After a heavy metal hour with FAKE ISLAND, it was HighTechLowLife’s turn to close the concert night at Abunai! 2019. An exuberantly pounding bass sound heralds the show, while the members slowly enter the stage. The excitement increases, while the members wait for the moment they can really start. HighTechLowLife consists of three vocalists who can deliver a combination of grunts, screams and normal vocals. Each of them has seen their own vocal power, creating a balance in the cacophony of sounds that this band produces. The music that HighTechLowLife makes is raw, loud and intense and then a powerful, undistorted voice emerges from Misako that takes you out of balance for a moment.
HighTechLowLife at Abunai! 2019 | Photography by Francisca Hagen (AVO Magazine)
The Okinawan band was invited to the 2019 edition of Abunai! for their cyberpunk aesthetics. It appears in their lyrics, but also in how they look. With an important and impressive message these band members from the year 2069 come to warn the people of this current era. Vocalist Remy takes the floor to explain in English what the band stands for: “We have travelled through time, we have travelled through space to bring you a message to save your future, to save our world. We came a long way, decades and decades, thousands of kilometres, to be here. We want to feel your heat, we want you to feel our sweat. The sweat of our time, is hotter, burnt like you never felt. Our world is on fire. And we want you to know this is where you are headed. Our world is on fire, we need you to know it, we need you to feel it.”
HighTechLowLife at Abunai! 2019 | Photography by Francisca Hagen (AVO Magazine)
HighTechLowLife at Abunai! 2019 | Photography by Francisca Hagen (AVO Magazine)
HighTechLowLife at Abunai! 2019 | Photography by Francisca Hagen (AVO Magazine)
HighTechLowLife at Abunai! 2019 | Photography by Francisca Hagen (AVO Magazine)
HighTechLowLife at Abunai! 2019 | Photography by Francisca Hagen (AVO Magazine)
The bottom line is we have to save the planet, but not just that. The idea of what HighTechLowLife gives off during the show is a bit like a therapy session. The audience is soon persuaded to join in the shouting ‘This is shit!’ and ‘Fuck you!’. HighTechLowLife’s show is definitely a good way to get rid of your frustrations and to compare it to a good session of fitness. Through the interaction of the audience, the band members seem to gain more energy and put it right into what they want to convey to the audience. This interaction resulted in a very intense show that was ultimately very exhausting thanks to the electrifying music, but was also very well received by the audience. The combination of the loud music and the message HighTechLowLife share with the audience was quite intriguing and it seemed to appeal to the audience. The mainstage of Abunai! was filled with an energy that eventually forced everyone who was in the hall to get moving.
“Has our message been sent? Do you understand our future? Can we leave our world in your hands? Are you heroes?” The audience shout excitedly and positive, they don’t want to see the band members leave the stage. Remy continues: “Everyone in here is a hero, you can save the future, you control the outcome. It is up to you.”
Enjoying the performance is possible thanks to the video made by Abunai’s house video and photographer (and coincidentally also our partner), Miyako Studio. You can also read the interview we had with HighTechLowLife.
Setlist:
1. Fixed Apart (intro)
2. Digital
3. Head Games
4. World on Fire
5. Sold on Shit
6. Grind
7. AssimilateEncore
en 1 Lion (Macross cover)
en 2 Ghosbusters (Ray Parker Jr. cover)
