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H.U.G’s first one-man show is definitely something you cannot miss out on! Regardless of the short time they had since their formation, you can already see the deep bond between them! Check out our live report of their first one-man show!
Not even a year has passed since the birth of H.U.G (Hyper Undead Genius) in June 2022, but the band has already managed to successfully hold their first one-man live performance SHOWCASE01 at Shibuya Spotify O-West on the 24th of March. Formerly known as the “Karyu session band” that performed at DEVIL’S PARTY 2022 hosted by Luv PARADE, Karyu (ex D’ESPAIRSRAY) on guitar, vocalist ryo (ex GULLET, 9GOATS BLACK OUT), and Yokoyama Kazutoshi on keyboard, percussion, and sound creator, took the stage with the support of NAOKI (FANTASISTA/ ex-Kaggra,) on bass and TAKEO (PIERROT/ Angelo) on drums. We had the pleasure to watch this amazing show live via ZAIKO and are desperate to share this special moment with you.
The show started with a powerful intro that made the fans start clapping their hands as soon as the lights turned off. The huge screen in the back showed the letters H, U, G over and over until all members entered the stage. Yokoyama Kazutoshi stood out with his glowing sticks that he held up highly. The first song of the evening was their signature song HUG, a perfect but also striking song to get the crowd into the right mood. As soon as ryo started his deep growling, the fans began headbanging, as did NAOKI and Karyu. The whole club was immersed in red lighting, which emphasized the heat of the show. At the end of the song, the fans were loudly screaming and ryo greeted everyone with a “Welcome! Let’s have fun!” before they continued with DON’T DOUBT. The song was as powerful as the first one, and the combination of melodic and growling parts highlighted ryo’s incredible talent as a vocalist perfectly. On the right side of the stage, Karyu jumped up and down before headbanging again. After their next song – BLOOD PIN – the fans were screaming like crazy and ryo encouraged them to raise their voice even more. Of course, the audience had no other choice but to scream even louder and only stopped when ryo started his first MC. He mentioned that H.U.G has existed for less than a year, and the reason they were there that evening was only because of their fans. His emotional words summarized the band’s motivation marvelously.
During 熾 -OKI-, the big screen in the background showed colorful stained glass windows, and white light from behind spotlighted every member. The deep bass of NAOKI combined with TAKEO’s forceful drums ensured a dynamic rhythm. When the first tunes of the next song – Marry of the blood – started, it was clear that many D’ESPAIRSRAY fans were present. This song was also performed at DEVIL’S PARTY 2022, and we are sure that many fans were hoping for a repeat performance that evening. The many growling parts made it impossible to stand still, and you could see an ocean of flying hair from the audience, who headbanged even harder than before.
Right at the beginning of the next MC, ryo asked their fans again if they were having fun. Loud screams echoed through the club, which made the band smile. “Thank you very much! I’m very happy”, ryo said before he mentioned that, because of Karyu, he joined the session band together with Yokoyama Kazutoshi, and they had their first shows as part of DEVIL’S PARTY, but that tonight was the first time H.U.G owned the stage alone. He also made sure to thank their two support members, especially NAOKI who had his own tour coming up the very next day. NAOKI only laughed and said “I’m okay! I am having fun!”.
The next two songs – BUTTERFLY and LOVE THAT NEVER ENDS – were the first songs of the evening where the audience could relax for a moment. In particular, LOVE THAT NEVER ENDS is a truly beautiful song full of emotions that touch one’s heart. On the screen in the back, the fans were able to watch the lyrics of the song. When Yokoyama Kazutoshi waved his hands, they did the same. With the following song – HEART – the break was over and the powerful beat demanded headbanging again. Karyu made his way to the edge of the stage where the fans reached out for him. When he was back at his spot, ryo came over to rest his arm on Karyu’s shoulder. And when NAOKI took Karyu’s place, ryo did the same again. As soon as the song was over, the fans screamed the members’ names and ryo said “we’re having fun now, haven’t we?”, which made them shout even louder. Surprisingly, ryo suddenly asked them for their cooperation and participation during the next song. He explained that during one part of the song, he would like everyone to squat down when the screen in the back tells them and jump on his signal. He emphasized several times that the fans didn’t have to force themselves if they were injured or otherwise didn’t feel up to it. WHO IS THE ROMEO was definitely the most powerful song of the concert. The fans went crazy and squatted down when told. And when ryo counted “3, 2, 1!”, they all jumped. H.U.G finished the main part with their new song SEEDS, another melodic song that quickly changes to powerful parts. We can only hope that they will release the song soon for everyone to hear!
As soon as the members left the stage, the audience cheered for an encore and it didn’t take long for the band to come back in their tour shirts, which they proudly presented. When Yokoyama Kazutoshi asked ryo to promote their goods, ryo only said a low “buy”, making the fans and other members laugh. Yokoyama Kazutoshi added that their vocalist worked hard on the goods, and Karyu also said: “Buy! ryo did the design for us and it turned out really nice”.
For the encore, the band played WHO IS THE ROMEO and HEART for a second time, and neither the members nor the audience showed any sign of tiredness and gave it their all. After those two songs, the members made sure to express their gratitude with a few words. TAKEO was the first one: “This is the best. H.U.G is the best. It’s been a while since I heard everyone’s voices, it’s truly the best. Thank you very much. You are the best!”. NAOKI also mentioned that he had lots of fun and that H.U.G and his seniors are great. When he told everyone that he is the youngest, Karyu shook his head and pointed at himself, which made the fans laugh. When NAOKI once again promoted their goods, ryo presented the “HUG me” print on the backside of his shirt. “Isn’t the shirt cute?” he said and the fans shouted a loud “cute!”. Karyu thanked everyone for coming and mentioned: “I’m standing here today because I asked all of you busy people to do this for me. I’m going to do more from here, so please help me out.” ryo once again mentioned that they only started a year ago with some events and asked if everyone was having fun. He then revealed that they have big plans and will start their first all-Japan LOVE THAT NEVER ENDS tour in June.
To finish the show, H.U.G again played SEEDS. After 15 powerful songs and an amazing show, the exhaustion was visible, but so was the fun and happiness on everyone’s faces. In the end, all of the members took each other’s hands and bowed deeply to the fans before finally leaving the stage.
The fun of their fans was the band’s first priority through the whole evening. Several times, ryo checked with the crowd to see if everyone was having fun. On top of that, the band even included their audience in the song WHO IS THE ROMEO, which is something you don’t see every day. Several camera angles made sure that viewers at home didn’t miss out and were able to watch every moment of the performance. It was very clear that the band’s love for their fans will never end. Another thing that made the evening truly wholesome was seeing the deep bond between the members, a bond that can only exist after knowing and working with each other for a very long time. We are looking forward to the upcoming tour and hope there will again be an online opportunity for overseas fans who can’t attend the shows in person! All information can be found HERE
Report: Chris
English Edit: Franzi
Set List
- HUG
- DON’T DOUBT
- BLOOD PIN
- 熾 -OKI-
- Marry of the blood
- Flash dancers
- BUTTERFLY
- LOVE THAT NEVER ENDS
- HEART
- WHO IS THE ROMEO
- DROP
- SEEDS
Encore
- WHO IS THE ROMEO
- HEART
- SEEDS
NEXT LIVE
June 10, Nishi-Kawaguchi Hearts 16:30/17:00
| H.U.G OFFICIAL SITE | H.U.G YouTube | H.U.G OFFICIAL Twitter |
| Yokoyama Kazutoshi Twitter | ryo Twitter | Karyu Twitter |
It would be great if you could support us with a small donation.
It might not be much for you, but it would help us providing more and better interviews in the future.
With a little bit of your support we might be able to realize even more!
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