Hibana, the second world tour of excellent artist Ado, stops by London and not just anywhere! It’s in the huge O2 Arena that the Japanese singer confirms her world domination!
Barely over a year after her very first date in London, at the Troxy, Ado is back in one of the biggest and busiest venue in the country. The O2 Arema is packed and that’s quite something! The Japanese artist known for her covers of Vocaloid tracks has brought together many adoring fans along for this new world tour named Hibana (Sparks). Glowsticks in hand, Tour T-shirts or even cosplay on, everyone is ready to immerse themselves in the ani-goth aesthetics of the multi-facetted singer.
SHAPE SHIFTING OF AN ETERNAL ANONYMOUS
Indeed, Ado goes back and force between genres, like electro, pop, rock and even some softer almost folk ballads. And everything is very smooth! It’s thanks to one thing: the vocals she carries. They’re unique, and Ado associates them to her overflowing energy in a set rather atypical and yet familiar to those following her. In her LED box, the singer is placed high-up, appearing backlit by the giant screen behind her. Front stage, on the lower level, are her four musicians, ready to rock it as much as she is!
Being close to the stage but on the side, I quickly get that this set design is really thought of to be seen up front more than anything to be able to enjoy its full potential. Peacock feathers, vine, thunderbolt and other effects are really thought and design with the box in mind. However, even on the side, we catch the silhouette of the singer and get as impressed by the setting as by her singing. It’s bright and each track is really mind blowing!
Ado opens with Usseewa and Lucky Bruto, immediately setting the stage on fire. And it’s pretty literal as some pyrotechnics are showing up, warming up the venue’s already scorching atmosphere. These two songs were already among the leading opening songs of her previous set, and it makes sense. She uses them to show her growth and confidence, to get the fans excited and pay tribute to her first bangers. But what about the famous Shin Jidai (New Genesis)? Let’s be patient…
A FULLY EFFICIENT SET
Tracks are flowing decently, despite a few pauses sure a tad long but certainly necessary for the band and the show itself. With Gira Gira, Ado reveals a delicate and pop part of her sound. That’s right before setting the tension all the way up with the intense Show. Her musicians are all in! Kokei CO-K Takafumi is back on the guitar, and Morita Ryunosuke on drums, like last year. The line-up is completed by Hajime Okada on bass and Takuma Kaneko on keyboards, each as dynamic as the other and with ravishing technics.
Some jazz elements come in full force for Ado, despite a rockier arrangement made for stage, on Kura Kura, Readymade and the hypnotic MIRROR. Later, it’s traces of funk that linger in the however pretty grunge Charles – a cover of balloon’s track – before melting away in Elf’s soft pop. Electro grows back on Value and even more so on her latest single to date, Stay Gold, created with Jax Jones. I must admit that the live version is even more impressive than the studio one though.
A form of cheekiness seems to grasp the audience and the band alike when they reach the excellent RuLe. To put bluntly, the melody is pretty irresistible! Fleeting Lullaby follows naturally, with a bubbly vibe, before they get their epic cover of Kikuo’s Aishite Aishite Aishite up. Once again, her vocals are mind blowing! How do we then resist to the incredible Gyakkou (Backlight)? We don’t. It’s such an efficient and made-for-stage banger! Her cover of DECO*27’s Hibana nicely comes next before the main set closes with the electrical Episode X and the crazy and unmissable Odo.
Wanting to share a sincere moment with her audience, Ado seems to have gained confidence although she sounds still impressed and anxious to speak up. She tells her story, her doubts, the start of it all singing in her wardrobe lit only by her laptop’s blue light. She shares a message of hope, asking the crowd to never give up on their dreams, to pick them back up, to find new one to chase. Cause we never know… it could work. And she also reminds everybody that no one is fully alone. Not tonight. That’s what we can feel in her notes as she goes on singing.
FROM JPOP STAR TO ROCKSTAR
Ado comes back on stage with ROCKSTAR. That’s exactly what she’s become and tells the world through powerful riffs. She carries on with her cover of Chandelier by Sia, paying tribute to all her inspirations and blowing us away once more with her unique timber. Lastly, she closes it all with… Shin Jidai (New Genesis). A last spark hugely anticipated that sets the venue ablaze one last time. If her world tour Wish was a successful test, Hibana is a full-on confirmation of Ado’s power and charisma. She is certainly going to continue her world domination easily in the next few years. With such a show, we can only hope she does. And that she comes back in the UK soon!
