Edit: Since the release of this performance on CD, DVD and Blu-Ray, some of the videos have been blocked. Please support them by purchasing their music. Links below.
BABYMETAL were in the UK this past weekend promoting their self-titled debut album, as part of their first world tour, with a short set at Sonisphere festival on the Saturday, followed by their own show at The Forum in London on Monday 7th July.
Early afternoon on the day of the gig, I met with a friend, who had had a job interview in the vicinity of the venue. He told me that he had already seen people queuing up for The Forum at around midday! I've read elsewhere, that some fans had even started queuing at 6am! By the time my friends and I got to The Forum, the queue was already snaking around several blocks, and took a while for us to reach the end of it to begin our wait to get in. Someone uploaded a video on YouTube of the queue; check it out below!
By the time we entered the building, it was already heaving with BABYMETAL fans of all ages, from young teenagers to middle aged men. We got ourselves a drink each, and then I decided to purchase two BABYMETAL t-shirts. We then made our way as far forward as we could, in order to get a decent view of the show.
By this time, the venue was pretty full, and with so many bodies all crammed into one space, the air was getting ridiculously hot! It was almost unbearable, but with anticipation growing it was easy to forget.
When the music that had been playing in the background suddenly stopped, the whole venue erupted with cheers. A white curtain was hanging from above the stage, onto which was projected BABYMETAL's video introduction, with a voice-over stating their intention, followed immediately by a performance of "BABYMETAL DEATH".
The atmosphere was electric, with the crowd in full voice, cheering and chanting along. This was followed by "Iine!", and then "Uki Uki ★ Midnight", one of my favourite BABYMETAL songs. It perfectly marries the usual BABYMETAL sound with dubstep. Now I'm not really a fan of dubstep as a genre in it's own right, but I really think it works well when used in either pop music, or metal, so given that BABYMETAL are both these things, it's obviously made for it!
After this, the girls left the stage, leaving the backing band Kami Band to perform. Each member took his turn in the spotlight, showing his skill in his chosen instrument.
Following Kami Band's performance, Su-Metal, YuiMetal and MoaMetal returned to the stage to perform "Akumu no Rondo", "Onedari Dai Sakusen", and then "Catch Me If You Can".
This was followed by "Benitsuki -Akatsuki-", with it's soaring melody, and then "4 no Uta", with the fans having great fun chanting "Yon Yon" during the chorus. After this, they played "Megitsune", and then the catchy "Doki Doki☆MORNING".
From one super-catchy song to another; next up was "Gimme Chocolate!!", the recent internet megahit.
By the end of this song, the girls and Kami Band left the stage. The crowd were so worked up by now, that they shouted for more, and chanted for BABYMETAL to play some more. Of course they obliged, and returned to play another one of my favourites, "Headbanger!!", which incidentally was the first song of theirs that I heard, when it came out in 2012.
They then played the epic anti-bullying song "Ijime, Dame, Zettai". I started to film this and I caught the intro, but with the words "WALL OF DEATH" being projected on to the screens, I kept getting jostled and it was impossible to keep my camera steady, so unfortunately had to give up. Here's what I managed to capture anyway:
With the end of that, there was a loud bang with streamers and bits of ticker tape floating down from the ceiling, signifying the end of the show. The girls left the stage with their usual "See You!". It was a fantastic show; everyone seemed to have such a fun and amazing time. It's not everyone's cup of tea, but I have to say it was probably one of the most entertaining gigs I've ever been to! I loved it!
Following Kami Band's performance, Su-Metal, YuiMetal and MoaMetal returned to the stage to perform "Akumu no Rondo", "Onedari Dai Sakusen", and then "Catch Me If You Can".
This was followed by "Benitsuki -Akatsuki-", with it's soaring melody, and then "4 no Uta", with the fans having great fun chanting "Yon Yon" during the chorus. After this, they played "Megitsune", and then the catchy "Doki Doki☆MORNING".
From one super-catchy song to another; next up was "Gimme Chocolate!!", the recent internet megahit.
By the end of this song, the girls and Kami Band left the stage. The crowd were so worked up by now, that they shouted for more, and chanted for BABYMETAL to play some more. Of course they obliged, and returned to play another one of my favourites, "Headbanger!!", which incidentally was the first song of theirs that I heard, when it came out in 2012.
They then played the epic anti-bullying song "Ijime, Dame, Zettai". I started to film this and I caught the intro, but with the words "WALL OF DEATH" being projected on to the screens, I kept getting jostled and it was impossible to keep my camera steady, so unfortunately had to give up. Here's what I managed to capture anyway:
With the end of that, there was a loud bang with streamers and bits of ticker tape floating down from the ceiling, signifying the end of the show. The girls left the stage with their usual "See You!". It was a fantastic show; everyone seemed to have such a fun and amazing time. It's not everyone's cup of tea, but I have to say it was probably one of the most entertaining gigs I've ever been to! I loved it!
Make sure you check them out if they ever tour near you!!
Here are some more photos from the concert:
Here are some more photos from the concert:
All Photos by AZNPopCulture
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