It’s been quite the weekend for the artist known as Isiliel. On Friday the 24th she played a special show at London’s legendary Cart & Horses venue (famed as the birthplace of Iron Maiden) where she officiated at the wedding of one of her band members (guitarist Nikken Hovland) and his union with Ashley Lexine, and two days later makes an appearance at The Underworld for her biggest ever solo headline show in the capital. Bringing a decidedly dark aesthetic to a sunny summer’s evening, Isiliel has brought a live band with her (The Lilin) for what promises to be one heavy evening.
As is so often the case with Japanese artists there is no support band playing tonight, meaning that there’s not to long to wait as the clock ticks towards showtime. Once the VIP ticket holders have been admitted, closely followed by the regular attendees, we’re pretty much ready to go as the final stage checks are made and the crowd jostle for a prime position in front of the stage. First the band arrive with a black metal blastbeat that cracks like lightning splitting a Nordic sky, closely followed by Isiliel and the banshee cry of “are you ready?”. It’s something of a rhetorical question because the crowd are primed and ready for action, the audience becoming a sea of pumping fists that’s illuminated by the occasional glow stick. It all conspires to create an air of excitement, and that feeling is enhanced exponentially by Isiliel who works the stage exceptionally hard, intent on making a personal connection with all present.
It’s not my first time seeing Isiliel live, having caught her several times as part of dark idol unit NECRONOMIDOL and witnessed her first forays as a solo artist. What they all shared was the use of a backing track to accompany dance and vocal routines. More recently, my encounters with Isiliel have also included her backing band, The Lilin, and I must say it is a vast improvement. When playing a blackened type of metal (in fact, any type of metal) great truck is placed on authenticity (subsequently, backing tracks are a no-no) and authenticity is one thing that tonight’s show has in abundance. Isiliel’s performance is just as energetic as in days of yore, only now it has a more organic feel, as if she is possessed by the music and following wherever it leads. In that respect Isiliel and the crowd are on a shared journey as they wend their way through a career-spanning set. We mustn’t underestimate the role that The Lilin play in proceedings; with a triple guitar attack playing neo-classical lines and a thunderous rhythm section, the band propel Isiliel forwards powerfully.
With impossibly long flowing hair (kind of like some gothic version of Rapunzel), Isiliel moves with savage grace, an artist in perpetual motion, tracks such as ‘Black Moon’ and ‘Umbral Exorcism’ flow smoothly and have a frostbitten quality that only the blackest metal has. It is with ‘Jodo Dokushou’ that the evening began and it is with it that we close (as an encore), bringing things full circle and, like the serpent eating its own tail, we wish it could continue for eternity.
Set List:
- Jodo Dokushou
- Black Moon
- Umbral Exorcism
- Serpent’s Aubade
- Koumyou Kishi
- Sange Ittai
- Blutschwur
- Seian Kengen
- Moonbow Legion
- Genesis
- Leibestod
- Jodo Dokushou
