aaamusic | On 24, Apr 2012

London, 11th April

L’arc en Ciel have been going for twenty years and have never played the UK so their is a great anticipation for tonights show. They have a massive video screen behind them producing amazing and fantastic images, before they come on they play instrumental songs over the Tannoy of the bands greatest hits just to get people in the mood for tonight Proceedings. They open with ‘Ibara no Namida’ which is greeted with a standing ovation before they play ‘Chase’ specially in English for the UK crowd.

The show is quite something and they show why they are so big in Japan with a Guns ‘N’ Roses Esq stadium performance. I have seen loads of bands and not many can hold a crowd like L’arc en Ciel are doing tonight. They show an impressive back catalogue the has a mix of all genres in it, and everyone is performed perfectly, I don’t hear one mistake through the whole set, their English version of their pop hit ‘XXX’ is for me one of the best pop songs i have heard in a longtime and could go to number one over hear easierly with the right radio play, but it is the memorizing guitar solo that really shows Slash how a solo should be played and is one of the best I have ever heard. They are playing a greatest hits set tonight and nothing is better to announce twenty years of the band than confetti and streamers and all the trimming that come out before they come back on to play the encore. They keep going on about going to London Dungeon and that it’s their favourite place in the world, but this band have delivered no crimes against music to get them there. Bassist Tetsuya is trapped in Union Jacks today and says he loves them in English and guitarist who simply just goes by the name Ken gives him loads of Union Jack presents he bought him that day, like the Apprentice candidates said their really in this year. The tickets for tonights show started at 65 pounds and went up to 125 pounds and they were well worth every penny and it is a sad moment when they go off stage, your just hoping it will not be another twenty years until they come back. Even if it is twenty years it will be worth the wait, they are one of the best bands I have ever seen live and that is saying something and you didn’t even need to like J-Rock to enjoy tonights show my friend I took also couldn’t believe how good they were.

 

L’arc en Ciel – Setlist
Ibara no Namida
Chase (English Verison)
Good luck my Way
Honey
Drink it Down
Revelation
Hitomi no Juunin
XXX (English Version)
Daybreak’s Bell
Forbidden Lover
My heart draws a Dream
Seventh Heaven
Driver’s High
Stay Away
Ready, Steady Go!
——————
Anata
Winter Fall
Link
Niji

Author & Phoos: Daniel Cairns