Japanese rock band MY FIRST STORY made their much-awaited Philippine concert stage debut at the SM North Skydome on July 24. Amidst the heavy rains that blanketed the past week, their fans, known as Storytellers, braved the roads and the skies to rock out with the band. Presented by PULP Live World, the concert captivated the audience from start to finish.

Composed of Hiroki Moriuchi / Hiro on vocals, Teruki Nishizawa / Teru on guitars, Nobuaki Kato / Nob on bass and Shohei Sasaki / Kid’z on drums, MFS has steadily made their own mark in the J-rock industry since 2011. Their mix of pop-punk, electronic and post-hardcore melodies, elevated with Hiro’s flowing high-pitched vocals, has become their trademark sound spread over their six studio albums. The had played in major music festivals in Japan including Summer Sonic and Rock in Japan, and performed as supporting acts for All Time Low and Fall Out Boy on 2013 and 2018 respectively. 

Their Manila show highlighted their popular tracks as well as their most recent releases. Setting things into motion was the buoyant go-getter “WINNER”. Immediately the entirety of the crowd was on their feet, disregarding the seated set-up that the venue had planned. This was followed by tracks off their latest albumThe Crown: “Mirage”, “Tokyo Midnight” and “Boyfriend”. 

The no-photo-and-video rule made for an immersive live experience which Storytellers fondly took advantage of as they jumped, sang and clapped to the beat of each MFS song. The members of the band also made sure to keep the crowd engaged, encouraging them to sing along to “Never let you down, never let you down, baby” during “PARADOX” and the harmonic “oh woah oh oh” in “mine”. 

Midway through their set, the band’s drummer Kid’z took the time to talk to the crowd. Reading out of a cue, he said, “Masaya akong makita kayo. Kami ang My First Story. Ako po si Kid’z.” The other members followed suit and introduced themselves in Filipino. Fans chanted “pogi”, much to the curiosity of the band. “Does that mean cool?” Hiro asked, to which the crowd unanimously said yes. The four members smiled and Kid’z thanked them for the compliment.

Kid’z also asked the crowd if they liked anime, mentioning titles like Dragon Ball, One Piece, Naruto and Demon Slayer. Hiro chimed in Jujutsu Kaisen and very briefly sampled Eve’s “Kaikan Kitan”, the opening song from the first season.

MFS proceeded to slow down a bit as they played the delicately yearning “Confession”. Soaking up the mellowness of the moment, Storytellers raised their phone’s flashlights up and swayed their arms to the rhythm of the song. Hiro, noticing the lights, said a short but sweet “thank you”, then continued to sing impeccably. 

Towards the end of their set, MY FIRST STORY also performed their heavier scream-laden tracks including “MONSTER”, “Monokuro Effector” and “ALONE”. It was a huge sing-along as they played “MUGEN” which was the opening song for the fourth season of Demon Slayer and the infectiously melodic “I’m a mess” and the finale “Fukagyaku Replace”. “This is a beautiful night! Thank you so much,” Hiro shouted before bidding the crowd goodbye.

Overall, the show was super enjoyable for longtime Storytellers and casual fans alike. MY FIRST STORY gave the Filipino crowd the quintessential J-rock experience – no phones, just music. Loud as it was, their music resonated well all throughout the show. The stage production was also top-notch. Even though the Skydome normally has minimized capacities compared to arenas, the lighting, the screen visuals and sound quality felt grand. 

Special thanks to PULP Live World!

by Sandra Mae Laureano