Prior to arriving in Japan, I thought Cross Gate was only an annual event, it appears not as tonight I attended my second this year. As before Versailles headlined and Chariots made an appearance, but beyond that it was quite different.

Inugami Circus Dan started the billing and I…. missed it. It was a gamble based on the order given on the ticket but I hoped that by arriving at 5:30 I would miss them. Mission accomplished. I really cannot stand that woman’s voice.

So onto bands I do like.

Tonight was my first time watching Moran, the new band of Hitomi/Sanaka/Kanoma (that one who was in Fatima). I have been admiring their visuals in Cure magazine for a while; they have that dishevelled look that reminds of fairytales, Gormenghast and something rather organic. With Hitomi at the helm I knew that vocally they would sound good and hopefully this would translate to the music too. This was somewhat akin to Fatima, as one might expect but with a slightly more metal edge. Tight melodies prevailed throughout with Hitomi’s clear vocals. I particularly enjoyed their final song, a track tinged in electronica. While Moran were not as mindblowing as I perhaps had hoped (unlike the first time I heard Versailles) but I thoroughly enjoyed them and will actively support them in the future.

Galneryus followed with a full onslaught of ear-obliterating guitars and wailing hair metal vocals. They sounded quite perfect on stage and I quite forgot I was watching a Japanese band! It was great fun and their song, Stardust, from the forthcoming album was rather addictive. One of their members, YU-TO, the bassist is also in my new band-based addiction, Deluhi so to watch him perform a different role in a different band was rather interesting.

I moved forwards after to prepare for my two main bands. Chariots came first. I like Chariots, I like their sound live but unfortunately they are a band I will enjoy watching at an event but afterwards they barely leave an imprint upon my memory. I struggle to remember details beyond how Riku looked. The Chariots sound is very much in the screamo visual kei mould and when they are surrounded, as they were tonight, by bands with much more interesting concepts, Chariots kind of fade into nothingness.

Thankfully the sets at events are quite short so it wasn’t too long before the studs appeared. Daisuke’s new band along with former deadman members might have taken some flak for unoriginality of their music or how much they resemble the members former bands but as one who loved both Kagerou and deadman, I won’t complain. It was fantastic to see Daisuke again. Starting with the Intro track from and hate, Aie, Yukino and Hibiki rocked out over this opening number before Daisuke strolled on stage to his adoring public. They immediately began to play Thursday replete with Daisuke’s growling vocals and Yukino’s pounding basslines. the studs managed to capture the attention of every eye in the room with such awesome stage presence and perfect musicianship.

The whole set consisted of 7 songs, within which rain drop was played. It was lovely to hear a band do a ballad instead of the usual thundering melee of sound. It was a beautiful rendition too and interesting to watch how Daisuke sang it. He acted his words with his eyes and gestures putting heart and soul into the performance. Yukine too, although stood stoically over his guitar the concentration in his eyes was mesmerising. It was a shame their whole set was so short.

I just checked their website and it turns out they have a picture of their setlist attached to the ground, and in full it reads like this:

01 Intro
02 Thursday
03 disclosure
04 raindrop
05 Niji no iro
06 advance insane
07 (kanji are too blurry)

I found it quite amusing that Versailles then followed the studs or that the studs preceded Versailles for the sheer about-face in musical styles. Nagoya-kei to epic gothic metal. Versailles, as before, were stunning. I doubt if they will be as good but as the curtain raised on the five members in their elaborate dress, Yuki’s drumset attired in climbing roses and a giant banner reading Versailles while an ominous classical piece served as introduction I was dragged back into their beautiful world. I even started to doubt my new interior design plans as the beautiful images of gothicism and vampires washed over me while I stood in awe of their beauty. I don’t think any band had such an effect on me.

Kamijo was in a slightly playful mood that night, asking Teru to sing a couple of times and communicating to the crowd on my side with a cheeky set of smiles and gestures. As for the setlist, they began with Aristocrat’s Symphony, a grand and opulent piece of melodic metal fused with classical orchestrated notes that created the feel of an opera house out of O-West. This was followed by two heavier numbers, Red Carpet Day and ZOMBIE. The latter I adore for it’s sinister carnival sound. It is less aristocratic vampirism and more circus sideshow with unique use of guitar to create this effect. The finale was Revenant Choir, starting from the first chorus/bridge part. It is impossible to get bored of that.

Versailles release their new album, Noble, soon. Simply from the sound of the Prelude on the website I know I will love this.

I was admiring the new outfits throughout too. Near to me was a girl in Hizaki cosplay from The Revenant Choir PV and it got me thinking again in that direction. Jasmine You was resplendent in purple with a giant headpiece and Teru near him in hues of indigo and lavender equally so. I would quite like to attempt a Jasmine You piece one day.

Versailles did no encore, like CROSS GATE back in January, so I headed back into the Shibuya night. I noticed then how many foreign faces there were at Versailles… and many foreign faces that all seem to know each other. Maybe there is some big Versailles relation to all this as I never see as many or indeed the same faces at any other VK live. I still lack the confidence to talk to people though, which is strange as one of my best friends here now was made when I asked about the ‘next band’ back at an event at Shibuya BOXX back in March.