Uruha’s interview for ROCK AND READ #067 [part one]

RR: What are your impressions of the world tour, which took place from April to June of this year?

Uruha: Although this tour have become our third overseas, this time we went there with the aim radically different from previous ones. If in the past we went to show ourselves, now we have had a clear intention to bring the album DOGMA and make a live on its basis. If to discourse about DOGMA, we were interested to what extent amplitudinous can become this creation. We began to talk  about the possibility of a trip abroad. And somehow it has turned out a challenge to  ourselves. If fans, knowing the creativity of our group, don’t come to lives with our new songs, it will mean that we don’t move forward, don’t develop.

RR: Your world tour began with Central and South America.

Uruha: The inhabitants of this part of the world are still hot (laughs). No one knows how to arrange such a greate reception at the airport, as they do. Needless to say, that we were warmly greeted and in other countries, but not so widescale. However, that relates directly to the concerts, people in all countries had blast equally crazy. One feels that they come to enjoy what is happening on a stage with every cell of their hearts. And when this impulse comes to us,  it gives us the strength to break out of our capability and to play according to this. This time we again made sure that only our energy is not enough to create such a great show.

RR: All artists, who were abroad, say the same. If to think with this point of view, then, as compared to a foreign audience, Japanese behave in a more “grown-up”. Therefore, during performances abroad Japanese bands always face with a fairly stringent conditions. 

Uruha: Yes. When we played live in Toyosu Pit immediately after return from the world tour, we were insanely surprised. “How quiet is here!”, we thought then (laughs). This doesn’t mean that Japanese fans are not hot. But Japanese lives are somewhat similar to a movie theater. While the smoke fills the stage, everyone listens attentively to the entry. Abroad, no one pays much attention to it. All the time shouts “The GazettE!” resound, and the hall is full of the stamping of feet. In South America this ambience reminded us even a little fan’s behavior at football matches. Something like “Ole Ole!” (laughs). Intro before the performance just starts to sound, and foreign fans  already shout down the melody, and it’s kind of like calling us to go up on the stage. And this, in turn, acts on us like a magnet.

RR: All this proves once again that live -  is something that the audience and the artist create together…  Well, after Central and South America the first time you went to North America.

Uruha: It is believed that the situation in the US is more complicated. Even if you are quite popular in Japan and has achieved some success here, the public don’t accept it so simple there. We constantly heard about it, and therefore we included the North America in the tour as a challenge to ourselves. In addition, they constantly said that even if to act in the States - on a small area. A bit harsh, isn’t it? Also there were conversations that in order to  your name has become recognizable in the United States, you need to become close to the local organizer and play there at some fest. The fact is that if you don’t have some own know-how, and you just come to play the public wouldn’t accept you, and everything will be in vain. As a result, it’s easier to leave it. 

RR: I heard that in the United States beginning musicians perform the opening act for more famous colleagues for the years, and only then  their career gradually begins grow.

Uruha: I agree. On this tour we played in concert halls with a capacity of 1000-2000 people. We asked ourselves: and whether we will be able to fill them? From the outset, our stuff said, that even 500 people will be a problem, but 2000 at once…  We worried whether it would be all right. And abroad, you can change a large concert hall on the smaller size,if suddenly tickets sold poorly (what is impossible in Japan). However, the local organizer has assured us that everything will be fine, and he booked a large club. Once we arrived at the airport, we realized that we didn’t meet fans crowd. How, then, we will collect so many people? And when we did it, were pleasantly surprised.

RR: It’s a good news.How did you like the concert in the United States?

Uruha: We had a lot of fun! The audience kept chanting “The GazettE!” all the time, and it was very hot throughout all the live. We absolutely hadn’t a sense that we play here for the first time. The fact is that America - a great place for entertaining. For example, the make-up rooms are always spacious, and some clubs even have basketball courts on the territory, trainers and machines for popcorn. Insanely fun. I’ve been playing games up to the appearance on the stage. So, during all the day of american live you just have a good time (laughs). The rooms also have LCD displays with excellent sound. First live was in Dallas Bomb Factory. It is a huge place with a concrete floor. It is not a suitable option for a performance, right? But there was a surprisingly high-quality acoustics. Although the sound was trembling, but it was tough enough. All this together has made a good impression.

RR: I believe that, having gone to America and having gone this hard way, you got a significant experience.

Uruha: It’s true. Whatever to take - climate, tradition or fun - there is a lot of difference from Japan. And not only a musician, anyone, getting  this ambience, will understand what I mean. Personally, I liked Dallas.

RR: It’s great, when, and the ambience is good, and the live is exciting. This time you brought a lot of equipment?

Uruha: We reduced the amount of equipment to the necessary minimum. We used the offices of various companies; have leased them,  applying digital processors as a guitar amplifier, which are also responsible for all of our effects. Respectively, to create a guitar sound it was enough to take only the processors and a laptop computer for their settings. But in order for the sound, which we originally wanted to achieve on the tour, the old version could be not enough. Therefore, there were difficulties, which took a lot of time to solve them. However, after we solved all system issues during live tours within the country. 

RR: You already the third time travel abroad on tour. Giving a concert abroad - is this for you a ordinary thing or yet there is something special?

Uruha: Not very special. For me, such a trip more akin to a certain practice austerities (*a spiritual practice, assuming austerity and self-restraint). When you spend a world tour, you really plunge into the different sorts of an ambience, faced with various difficulties. Just the flights can be maddening! But such experiences temper you and your psyche. And also expands the horizons of your vision of what a concert can be. You seemed to absorb something what you never would  meet in your home country. And, even though I now depart from the topic of conversation, but personally I’d love to go abroad more often.

RR: But if you did all your best in the world tour, would you have strength to play lives in Japan?

Uruha: Travels are a little exhausting physically. In South America, there was no air conditioning, and the live turned in a solid hell. Stage equipment was also different from japanese. If we play on a Japanese stage, we have a special system of bottom blowing air. And there it was installed, but such poor quality, that I wanted to ask: “It blows?” (laughs). And I also was injured during a Brazilian live. Among the various stage equipment there is, for example, a small podium (on which the musicians usually stand on during performances). And I asked such one. But the one that was given to me, was not completely fixed. Not knowing this, during of execution AGONY on encore, playing on the guitar, I jumped on it. As a rule, I never jumps on these things, but this time the energy from the audience was so mad, that I succumbed to it. So at that moment the stand overturned, and I hit my shin on the near corner. At that moment I didn’t feel great pain. I was more ashamed (laughs). But when I returned to the dressing room after the live, the leg became unbearable ache. The outfit at the site of impact, as it turned out, was torn, and the right leg was all in blood. The wound was deep enough. We even had to ask for help from a doctor of the club. He made me to drink two large tablets. Oh, those Brazilian drug (laughs). They are so potent,  that when you drink them, you still feel sick for a while. Even you can’t drink beer (laughs).

RR: Foreign drugs have a very strong effect!

Uruha: Yes, they have. I have, by the way, the scar still. And also it was very hard in Taiwan and China, where there is high humidity. In Central and South America, as well as in the North, the air is dry, so it’s much easier tolerated. Well, except directly  air at a concert, of course (laughs). And only in Taiwan we’ve got a classical concert hall for the performance. Audience seats seemed like went up, and  the view from the stage was wonderful, that, in turn, a little unusual. Well, a real concert hall. Before, all the time we played in live houses, and here a completely different ambience. But we have been able to profit from it and play a great live. Also in Taiwan was a lot of cosplayers. And it was not even the GazettE cosplayers, but something seemed to be more on Lolita and anime characters. There were even cosplayers of other bands. In general, there was everything you want (laughs). 

translation from japanese to russian by zhukovskayaliza.vk for vk_paradox

translation from russian to english by me

as always thx for reading and sorry for mistakes ^^

URUHA R&R 067 Part 1

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the first live after the World Tour Uruha thought something like: so quiet!

seems like they had many seconds thought about going to amerika, But Uruha loved the equipment backstage-they had games,popcornmaker & basketball basket backstage and he played until short before the live

Uruha liked the Dallas live the best/ Because they couldn’t take all of their equipment with them they had to to create some tunes with computer

Uruha thinks that personally for him he’s getting stronger through worldtours and would like to perform more frequently oversea- especially for the USA he doesn’t want it to be a once in a lifetime thing

In brasil there wasn’t a platform,so they asked for one bc a livehouse usually has them right? but it wasn’t really affixed. But Uruha didn’t knew it was like that, jumped in AGONY on the platform, the platform moved and he fell down. At this moment he didn’t feel any pain, but felt really embarassed and his injury was quite bad… in the break he saw that his pants were torn and his leg was full of blood a doctor came and helped him, gave him pain killers- but they were so big, Uruha had troubles gulping them and felt even worse after it- so worse that he even didn’t want to drink beer anymore

For Taiwan there were many cosplayer- not just gazette ones, but also lolitas, somewhat anime likes, and some that looked like other band

for europa his impression was that the people grew up, and became stronger

he things the influense of the internet worldwide is awesome- his impression is that the Oversea fans are checking the PV on YT because they don’t understand japanese ergo the SNS of the guys

Uruha won’t get a twitter because he’s not doing any SNS, and because he has nothing he’d want to say there- if he’d say something it would be related to gazette and that is already done by the other members and the official account. Twitter can’t give him anything so he won’t start it. he also things that Twitter is reducing the distance between fans and artist, and that can cause many troubles too, so he thinks it’s better to have some distance to fans. also he doesn’t like it thatyou can see which bands has contact with wich band (I guess bc smaller band tend to use this to get popular) Twitter bears to many risk- but he also says that the artist who’re doing Twitter are really rock-like bc they’re living with these risks.

he never wanted to stop the blogs- bc he likes it a lot better than the SNS.It’s because you’re taking your tme to write, re-read it and then upload it, so you won’t do rash things you could regret later. he says that blog might be old fashioned, but that it suits him.

Uruha once met with Yoshiki (X-Japan) for lunch and it made him super happy that Yoshiki told him that he thinks Gazette is a good band, bc they have fighting spirit. As Uruha told this to the other members they were all so happy and were really motivated to continue even better.

the thing that is really important to continue a band for so long is, that they talk about everything. even until someone of them is crying. because all of them are stubborn and don’t want compromises, these situation happens, but they talk about it until everyone is understanding. if someone really doesn’t want something they have to say it- he wants them to say it. If they don’t say it, the other members won’t understand why they’re not progressing with their problem

they’re talking about the time where Aois condition was really bad and if they talked about this too. at this time it seemed as if the guitarist did’t get along- but now it isn’t like that anymore. But at that time, it had seemed as if Aoi put some distance between him and the gazette. At that time the understanding how gazette should progress was different, so the frustration in aoi bottled up. It was the time where he did many other things beside Gazette.Everyone had their doubts about him, but in the end it was Uruha who said that he can’t be like that and becaue the mood was kind of cold it seemed as if it was a problem between these two- even though it was in the whole band. Uruha says that even though they’re both guitarist they’re pretty different. While Uruha is the balanced type who doesn’t show emotions, Aois the exact opposite, and really emotional

Uruha’s Blog ー Namba Hatch

You guys, thanks for a great show at Namba Hatch! If I told you what the first thing is I do whenever I come to Osaka, I’d have to say that I start by eating Takoyaki. The one I ate first this time was at Kōgaryu where I hadn’t been in quite a while. Also, I think it’s thanks to taking the opportunity and getting all the nutrition of the Takoyaki, that I was able to get through this LIVE in Osaka. That’s why today’s LIVE at Namba Hatch was just perfect! I’m so grateful to everyone in Osaka who always make me feel the amazing atmosphere whenever I come here. When we leave for Fukuoka I won’t go without getting some Takoyaki first.