When it was announced that NOCTURNAL BLOODLUST would visit The Netherlands, a lot of fans were pleasantly surprised. This due to the fact not a lot of Visual Kei acts are visiting The Netherlands, even though you could have seen girugämesh in Utrecht last May and NIA at a convention in Oss last April. This time the location was the Melkweg in Amsterdam, for most people easily accessible.
Before the doors opened it looked like the concert wasn’t promoted enough, only a small number of fans were decently waiting in line to get in the front. But when the doors finally opened the Oude Zaal got filled up a bit more. Visual Kei is still alive in The Netherlands, even though it’s not as big as a few years ago! Still the Dutch Visual Kei fans should not be left out towards the bigger countries surrounding our little country, the Dutch fans are willing to travel some kilometres to visit the bigger names that won’t perform in The Netherlands so fast. Nowadays a lot of money is being spend on this traveling which makes a concert closer to home very appealing.
The tour organization B7KLAN decided that NOCTURNAL BLOODLUST could perfectly perform in The Netherlands and this was very welcome. The visitors were prepared for a wild concert with attractive men who make a part of the audience swoon. Another part kept it on headbanging, moshing and a wall of death: a typical reaction to a metal band!
In a past life NOCTURNAL BLOODLUST never carried the Visual Kei stamp, but rather a deathcore one. The deathcore elements are still visible on the CD covers and also come back in the music the band makes. Visually the band is dressed darkly which really suits Visual Kei: layers, various patterns and fabrics, smooth silk to rough suede. Singer Hiro has covered his trimmed hair in his new look with a hood, which is attached to a vest with a frayed tail. Everything from his outfit shines and because of the heat the band was causing he took off his vest soon. This to the delight of the fans.
Ever since the concert started the audience were really moving along. Because of the interaction from the band, especially from singer Hiro, the audience reacted even better. Nokubura, like the fans call the band affectionately, really delivers quality music-wise, but they also deliver an experience. The band is energetic and that flowed into the audience. Drummer Natsu and bassist Masa did their thing, while Daichi regularly glared into the audience seductively, whilst striking the snares of his guitar, meanwhile guitarist Cazqui is goofing around. Everything is accepted by the spectators who were drawn towards the concert. It’s a shame that not a big crowd was attracted to a band of this size. But maybe it’s because of the timing; the summer vacation has just started.
The enthusiasm the audience was showing ensured a good mood the entire evening. Still Hiro expected there would be more mosh- and circlepits. But maybe the audience wasn’t ready for that yet. Besides the grunts and pig squeals in songs like Jusou, DESPERATE and Punch me if you can, there still was room for some sensitivity with the song I-V-III. A few tracks from their new release ZēTēS were also played. The audience eagerly received everything from the five band members. After the encore which among others included V.I.P, NOCTURNAL BLOODLUST said goodbye to their fans, who fully enjoyed the first concert filled with interesting up-tempo metal songs of the Japanese on Dutch soil.
Setlist:
01. Punch me if you can
02. EXCEED
03. NG+
04. 銃創 (Jusou)
05. Strike in fact
06. PROVIDENCE
07. I-V-III
08. Malice against
09. Sphere
10. Ignis Heart
11. Obligation
12. Deep Inside
13. DESPERATEEncore:
14. GENESIS
15. V.I.P
Photography: Francisca Hagen
