abingdon boys school EUROPE TOUR 2009
@The Underworld Camden, London, UK

Setlist:

STRENGTH.
Freedom
-MC-
HOWLING
Nephilim
Via Dolorosa
Valkyrie
-MC-
Fre@K $HoW
JAP
INNOCENT SORROW
-MC-
Kimi no uta

EN1 From Dusk Till Dawn
EN2 Stay Away
EN3 Athena

Having missed out on the opportunity to have photos with Nishikawa himself during the all-day queuing, I was eager to get into the Underworld and see what it was like. Having never been to the Underworld before, I have to say it was quite small for such an epic concert; the four of them barely managed to fit on stage with all their instruments and equipment.
After stopping at the merchandise stall for a tour hoodie, I got to the stage to hear Sweetest Coma Again being played in the background. The atmosphere was immense, and everyone was hyper and excited to see which songs the band would play. After much shouting and cheering, they emerged from backstage and took their places to screams and applause. It was a good turnout, and the floor was full with people crowding around the platform. Nishikawa urged the crowd on, and after exclaiming his excitement to be in London, close to the origin of their name, they launched into their first song, STRENGTH.
Powering through the opening song with the crowd drawn straight in, it was clear that Nishikawa’s voice is as good live as on the recorded versions of the songs. It never wavered once, only occasionally being drowned out by the voices of the fans singing along. Taking a moment to pause and scan the crowd from his higher podium, Nishikawa told us how much he appreciated the support, and his pleasure at how many fans turned out. They struck up Freedom with Nishikawa shouting “we are abingdon boys school!”
During Freedom, Shibasaki and Sunao came to the front of the stage, as fans tried to reach up and grasp them. The audience freely joined in with bouts of “freedom!” and eagerly complied with Nishikawa’s command to “go ahead and do your thing!” After a brief MC from Takanori that left the crowd now fully hyped up, it was time to bring out the favourites.
As the quiet vocals began and it swung into the powerful guitar intro, fans were more than ready for HOWLING. Many were singing along with Nishikawa to almost every word, especially with cries of “just HOWLING in the shadows…” Soon, Sunao began his solo and leaned right over the front of the stage toward the screaming crowd, while everyone had their hands in the air. His face set, eyes shadowed, Sunao was like a demon as Nishikawa ended the song to shouts and cries.
a.b.s then brought out Nephilim, which was, if possible, even better received. Everyone was singing along to the chorus as the epic fan favourite was played. Clearly the crowd had been waiting for this song, as there was such support for the band that Nishikawa couldn’t suppress a cheeky grin. This was followed by Via Dolorosa, another song that highlighted Kishi’s keyboard skills. A favourite from their first self-titled album, many people had hoped to hear it live. This transitioned smoothly into Valkyrie, truly building up the excitement factor. After this, Nishikawa took a pause to remind us how great it was to be in London and ask us if we were ready to rock. Naturally, the crowd responded enthusiastically as Fre@K $HoW began. This was amazing live as the crowd eagerly answered to Nishikawa’s calls of “take it if you want!” and it was after this that we were first able to hear the latest singles live.
JAP was definitely one of the concert’s highlights, as there was so much for the crowd to get involved with. From the rhythmic clapping at the opening led by Nishikawa on his podium, to cries of “F*CK!” during the middle accompanied by Kozy’s solid drum beats, this was even better than the recorded version. It had everyone moving up and down to the music as Nishikawa’s powerful voice ended the song, “I’m gonna live out my life untamed!”
This led into another long-awaited favourite. Through the epic chorus of “don’t cry…” to the ending breakdown, INNOCENT SORROW had us hooked, with Nishikawa’s voice truly leading the song. Once again the dual guitarists’ talent came to the fore, the bass accompaniment by Ikuo complimenting their intertwining solos.
Though we did not know at the time, Kimi no Uta was to be the last song of the main setlist. While a surreal opening played in the background, Nishikawa talked to the crowd about his visit to the UK. Then the ballad began and Nishikawa poured his soul into the performance. Everyone had their hands in the air for the big finale. They left the stage to deafening applause and cheers. But it was not over yet.
It took only the time needed for the band to change into tour shirts for the crowd’s calls of “encore” to be met. When once again abingdon boys school emerged from backstage the fans screamed louder than ever. Nishikawa introduced a brand new song, From Dusk Till Dawn. It was another rock ballad, but at the same time a very feel-good song. I don’t think it’s just me who is now eagerly anticipating the single’s release this December.
The second encore song was Stay Away, which brought it back to basics once again with the classic solid rock we are so used to from a.b.s as they played their first ever song. As fans joined in with the chorus of “hey you, stay away!” it was clear they were going to get the most out of this concert as possible. As it ended, Nishikawa promised that a.b.s would be back next year, and reinforced how much he loved London. Then the opening of Athena began to end the show.
A fitting ending to an amazing concert, abingdon boys school had been incredible live. The setlist was fantastic, and the small stage made it easier to both see and grasp hold of the band as they blew us away. Naturally, the end involved Nishikawa toying with the fans as he spat water over the crowd and threw the cup. He then jumped from the stage, much to the tour crew’s annoyance, as they struggled to extricate him from the screaming fans. He finished by playing with his shirt and finally taking it off, before flinging it into waiting fans’ scrabbling arms. As he left the stage for the final time, the screaming and applause died down and the music began once again in the background.





Sorry it's so late! This only reminds me how much I need a proper blog!