DespairsRay and PrimalNoise

[shiny_neko]

Credits: Primal Noise








Фотографии сделаны во время трехдневного концерта в Великобритании.
Интервью на английском

During D'espairs Ray's three show visit to the UK, Primalnoise caught up with the guys at Universal headquarters to try and find out what makes this spirited bunch tick

PrimalNoise: First of all, we'd like to ask how the tour's going so far?
D'espairsRay: Karyu: It's going well. A lot of the audience are singing along even though the CD hasn't come out yet. It's real fun.

PN: How are you enjoying the UK? Have you had much chance to look around yet?
DR: Karyu: At the moment we haven't had much chance; We were wondering if after this we might get a bit of time to look around.

PN: How have the audiences been at the past two shows in the UK?
DR: Compared to the European audiences, we feel that the audiences are a little bit shy, or reserved...

PN: Can you tell us a little bit about D'espairsRays sound...
DR: Something we always feel is that it's a quite heavy sound, and not very happy.

PN: How do you feel you've evolved as a band since you started in 1999 to now in 2009?
DR: When we first started it was a very dark, heavy sound. But gradually we began to put more emphasis on melody, or melody on top of other things. Maverick when released, was probably close to what we sound like now.

PN: Is your music a way for you to develop as individual people, as well as a band?
DR: In terms of work... it increases our individual happiness.

PN: What things do you all do outside of the band?
DR: Living in general... (laughter) Do you mean what sort of work do we do outside of the band?

PN: No, not work, things such as hobbies?
DR:Hizumi: Ah, On days off I go shopping, or go to places i haven't been before, not only places outside of Japan but places I've never been within Japan aswell. Oh and walking also.

PN: What do you guys think you'd be doing if D'espairsRay hadn't been successful?
DR: (all think) ... Probably be in a band regardless! (all laugh)

PN: Were your families always supportive of your musical endeavors?
DR: Karyu: When I was a student and graduated, I moved to Tokyo and wanted to put together a band. My parents were against it.

PN: What kind of work were you all doing before D'espairsRay?
DR: Karyulaugh) Distributing tissue papers! Tissue papers... as in the leaflets they give out in Japan.

PN: It's coming up to your 10 year anniversary, how are you planning on celebrating that?
DR: The single (Final Call) comes out on 9th September so we want to have a free live performance, and we're just gonna all celebrate through that.

PN: Where do you think D'espairsRay will be in another 10 years time?
DR: 10 years is too far in the future. We'd just like to keep trying new things, go along and do different things as a band.

PN: How has your music and artistic vision changed since you started out?
DR: Karyu: We're always perceived as sort of 'Goth Metal', leaning towards that direction, when our intentions have always been just... a rock band. But we're always changing what we want depending on what our interests are at the time, and how our moods are.

PN: When you're all writing new material, where do you each, individually draw your inspiration from?
DR: We find it by thinking a lot about things, for example, what we think or like for a live performance, we think 'ooh this would be a good idea' and thinking about good things and happy times, or problems and how to perfect them.

PN: Hizumi, how would you describe the direction of your lyrics on the new album
DR:Hizumi: The title 'Redeemer' means, i guess... 'Messiah' , so each song has a theme of being saved.

PN: Can you give us two different scenario's: Your best show and worst show?
DR: It all depends. All of us have a different opinion about that.
PN: Would you share any of them with us?
DR: Karyu: I'm originally from the Yamaguchi area, and when we had a live performance there, I felt like the audience really welcomed me back. It felt very special to me.
Zero: It's ALWAYS great for me! So I guess what's a shame is that it's all good, I have nothing to tell you I feel disappointed or shame about. (Laughs)
Tsukasa: It's the same for me too, my favourite show was when I had a performance in my home town. But personally, a disappointing one was on our 9th anniversary, we had a live performance where we all decided to swap our roles. I took on vocals, but i had no idea how to whip up the audience and get them riled, so I felt really disappointed about that. Though, the show still was a lot of fun!
Hizumi: It's also the same for me. My mother was always against me becoming part of a band but later on when we performed a live set in my hometown which she attended, that felt very special. Nothing in particular has been disappointing.

PN: Has anyone ever hurt themselves on stage or had an injury?
DR: (Abrupt hand raise from Hizumi - all laugh )
Hizumi: I often get bumped into instruments because there's people all around me constantly moving about, so I get a bit bashed around.
PN: Anything serious? That you needed to go to hospital for?
DR: (laughter) Hizumi: I have been told to go to hospital before. There was one time the bass smashed into my elbow I thought it felt okay, but i was told i should really go to the hospital.
Karyu: I also often get cuts and bruises during live performances... everywhere.

PN: Tell us something really crazy/weird that's happened to you on tour?
DR: (laughter) Karyu: when I drank Vodka upside down.

PN: What are the ages of fans you're seeing in the audiences overseas? Does it differ from Japan?
DR: Karyu: We find it difficult to tell peoples age here. We're guessing they might be quite young... but we can't really tell... Sometimes we think that someone looks very grown up, then discover they're in their teens...

PN: Do you have a favourite country that you like to play?
DR: Nowhere in particular, we like playing all places.

PN: The shows in the UK, this time are in really small venues. Does this affect your usual sound or performance in any way, in comparison to Japan?
DR: Karyu: By law in europe you can only have up to 100 decibels, so we have to think and discuss amongst ourselves how to get enough energy and output with that sort of limit.

PN: Do you ever play this kind of small stage in Japan?
DR: Yeah, we play small venues in Japan too, particularly when we go to more rural areas. It's when we play areas that are quite far away from Tokyo.
Zero: Actually we do play quite small venues, like Nagoya, often because of some sort of promotional arrangement.

PN: Whilst youre in Europe, you're travelling by bus - Do you ever do this sort of bus tour in Japan?
DR: We'd like to, but we can't because the bus is really huge and we can't do that in Japan.

PN: So do you enjoy touring in a bus then?
DR: Karyu: I really like travelling on the bus, getting up in the morning and all my band mates are there. In Japan we always just meet at the venue, then at the end of it we're all like "okay, bye". But when we're travelling by bus like this, afterwards we're back on the bus and we can think about how the performance went and ways of improving it, really giving it some more energy for the future.

PN: Being in such close proximity to each other on the bus for extended periods of time, is it difficult to find time to yourselves? Is that a problem for you?

DR: Karyu: On the bus, yeah. Some people, depending on their personality might think that as a plus or a minus. For me, personally, I love being around other people and sort of.. messing around.
Zero: it is a problem for me.
PN: How do you overcome this?
Zero: Having the time to spend by myself in order to just space out, is really important to me; but as in my regular lifestyle anyway, when all the other members go to sleep, I just stay up. I always find time to do that, so it's not really that big of a problem for me at the moment.

PN: Have you noticed any bad habits from the other members whilst on the bus?
DR: Karyu: (laughing) Yes, we notice! But we just accept it and that's how we stay together as a band. So I guess it's probably better not to start bringing it up now... (all laugh)

PN: What are your biggest fears in life?
DR: Karyu: To have music taken away from me, to not be able to be in a band anymore.

PN: We have bit of a... weird question for you; If you were sent to prison, who would you want as your cell mate?
DR: (All think quietly) ... The people here? Do you mean from the band members?
PN: It can be ANYONE in the world.
Karyu: Even if it's a girl?
(All laugh)
PN: Yeah, even girls!!
(all laugh more!)
DR: ... (silence) ... (more laughter)
Zero:There's a drama called 'Prison Break' and I'd like to share my cell with Michael Scofield. (everyone laughs)

@темы: Zero, Tsukasa, Karyu, Photos, D'espairsRay, Hizumi, Interview