Starwave Records 6 Anniversary Label Event: the Starwave Elections!

The highlight of Starwave Records’ 6th Anniversary Event was the Starwave Elections, in which fans were able to select their favorite Starwave band out of 9 bands. Who took first place? Read more to find out!

（今回のメインイベントである「レーベル総選挙」で所属アーティストの人気ランキングを決めるというものを実施した。総選挙とは、本イベントに出演した全バンドのうち、ゲストを除いた9バンドのアーティストを対象に行われ、ファンは好きなアーティスト1名の名前を書いて投票することができる。はたしてどのバンドが1位に輝いたのか。）

Starwave Records presents “Starwave Fest vol.13” at Shinjuku ReNY

Shinjuku ReNY is located a 10 minute walk from Shinjuku Station in a brand new, circular building.
On March 29, Starwave Records held their 6th anniversary label event here.

Upon entrance, fans received a free DVD and a ballot sheet.
The ballot sheet was, of course, for the main event – determining the popularity ranking of Starwave bands.

There was a space for fans to write their personal ranking of each of the 9 bands playing that day (not including guests).

The band who won first place would get a cash prize courtesy of Kiwamu, the president of Starwave Records.

Among all the bands playing that day, who took first place??

（ＪＲ新宿駅から歩くこと約１０分。
円形の建物が近年新しく誕生したライブハウス、新宿ReＮＹだ。この会場で、3月29日、Starwave Recordsが発足6周年を記念したレーベルイベントを開催した。
会場に入ると、まず無料配布のDVDと投票用紙を受け取る。
この投票用紙こそが、本日のメインイベントである「レーベル総選挙」で所属アーティストの人気ランキングを左右するものだ。
この総選挙とは、本イベントに出演した全バンドのうち、ゲストを除いた9バンドのアーティストを対象に行われ、ファンは好きなアーティスト1名の名前を書いて投票することができる。
1位のアーティストには事務所社長のKiwamu氏から金一封が手渡される。
様々な公約を掲げたアーティストのうち、一体誰が1位の座をゲットするのか――）

MAJOLICA

The first band up was MAJOLICA, who, in addition to only being on the label for about a year, also disbanded on the day of the event.

Despite the fact that it was early in the day on a weekday, a gathering of fans showed up to support them.

Their set started with Masquerade, then moved to Majo-gari (魔女狩り), and then to Silent Killer. They expressed their style through their unique voice, movements, and red-and-black based costumes.

The instrumentalists in the band were more the type to perform expressively than to go crazy on stage.

Fans leaned over the barriers for oritatami and headbanged for Harushigure (春時雨), the final song before the curtain closed.

It was the kind of live that you wouldn’t think would be their last.

We’re looking forward to their next moves in the music industry.

（１バンド目は、Starwave Recordsに所属して1年余り、惜しくもこの日解散となったMAJOLICA。
平日の日中という早いスタートではあったものの、会場には多くのファンが押しかけていた。
Masqueradeから始まり、魔女狩り、そしてSilent Killerへ。赤と黒をベースとした衣装に身を包み、歌とその動きでMAJOLICAの世界を表現する。
そして楽器隊は暴れるというよりは各々の持ち場で演奏を魅せるスタイルだろうか。
ラストの春時雨では折り畳みやヘドバンなど激しく盛り上がった後、幕は閉じられた。
次もライブが続くであろうと思わせるような、決して解散ライブには思えないステージであった。
各メンバーの次の活動に期待したい。
）

Vo. Kyohei, Gt. hisana, Gt. Lulu, Ba. Haren, Dr. Nachi

01. Masquerade
02. 魔女狩り(Majo-gari)
03. Silent Killer
04. 春時雨 (Harushigure)

Calmando Qual

Calmando Qual was next up, donning their own personal styles and far less elaborate costumes.

Their songs are relaxing, making their set one to lose yourself in watching rather than rocking out.

But fans did some headbanging during Ibitsu (歪) and Hitoshizuku no Eien (一雫の永遠), the second and third songs of their set.

In their signature style, the curtain closed before they even finished performing their final song of the day, Kurai (クライ).

Unfortunately, Calmando Qual will also be disbanding on June 9 at Takadanobaba AREA.

（続いて登場したのは、落ち着いた衣装と独特の世界観を持ったCalmando Qual。静かに沈むような曲調で、どちらかといえば激しく拳を突き上げるのではなく、ゆっくりと、時間を忘れて聞き入りたいバンドである。

Vo. Hibiki, Gt. Tak, Dr. MAYA, Support Ba. TILL

01. 抜け殻 (Nukegara)
02. 歪 (Ibitsu)
03. 一雫の永遠 (Hitoshizuku no Eien)
04. クライ(Kurai)

Fixer

Fixer, who just joined the ranks of Starwave Records recently, had a set that got fans moving from start until finish. They really heated up the venue.

The members moved around on stage a lot, approaching the edge almost close enough to touch fans in the first row.

They were dressed in stage costumes that were uniform throughout the band, making it easy to understand their kotekote kei concept. If you want to rock out at a show, we’d recommend going to see Fixer.
Before they joined Starwave, they weren’t a particularly stand-out band by any means. Now you can see how much they’ve grown not only in terms of appearance, but also in terms of performance ability.

The vocalist’s charm and their gyakudai-inducing Ignited was enough to make even fans of other bands smile.

Every member had an equal chance to appeal to the audience, giving them an edge over some of the other bands.

They paused their rocking antics for the final track, which brought their set to a low-key ending.

Their curtain fell to the shouts of fans.

(3番手は最近この事務所に所属したばかりのFixer。登場から最後まで、終始激しい演奏とファンの動きに、会場内は一気にヒートアップした。メンバーはステージ上を大きく動き回り、最前ギリギリまで攻めてはファンを煽る。

Vo. Jey, Gt. Yuma, Gt. Aika, Dr. Korey, Support Ba. Yutara (ex. Zillapark)

01. 孤慟-into the vortex-
02. Ignited (Jey solo)
03. 深淵 (Shinen)

Scarlet Valse

The fourth band to take the stage that night was Scarlet Valse, a band whose concept is probably the easiest to figure out: aesthetically pleasing.

Their costumes were white-based with each costume personalized for each member, ranging from dresses to more princely outfits.

When vocalist Kakeru saw that fans were holding back a little bit, he successfully urged them to get their energy up even more.

His voice is a unique one that you could picture singing popular anime songs, not just visual kei.

From start to finish, it was easy to see Scarlet Valse’s beautiful world and their synchronization with their fans.

Fans practiced gyakudai and headbanging during the medley, their tossing hair creating a vivid and lasting impression.

The members smiled laughed off the minor technical difficulties they experienced. The fans weren’t worried, either.

At the last moment, fans threw white rose petals onto the stage, a beautiful ending for a beautiful band.

(4番手に登場したのは、わかりやすすぎるくらいにわかりやすいコンセプトのTHE耽美派バンド、Scarlet Valse。

メンバー全員白を基調とした衣装で、ドレスや王子風の、メンバーそれぞれに個性が出たファッションで、視覚的にも楽しい。

Vo. Kakeru, Gt. You., Gt. Jun, Ba. Takuya, Dr. Hiroki

01. Virginal Blood
02. Medley (Voyage in Chronos~The Name of Valse~揚羽蝶乃夢)
03. Secret Eden

THE SOUND BEE HD

The Starwave Anniversary Event had reached the halfway point. Even more fans were making their way into the venue.

THE SOUND BEE HD made their appearance at this halfway point, bringing with them an atmosphere that hadn’t been felt at the show thus far.

With the crown-like ornament and heavy costume that the vocalist wore, it was hard not to compare it to something religious.

The bassist dressed like something straight out of the 90’s v-kei scene.

Compared to most visual kei songs, THE SOUND BEE HD’s songs had more of a western sound to them.

Their English lyrics were clear and easy to hear. It was easy to imagine them starting as a band overseas.

The audience’s rocked out nonetheless, even headbanging at times. One of their songs in particular—Darkness World—while mellow, left a distinctly dark impression.

(イベント中盤を過ぎて、会場には更に観客が押し寄せていた。
そんな中登場したのは、他にない空気を感じさせるバンドのTHE SOUND BEE HDだ。
ボーカルは頭に冠のような輪をつけ、何重にも重なったような衣装を着た姿はある種宗教的なイメージさえも彷彿とさせる。
ベースは少々90年代のV系を思わせるようで格好いい。
曲調はどこか洋楽のような、ありふれたV系の曲調とは違う点がとても良かった。
英語の歌詞も聴きやすく、もし海外でV系バンドを結成するとすればこういった雰囲気になるのではないか、と感じさせる世界観がそこにはあった。
独特ながらも、観客は盛り上がり、ヘドバンもあちこちで見られた。『Darkness World』のように聴かせる曲もあり、落ち着いた雰囲気がよりダークな印象を醸し出していた。)

Vo. DaISUKE, Gt. Yuu, Ba. YOU, Dr. HIRO

01. answer
02. ReBoRN
03. Darkness World
04. live

nüe

Next up was nüe.

Surprisingly, their set made us forget we were at a visual kei event.

They look somewhat like a visual kei band, but interestingly, their instrumentalist’s calm composure and the vocalist’s free use of the stage might have made you think otherwise.

During the song Suicide Honey, the vocalist jumped on the stage platform and attempted to ante up the crowd, but wasn’t successful.

He did, however, perform a successful cartwheel off stage.

He used his MC time following their set to talk about their failed attempts to rile up the crowd. It revealed a lot about his personality, and the audience laughed along.

The lights dimmed for the fourth song, its darker key a contrast to the rest of their set.

The orange lanterns dangling from each member’s mic stand flickered under the blue stage lights like in a stylish bar. The curtain closed quietly.

(続いての登場はnue（正しくはuの上に点がつく表記）。
明転した瞬間は一瞬V系のイベントであることを忘れさせる雰囲気に驚かされた。
しかし、見た目こそいかにもなV系ではないが、楽器隊は安定感のある演奏に、ボーカルの自由なステージングのギャップがこのバンドを面白くしている。
3曲目の『スーサイドハニー』ではファンの盛り上がりに、ボーカルもお立ち台に三転倒立で応えようとする。しかし、あえなく断念。
後に突然ステージ上で側転をし、こちらは成功。
ライブ後にMCスペースでこの三転倒立不完全燃焼について語った際は、そのマイペースなキャラが浮き彫りになり、会場は沸いた。
４曲目は一転して聴かせる系の曲調になり、照明は暗くなった。
メンバーそれぞれのマイクスタンドにつけられたオレンジ色の灯りが、ブルーのライトの下でゆらゆら光り、雰囲気の良いバーにいるような心地よさが広がり、しんみりと幕を閉じた。)

Vo. Taketoshi Tajima, Gt. Ine, Ba. Tsuyoshi, Dr. Umeda Kazuya

01. mother
02. 甘い蜜 (Amai Mitsu)
03. スーサイドハニー (Suicide Honey)
04. 深海 (Shinkai)

Tokami

Next was Tokami, whose set was crazy from start to finish.

They blazed through all of their heavy songs and the fans gave them back just as much energy. Their all-black costumes gave them the opposite of a colorful and cheery act.
Their intense energy made fans have even more fun.

During the last song, Vendetta, fans in the middle moved to the sides of the floor to form a circle and everyone headbanged.

The vocalist jumped off stage and into the crowd, approaching every fan he could until they responded with zeal. Fans jumped around, mixing together naturally and freely.

His energetic antics went even as far as into the lobby. While he made his way back to the stage, another male fan jumped into the middle of the circle and they both headbanged together. Then he successfully returned to the stage and the curtain fell on their fiery act.

(続いての登場は、初めから終わりまで激しく勢いのある曲で完走したTokami。
ぶっ通しの煽り曲のステージングに、ファンも全力で応える。衣装は黒で統一され、カラフルな華やかさとは違うハードな印象だ。
全体的に動きがあり、どんどんファンを煽って楽しませる。
ラストの『vendetta』では、前方のファンはステージに背を向け、中央のファンは左右に広がり、ファンが大きな円陣をつくってヘドバンの嵐。
ボーカルはステージを降り客席に乱入。観客一人一人にアプローチしては一緒に盛り上がろうと煽っていくスタイルで、ファンも自然と体を揺らし楽しそうに混ざる。
ヒートアップして、なんとロビーにまで煽りにいくというハプニングもあった。ステージへ戻る途中、円陣の真ん中で男性ファンの1に煽られ、二人で激しくヘドバンを見せたそのパフォーマンスに会場はまた熱気に包まれ、幕は閉じた。
)

Vo. Agato, Gt. K, Gt. Kazuha, Ba. Reno, Dr. 1000 (Sen)

01. Dictator
02. venom
03. Luminesence
04. vendetta

Synk;yet

Synk;yet was the 10th band of the night to take the stage.

Despite the length of time that had passed since the beginning of the show, there wasn’t a trace of fatigue on the audience’s faces. In fact, most of them looked even more pumped up.

The vocalist wore a chic outfit while the instrumentalists wore more flashy costumes that reflected their personalities. The contrast was interesting to look at.

Both the band members and audience enjoyed the bright and face-paced songs.

When they approached the edge of the stage, they made everyone smile. Their music brought everyone together as one until the end.

Synk;yet has a one-man show at Ebisu Liquidroom in May. Stop by and experience them live for yourself.

(10バンド目に登場したのはSynk;yetだ。
ここまで長丁場であったにも関わらずファンからは疲労の色は見えない。むしろ、このフェスの盛り上がりに一層元気な様子だ。
シックな印象のボーカルと、それぞれに個性を生かした派手な衣装の楽器隊に、程よいコントラストを感じて良い。
全体に明るく疾走感のある曲調に、観客はもとより、メンバーたち全員が楽しそうに演奏していた。
ファンに近づいては煽る姿に、見ている方も自然と笑顔になる。ラストは会場全体が一体となって終了。
Synk;yetは5月に恵比寿リキッドルームでのワンマンが決定している。是非足を運んで彼らのライブを体験してみてほしい。)

Vo. Liki, Gt. Yuiha, Gt. Rino, Ba. Shiori, Dr. Kouji

01. [Re]:birth
02. インナーチャイルド (Inner Child)
03. タルペイアの崖 (Tarpeia no Gari)
04. Messiah

Misaruka

The last and final band of the night was Misaruka.

Vocalist rui had been appearing at MC’s throughout the show, so he’d been a part of the show since the beginning.

Though he appeared cool at first, he pointed out individual fans and shouted “I see you, and you, and you!” in an attempt to get the crowd going.

Fans edged closer and closer at his beckoning.

Their costumes were fascinating. Each one looked like it had been taken from a different era or style of visual kei.

Misaruka’s performance not only showcases rui’s wide vocal range, but also the beautiful sound that its instrumentalists give to their music.

When the final song ended, members from every band came onto stage and had a huge jam session. It was a tiny stage for such a large amount of people!

Everyone enjoyed the performance in a different way in this unusual staging. All of them gathered together to represent the label they all shared.

They all relaxed. During the session song “My Dear Rose,” you could see members that were performing music, members that were performing fanservice, and members that took selfies with each other on stage.

Some members jumped into the crowd to mix in with fans and even went as far as performing gyakudai with them. The show had reached its climax.

Rui took the mic and thanked everyone for coming, as well as his label, and with that the curtain closed. It seemed like not only the bands had fun, but the audience had a good time as well.

(ラスト、この日の大トリを務めたのはMisaruka。
ボーカルのruiは転換時のMCにも登場し、最初からこのイベントに力を添えてきた。
クールな見た目とは裏腹に、「おまえも、おまえも、おまえも見えてるよ！」とファン一人ひとりを煽る姿は熱い。
それにつられたファンはますます前に前にとのめりこんでいく。
各々好きなコンセプトの衣装なのか、全体として様々な時代のV系を感じさせ、面白い。
低音から高音まで歌えるruiと、演奏でそれを一層美しくさせる楽器隊の魅力がライブから伝わってきた。
そして、ラストの演奏が終わると、そのまま出演バンドを全員ステージに呼んで大セッションに突入。あまりの人数にステージは物凄い賑わいとなった。
普段のステージングとは異なり、皆和やかに楽しそうで、事務所全体の良い雰囲気が見ている側にも伝わる。
これまでの空気と一遍してアットホームな様子になった。セッション曲『My Dear Rose』では、演奏する人、ファンサービスする人、メンバー同士で写真を撮りあう人など、様々な楽しみ方が見えた。
ステージの一部では胴上げが起こったり、ファンに混ざってフリや逆ダイを楽しむメンバーもいたりと、会場のボルテージは最高潮に。
締めはruiがレーベルへの感謝の気持ちを述べつつ挨拶をして幕は閉じた。客席は入り乱れ、ステージ上は自由すぎるくらいの勢いがあったが、観客は満足して会場をあとにしたことだろう。)

Vo. rui, Gt. rin, Gt. sawah, Ba. azami, Dr. vetchie

01. –Unacceptable-
02. –Juliet?
03. –What do you want?
04. –Rogation-
05. My Dear Rose (session)

Election Results

Starwave Records’ 6 Anniversary Show was a huge success.

It was hard to tear your gaze away from any of the bands performing that day, and the fans didn’t stop participating for even one song. Unfortunately, the election results weren’t announced until the following day.

We look forward to seeing how rui, who took first place, pulls off his VAMPIRE CAFE event.

(Starwave Records６周年のイベントはこうして大成功を収めた。
どのバンドも目を離せないステージを披露し、観客は1日中飽きることなく楽しんだ。総選挙の開票は残念ながら当日ではなかったが、翌日には結果が発表された。
１位をとった彼が、公約である「rui全額自腹VAMPIRE CAFEお食事会へご招待」をどのように実現させるのか、期待が寄せられている。)

1st Misakura Rui (Vo.)
2nd THE SOUND BEE HD Yuu (Gt.)
3rd Synk;yet Shiori (Ba.)

photography by Takuya Orita
report by Vkei-Guide