Zeal Link Omedetou! The record label/ magazine/ live organisers turned a year old after giving us some great lives with … another great live. This time it was 24 bands, playing at two venues (East and West) at Shibuya O. The lineup was an impressive number of popular indies like Bergerac, CELLT, Ando along with heavyweights like AnCafe and Girugamesh.

I however was in the deeply unhappy position of having to work until 6pm so missed the majority of bands. I apologised to Zeal Link for my work when I picked up my pass, I was simply so happy to have been given the chance to attend. In the end my work schedule ensured I could only see 2 bands. There was a chance to see 3 but the choice between Sex Android and Chiba (from Sendai Kamotsu) left me cold. Nonetheless I finally saw Mix Speaker’s,Inc. and for that alone I am happy.

MSI were at East and boy was East packed! MSI ooze experience with Aya, seek and Miki in the band and from the moment they appear on that stage you can feel their slick professionalism. They put on one awesome show, even if it was only for 20 minutes. The live began with the poppy Go!Go! Bremen. Yuki and Miki – both adorably dapper in black suits and black ties – swapped vocals while the rest of the band danced along and led the audience in the dance. Aya was furthest from me, with his shock of red hair. seek was close though. He walked on stage on stilts in the ‘practical version’ of his official costume. This costume includes a Predator esque mask but today seek just had green hair, black suit and a face painted black. Despite officially being an ‘alien creature’, the outfit yesterday was something like The Hitcher crossed with The Spirit of Jazz from the Boosh.

When they actually picked up their instruments it was to play Junk Story, followed by the new song, one I forgot and finally MONSTIME. Miki and Yuki sounded great, although Miki’s vocals do show more experience. The twin vocal thing works so well in my opinion. Both visually and aurally; they dance with each other, it keeps the sound really fresh and the vocalist gets a buddy to mess about with. Not that the rest of MSI were inactive at all. seek in particular wandered around much and occasionally bellowed the death vocals. I was also overjoyed to hear Miki’s MC. He still whispers as he did when he was in SCISSOR. All in all, MSI were a class act.

My only other band of the night was An Cafe of whom you could have the highest expectations and yet still have them all met. It was a short and sweet setlist but still managed to include Tekesuta Kousen and a fantastic version of Donald Duck no Magical Adventure. This version included BAN and Sou from Lolita23ku. Miku stopped the song – as he does- for the daily An Cafe game, which involved pants. Or rather signed pants that they put on Sou’s and Ban’s head. The Lolita23ku pair ran around the stage with hammers tormenting the various members of AnCafe before throwing the pants into the audience and the waiting hands of fangirls. Sou wandered over to our side with Miku dancing along as Miku sang. Then suddenly Sou grabbed Miku for a kiss; it was not a mere peck but something last a good few seconds and the fangirls went crazy.

Lolita23ku left the stage afterwards, leaving AnCafe to play a new song, Kawaiyu’s Rock and then Snow Scene. The lights in O-East did not go up afterwards though so everyone chanted for an encore. AnCafe returned after a short bit of yelling EN COR RAY and finished up with the ever wonderful and ever popular Smile Ichiban Ii Onna. Band and fans danced away happily, it was a sad moment when I realised the song was coming quickly to an end and thus An Cafe’s set. Even though I had a tough choice tonight between AnCafe and NoGoD, judging by AnCafe’s sparkling and professionally delivered performance it had been the right choice. Unfortunately there are 4 more months until their next Tokyo gig but in the interim there is the cute new single (with cover art of a rabbit with a tommy gun) coming at the end of October.

Ah well… Zeal Link-san. Omedetou!