Kimi to Band is an up-and-coming girls' indie band that is garnering attention. Their Sapporo concert as part of their record release and 4th anniversary tour will be held at SOUND CRUE in Sapporo on Sunday, October 13th. Domingo published an interview article prior to the concert, and this is the sequel! We bring you a live report of their Sapporo concert, which marked the halfway point of the tour.

Click here for an interview just before the event

"We've been waiting for this!" Such feelings swirled around the venue.

Drummer Mai Ohno

This is the first Sapporo concert in three years. Since the last one was held during the COVID-19 pandemic, this is the first time they've performed in the usual style. This is also my first time attending a Kimi to Band concert. The venue is filled with the excitement of the "Kimi" (the name for the fans), who must have come from all over Hokkaido.

As everyone waits in anticipation, the lights go out and a huge cheer rings out. Vocalist Morita Risako, guitarist & vocalist Kiyohara Rio, and drummer Ohno Mai appear with a lively entrance sound effect. All three are dressed in pure white outfits, reflecting the dazzling light of the lights. "Welcome back!" cries of welcome rise up. Unfortunately, bassist YUKI is unable to attend due to poor health. You can see from their expressions that they are determined to liven up the show for her too.

Guitarist and vocalist Rio Kiyohara

The first song to begin was "Kimi to Band". The unity in the venue was at its peak from the shouts of "Oh Oh Oh" during the intro. In a previous interview, Kiyohara had said, "I want to show a cooler side of myself than usual", and he lived up to that statement with his well-balanced guitar playing. And his carefree smile that he occasionally flashed was captivating. Ohno smiled as he played the drums with a crisp rhythm. Morita exuded an overwhelming presence with his powerful singing voice and facial expressions. You could feel his passion for their first Sapporo performance in a long time right from the first song...!

Vocalist: Risako Morita

Before I could even savor the emotion, the second song, "Slow Motion," started. The pop rhythm made my body bounce. The audience responded to Kiyohara's calls with unyielding enthusiasm. I could see that the unity that had been at its peak from the start was growing even stronger.

The trust between the members is apparent in the ballads.

When the song ended, there was a big cheer. "Sorry to keep you waiting! I'm finally back!" The crowd responded with cheers. Next came "rosemary".

Morita sits down in front of the keyboard and begins to sing softly, a stark contrast to the previous song. He continues with the ballads "Yumekoi" and "Sayonara Refrain," and demonstrates his expressiveness. The warm atmosphere is complemented by the sounds of the drums and guitar. The band's unity is especially important in these quiet songs. This is a truly impressive teamwork.

The next song was "Koigokoro" from the new single "Thanks.", with lyrics written by Morita. It has a pop feel, but also has a pleasant rock element with electric guitar sounds mixed in. The next song was "Midnight Scream," which had a melodic hardcore feel. It was followed by "So High!". Just as Ohno said in a pre-show interview, "This song will become a staple at our live shows," the audience raised their hands in the air and exploded with excitement. Although most of the audience were seeing them live for the first time, they were thrilled by the perfect rhythm, as if they had known them for a long time.

The ninth song is "Ano Basho e". During the chorus, the stage and the audience raise their fists and express their feelings to each other. Then there's the live staple "Koi no Monster"! The sight of the two vocalists jumping around cutely and the excitement of the "kimi" members echoing that is impressive.

The last song, "∞YAKEN," unleashed a tremendous amount of energy. The cuteness and heat of rock were fused together, giving a strong sense of "a new generation girls band," and Kimi to Band's stage came to an end.

A "surprise" during the encore. The audience was in awe of the unexpected song selection.

As soon as they left the stage, a huge chorus of fans sang for an encore. It has become a standard feature of this tour to perform a surprise encore, and Morita was in charge at the Sapporo performance.

The song that was played was Morita's solo song "HORIZON". The unexpected song choice caused a stir in the venue. The atmosphere of "you" listening intently to the precious performance performed in your own style with your band was conveyed.

Then Kiyohara's rap part was performed in "Spicy!". Kiyohara was moving around vigorously. Not to be outdone, Morita climbed onto the stage and raised his arms. The audience responded with all their might.

Lastly, Kiyohara gave the MC, saying, "Last time I came to Sapporo, we weren't able to make a promise to meet again, but this time I can! Let's meet next year at Zepp Sapporo!" The last time they performed in Sapporo, they played at a live house right in front of Zepp Sapporo, but just two years later they're finally performing at Zepp, which is a dream come true. For those of you who have been watching them for so long, this must be a very emotional experience.

The last encore song was "Semi Shigure". Morita-san played a gentle song, and the audience listened carefully. At the end, the three members lined up and bowed deeply. The Sapporo concert came to a close amid applause from the audience.

This was my first time attending a live performance. I only knew their talent from their recordings, but their live performance was a whole different story. Not only their performance, but each and every one of their movements captivated me and made me emotional. Next year, the biggest tour in the history of "Kimi to Band" will begin. "They will definitely show us how much they have grown." I was so excited that I could not contain my excitement.

Furthermore, we received comments from the members later about their impressions of the Sapporo performance.