Live report of HALCALI's first European gig at the Japan Expo in Paris.
The performance of the female pop/rap duo HALCALI at the Japan Expo on Sunday July 9th was their first one overseas. The big conference hall in which they performed was filled with people excited to see them live and it seemed like a few thousand of people had gathered. Most of the seats were taken and even though it was a seated concert, not many people stayed sitting down, instead trying to rush closer to the stage.
A little after 5 oclock the lights went off and the two support members of their band came out first: a guitarist and a DJ. The guitarist went to stand on the right side of the stage while the DJ stood behind the turntables, which had the logo of the group hung out in front. Shortly after, Yukari and Haruka came out, running over the catwalk to be in the middle of the audience; they were met by a crowd roaring with excitement. Their outfits were similar, both wearing short dresses and knee-high socks, though Yukari wore a black dress and Harukas was yellow with shorts underneath.
The audience got treated to an exclusive preview for their upcoming album, Cyborg Oretachi, as they started off with the song of the same name. While singing and dancing to the cheerful, techno-style song, the girls seemed comfortable on stage from the the start, as though they were performing in their own country in front of a familiar audience instead of at their overseas debut! After the first song, they started to greet the fans and introduced themselves, completely in French. Yukari took out a note to read the French phrases out loud and was rewarded by cheering from the audience.
When they announced that the next song would be Tip Taps Tip, the cheering showed that it was obviously a fan favorite. After the medium-paced song, the tempo slowed even more with the ballad-like Shibafu. The atmosphere changed to a more relaxed one while the girls did an excellent job rapping.
The hall had three big video screens that showed animations and close-up shots of HALCALI while they performed, as well as displaying lyrics of the songs. During Shibafu it showed the lyrics as well, translated to French. The background, a sky with clouds, added even more to the atmosphere. The song consists of the girls only rapping as opposed to rapping and singing, and the two of them were doing a great job at it! Their two support musicians were doing a great job too: the DJ produced some great scratches and the guitarist had a short but nice solo.
After the ballad, the mood changed again as they started on Twinkle Star. The audience went completely crazy as they recognized the intro of the merry-sounding song. Encouraged by the two singers everybody was on their feet in no time, some even standing on their chairs to have a better view of the stage. Even the guitarist seemed to be really getting into it, skipping on the stage as he produced a ska-like rhythm, adding an extra dimension to the song. Before, HALCALI had mostly been dancing freely, but during the next song they showed their famous synchronized dances. The mood of the band and the audience seemed really cheerful, and one could definitely tell that both parties were enjoying themselves.
Two more songs followed and then after those songs, HALCALI said goodbye to the audience by running over the catwalk and reaching out to their fans - who reached right back out to them - and shaking their hands. Everybody was yelling and trying to touch one of the members. After some time, the two of them left the stage, leaving the audience to call out for more.
They didnt have to wait long as HALCALI was back in no time, waving to the audience and announcing their last song: Densetsu no Futari. Accompanied only by the guitarist, the girls put their hands up in the air to wave them to the beat of the song. The audience, who had all gotten off their chairs and were standing closer to the stage now, mimicked them, enjoying the last song with its sing-along feel.
Unfortunately, after that track HALCALIs time was up and they left the stage again. It had been a marvelous first international performance for the two girls, and we hope to see them back soon!
-setlist-
M1 electric body sensei (only Guitar & DJ)
M2 Cyborg Oretachi
M3 4th Fukusei
~MC~
M4 Tip Taps Tip
M5 Shibafu
~MC~
M6 Twinkle Star
M7 Girigiri Surf-rider
M8 A ONE TWO
BG~ OBOROGE COPY VIEW
