at the first DEVIL’S PARTY event, there was someone on the balcony who was really excited: HIZUMI. He acknowledged that many people had been expecting the singer to join his D'ESPAIRSRAY bandmates onstage during this encore. ZERO said this wouldn't be happening. He asked for understanding – they were there as Luv PARADE and their singer is TAKA. However, he promised to announce beforehand when the day came for the quartet to stand on a stage together.

Luv PARADE and H.U.G will perform together next at Akabane ReNY alpha on December 17th. TAKA will once again be serving as Luv PARADE's support vocalist, while H.U.G will be supported by FANTASISTA and ex-Kagrra, bassist NAOKI and PIERROT and Angelo drummer TAKEO. Like this concert, the upcoming show will be broadcast worldwide via ZAIKO. The live stream will begin at 6:00 pm (JST). Tickets for the broadcast are priced at 4000 yen, and they are available for purchase here. After the live broadcast has finished, an archive of the stream will be available for ticket holders to watch until 11:59 pm (JST) on January 16th.

Set list

01. Poker Face (Lady Gaga)
02. Toxic (Britney Spears)
03. HyperBallad (Björk)
04. DEVILS’ PARADE (D'ESPAIRSRAY)
05. GETTING CLOSER (defspiral)
06. LOVE IS DEAD (D'ESPAIRSRAY)

Encore

01. DEATH POINT (D'ESPAIRSRAY)
02. MIRROR (D'ESPAIRSRAY)

Live footage of Luv PARADE's cover of björk's HyperBallad and H.U.G's song HEART from DEVIL’S PARTY Vol. 2 can be viewed below.