Take five wolves, give them instruments, and you’ll get an epic show by Man With A Mission. Here, it’s all about their show at the Forum Kentish Town!
Right, so when you’re asking anything to a wolfpack, chances are you’re in a video game, an anime or a dream. But this time, and with a few conditions, it’s very much real. The Japanese rock band Man With A Mission stopped by London for their Kizuna no Kiseki Europe and UK tour.
ANONYMOUS IDOLS OF ANOTHER WORLD
It’s the second time this year that makes me wonder a lot before seeing them live. Because Man With A Mission keeps its members anonymous. Like Ado, seen last March, it’s a choice that raises a lot of questions. Well, here, some get obvious answers as the band is wearing masks. And not just any, but some that are part of their identity and their aesthetics: wolves’ heads. All of them have a specific and recognizable expression to distinguish the members.
And I’m wondering. How do they prove they’re live? By removing the bottom of the wolf’s mouth mask for all vocalists. Ah, yeah, okay, but in that case, their anonymity is busted, isn’t it? Well, not really. A clever dark makeup hides them… but a photo from the front row would ruin it all. So, how do we manage that? A short announcement is made, no photos or videos are allowed – because it’s bad luck for the wolves. (Except at the very end when they’re fully masked again!) And fans, new and old, are happy to comply. After all, the band, stepping on stage without an opening act, has a lot more to offer.
PUSH THE VOLUME!
It’s a storm of energy that comes with them, dazzling the audience like a flash. I’m grabbed by it immediately. And I don’t have to wait long to see everybody getting in a full mosh-pit on the second track, Merry-Go-Round. This is the kind of song that will get everybody on their feet – anime openings. Specifically, that track is for the fifth season of My Hero Academia – quite a beast – but others like Dark Crow, for Vinland Saga, database, for Log Horizon, Seven Deadly Sins, for the anime of the same name, and Raise Your Flag, for Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans are also impressive!
The rest of the set keeps the energy really high, too, even when the band takes a short break between songs. With their fur, and although they’re not showing it, it seems pretty rough to keep it up and a real break takes place. A funny video is displayed on the stage screen: a short sketch about DJ Santa Monica’s absurd makeover (their DJ, with green as his colour). And it works incredibly well! Then Jean-Ken Johnny (guitarist, vocalist, rapper and more, with red as his colour) comes back on stage and, with support from E.D. Vedder (soberly masked), they start an acoustic and tranquil version of Take Me Under.
Seconds later, the show is back on its dazzling track with Dark Crow, and it never stops again. Their version of Thunderstruck sounds cool and respectful of the original AC/DC one, their own take making it unique. The end of the set is explosive with the awaited Kizuna no Kiseki, opening to Demon Slayer and originally interpreted with milet. Fantastically mad, vibrating and, like the whole gig, gripping. The wolf pack leader, Tokyo Tanaka (on vocals – orange is his colour) keeps the crowd moving around, Kamikaze Boy (on bass – blue is his colour) gives it his all too, never hesitating, and Spear Rib (pink is his colour) is close to destroying his drums kit. They are on fire!
Now, if these artificial life-form wolves created by Jimi Hendrix (Guitar Doctor and Master in Wolf Biology) are so strong, it shows mainly through their very last song. They are opening their encore with Winding Road and close, for real, with the electric and too-much FLY AGAIN. To resume, EVERYTHING is in this song. Tokyo Tanaka, standing on the front stage, sings an ultra-catchy chorus surrounded by white lights cut by a rainbow beam. The audience sings along happily and, most importantly, follows the choreography diligently. It’s simple but efficient and unforgettable. Musically, if the band has shown how varied they were in their song, blending rock, punk, rap and electro, this one is the paroxysm of it all.
NOW PLAYING:
With this, a generous dose of humour, and gratefulness towards their fans make of Man With A Mission a must-see act. And there are the bonuses… their colours, specific to each member as I stated above, are used by their fans to show support to their favourites like you do for idols. Their uniforms here (a black shirt and a pair of dark jeans) really make the wolves’ heads, some of which the eyes light up, stand out. Their backstory… Everything added to their 1001-genres rock solid sound, actually makes them essential to the music industry.
I can’t wait to see them again – and personally, I’ll grab a red light stick to move around the audience. What about you?
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