Already dark upon arrival at the venue in the heart of The Hague, you were greeted by some light and warmth as you entered the doors of the cosy Musicon. This bar with rehearsal studios held a very special evening this October 7th, organised by AVO Magazine, with three extraordinary bands that came from far enriching our country with their music for the first time. Two bands had travelled all the way from Japan, SOMEI YOSHINO (ソメイヨシノ) as the opening act, and the headliner of the night ZEROSHIKI. Then to support the main act on their European tour, DEFINE ME from the Czech Republic had joined in to liven up the night even more.
The bar was lively with a small number of people gathering around to enjoy the night with a beer and some good music, and exactly that was what they were up for. With SOMEI YOSHINO entering the stage the small crowd slowly and hesitantly made their way forward. Soon the music filled the room and as Ryu played the soothing tunes of his Shinobue flute, people got less stiff, forming small groups to show their support. The band got everyone revved up easily, getting everyone closer as the performance went on. They played a small setlist as an opening act, but left a huge impact on the crowd giving them a taste of modern-day rock sounds combined with traditional Japanese instruments like the Shinobue, the Setsu fan and Shinto exorcism rituals.
Up next was DEFINE ME. The crowd in the meantime had become a little closer and pumped up and a small cheer sounded as they entered the stage. The sound was refreshing after the previous act, going from traditional Japanese infused rock to western modern rock. Their music had a clean sound to it with heavy riffs and with their energetic stage performance they got everyone even more involved. They rocked the night and left everyone smiling from fun, even the other bands seemed to enjoy it. When their line up was over everyone shouted for more, and with a small glance at the headliner ZEROSHIKI and a nod of approval on their side, they played one final encore before they left the stage again.
A small break for the last setup gave the crowd a chance to take in what they had already seen this night, and chatter went through the bar. People had gotten rather cosy with a drink and some friends around them, and band members were chartered around joining in on them. Soon the set up was done and the headliner was ready to rock everyone off their socks. The band was super lively, and with their energy they made the stage seem full. In front of it, people had made a line, headbanging, jumping and cheering for them, matching up to the energetic vibes the band transmitted. With a bang and much joy, they ended a very good line up, getting close people even closer with a shared love of music into a unity for one night in The Hague.
Photography: Francisca Hagen (AVO Magazine)
