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2018-01-13 / \/ \/ / \
/ __/ /_ _/
Adelaide was a whirlwind, holy shit. / _/ / /
\_______/_\___/____/\___/____/_
We flew out right after work but I travel / \/ \/ / \
pretty light so it wasn't a big deal, I just / _/ /_ _/
carted my stuff with me in the morning and /- / _/ /
Dani met me after work and we headed off to \________/\________/\___/____/
the airport. Not much to say about the
flight, budget airlines are budget airlines so it's pretty much what you'd
expect.
Tuesday was Ladybeard's live and it was really something special. It was
put on by the ARMI, which is the Australian Rock and Metal Institute, a music
school founded in 2012 with a lean towards rock/metal bands that has been
pretty influential in the Adelaide metal scene and it was held in an old
factory building that had been converted into a live music space.
I really liked the venue, it was big and open with high ceilings and the
stage was in one corner rather than against a wall, it was great. I could have
done without the condescending snark from the staff about how this "isn't a
normal metal show", rattling on about how violent they get and blah blah blah.
On one hand, ok, there are a lot more nerds in your space than you're used to
and you might be feeling defensive about it but on the other hand; you're a
dick head.
The crowd was very different from the Melbourne crowd, definitely more
metal fans than Japanophiles and the support acts were straight up metal acts;
a death metal group called As I Destruct and a metalcore group called I,
Icarus.
We wanted to be front row for Ladybeard so we ended up just up against the
barrier for the whole show which was a lot of fun.
As I Destruct were pretty good live, the singer had a lot of energy and the
guy on lead guitar was pretty amazing. Not hugely into their sound, though,
they seem like a group I'd enjoy live but that I'd find pretty boring
otherwise. I dunno.
I, Icarus were something else, they were super energetic and their sound
really clicked with the half-nerdy crowd. They were just kids, too, like late-
teens or early 20s, hahaha. Made me feel fuckin' old. I dug them and will try
to catch them again if they're out this way. I think they were taken aback a
bit by the response they got, the audience was way into it.
Then there was Ladybeard and a couple songs into his normal set he brought
out a live band, made up of ARMI students and one of the ARMI founders on
guitar which was pretty wild. He gave it 110%, the crowd was nuts and it was a
good show. He did two Deadlift Lolita songs this time which was a nice
surprise, in all the other shows I think he's just done Pump up Japan, there
were some other idol fans in the mix but I think we were the only ones with
pen lights, we stand out like a neon sign in the photos from the live haha.
After the show there was the usual meet and greet, Dani and my sister
dressed up in matching costumes and got photos with Ladybeard and we got one
with the three of us then headed home, exhausted.
The day after we attended the Adelaide screening of Big in Japan with my
sister and it was also a good time. In a proper cinema this time out in
Glenelg and it was a pretty nice one, I had a really big soda and was in a
good mood. Had mixed feelings about the documentary the second time around and
it kinda left me in a weird headspace about Ladybeard. I dunno how to describe
it, you know how if you stare at something too long you start to notice little
cracks? Something like that. I have no doubt he's mostly genuine but there's
some stuff that sort of makes me feel more guarded in my fandom now I guess.
Some contradictions between what he says in different interviews and stuff. My
sister also had a very different opinion about the whole situation which got
gears turning. I'm glad I went to see it a second time.
After the screening was a Q&A but one of the members was unfortunately
missing as he had somewhere else he had a funeral to attend and that was
understandably more important and after that one more meet and greet, we
didn't get photos this time, just took a moment to say goodbye and get one
last hug in. Dani got kinda teary, demanding he get some rest. She's too
sweet.
And that was that, we went home, via a bakery for some late night treats
and our Ladybeard tour came to an end. Next step I suppose will be seeing
Deadlift Lolita in Japan which I'm sure will be a very different experience!
