JILUKA’s European tour leg of their JILUKA K4RMA WORLD TOUR in June 2024 was sold out really fast, feeding right into the thirsty Visual-kei fans’ thirst. So, what’s the logical consequence? Exactly: coming back as fast as possible! With JILUKA K4RMA WORLD TOUR – THE RETURN, they gave their European fans what they wanted by adding six more shows to the original tour with stops in Finland, the UK, Italy, Poland, and even two concerts in Germany not even three months later. Since we already attended their first appearance in Cologne, there was no way we could not go to their follow-up concerts as well. Our writer PInku went to Bochum, while our head Wanda attended the concert in Berlin, from where this article’s photos are also from.
09/10 at Zeche Bochum in Bochum
The first show was at Zeche Bochum in the western German city of Bochum on the 10th of September, 2024. Sadly, this time, it wasn’t sold out at all, despite being in the same metropolitan area, which is known for being home to Germany’s largest Visual-kei / J-Rock fan scene.
Most of JILUKA’s fans who had already seen their show in June didn’t want to go to the same concert again, mostly because of the ticket prices and long traveling ways. Also, having two tour stops in Germany this time added to the various reasons why they didn’t sell out this time. Nevertheless, some die-hard fans came alongside the ones who couldn’t go to Cologne in June.
Regardless of the limited turn-out, though, the show itself was really nice. Vocalist Ricko cheered up the crowd, gave everything to entertain us, and served well. His playful character combined with his talented vocal skills made the show a fun experience. On his right side, bassist Boogie touched the fans with his mysterious aura and interacted a lot with the crowd. Drummer Zyean’s powerful drums overshadowed the band sometimes because of the poor sound mixing of the venue, yet with his strong skills, it was enjoyable listening to him.
Like the others, he seemed to be happy and energetic the entire live, even though we weren’t blessed with one of his famous solos. This time, bandleader, head of the composing, and, by the way, also guitarist Sena gave us an unforgettable guitar solo, not only acoustically but also visually. Dancing, swinging around his guitar like no other, and also playing like he was born to be on stage. A true showman, who took a lot of space in the show, but in all honesty, we all enjoyed it.
Talking about visuals: JILUKA presented themselves with the same black leather outfits as last time, each one individually designed with red lights on it and for everyone’s personality perfectly coordinated. Sena didn’t disappoint in showing a lot of skin again, but not in an uncomfortable way, rather following an aesthetic theme. Also the others were dressed well, Boogie for example used more layers in his outfit, which gave him a more traditional Visual-kei look with his long, black hair and dark make-up. All of them are another type of eye candy on their own, serving fabulous V-kei fashion. In combination with a well-planned stage lightning, it all gave the fans a goth-cyberpunk feeling.
This time around, the audience seemed to be young, and you could feel a lot of insecurity on them. Not that they were disappointed with the show, but at some points, it more felt like they had no idea what to do. But with time going by, most of them unfreezed little by little, and after JILUKA played Twisted Pain, following Sena’s incentive solo, people were having excited fun in the crowd.
Technical difficulties were going on during the encore while every member wanted to say a few thank you words to the fans with no microphone working properly besides Ricko’s and Sena’s, but they took it with humor and made fun of it. Afterwards, Ricko was also promoting their merchandise to the fans with his funny and happy-go-lucky attitude, it was super entertaining to watch.
All over saying, besides all the technical problems and insecure crowd, JILUKA in Bochum was a fun experience, they really serve—visually and acoustically. It was my first time and I can say: It was great!
09/12 at SO36 in Berlin
The concert in Berlin on the 12th of September, 2024, started at 8 p.m. sharp, marking a smooth kick-off despite an even smaller crowd showing up than in Bochum two nights before. The band must have hoped for more peeps flocking to their shows after such an incredibly successful first appearance in Europe. But they didn’t waver one second, giving their everything to deliver an exciting show. And so did the fans!
No matter how small the crowd, the Berlin audience made sure that it would be a night to remember, throwing in excited shouts and energetic headbanging action and following every invitation for mosh pits, even when circle pits took a bit of time to catch on the swing. The atmosphere, both on stage and in front of it, showed a huge commitment to giving everything one can wish for.
With slight variation from the previous tour, JILUKA heated up their audience with yet another energetic cross-section of their discography. The four musicians started their set with more recent material such as the signature-sound-defining songs BLVCK and S4VAGE, with which they set a fast and energetic pace for the evening. They then transitioned to classics like Screamer and Lethal Affliction , highlighting the band’s earlier work, characterized by fewer electronic elements and the heavy sound that many Visual-kei bands are known for.
A standout moment came with the long drum solo of Zyean, which the fans in Bochum had to miss out on. Eclectic and energetic, it started with the drummer only playing his drums and cymbals. As the solo progressed, backtracks were introduced, creating a fuller sound that felt like three distinct pieces, each showcasing different facets of the musician’s skills.
After the solo, the other three musicians returned to the stage, turning their backs to the audience to build anticipation. When they finally started playing Twisted Pain, the crowd went wild, just as they had two nights earlier in Bochum.
The band continued their concert with a fabulous connection to the audience, defying every language barrier with their hybrid of Metalcore and Visual-kei. Personally, I loved Raison d’etre with its wonderful rhythm particularly much, just like last time. And just like last time, it felt like time was flying by, and it was time for the encore before we knew it.
I want to raise my hat to how flawlessly Ricko turned the often way too boring advertisement of tour merchandise at the beginning of the encore into a fun, almost comedic session. First struggling with the band hoodie with its sleeve stuck, he enticed the audience to shout »Buy it, buy it, buy it« as loud and enthusiastically as if it was the chorus of their favorite song. Kudos, you’ve got something good running there!
It’s been my second time seeing JILUKA live and I enjoyed the concert a bunch, even though it was pretty much the same songs and the band’s music is not my favorite cup of tea. I felt the musicians were more confident and that they had grown used to their European fans, making a great foundation for future overseas success.
It’s also been great to see how the local fans are willing to invest in fostering and fueling a community that is pretty much alive and kicking more vibrant than I would have expected and could have wished for post-pandemic. Despite all the obstacles, it’s been a really fun night, just like PInku experienced the concert in Bochum. But it’s also been a reminder that it’s been a risk for the band to return so soon after their first appearance in Europe.
Conclusion
The important question remains: Was it worth it for the band to return so quickly? We hope that JILUKA can use the tour for good promotion to make up for the low concert ticket sales. Furthermore, we commend the band for their boldness in performing twice within a year, and we’re grateful they plan to return in the summer of 2025. For us, having them in Europe twice in one year was truly worth it. We will definitely be there again for the upcoming tour!
SETLIST
01. BLVCK
02. S4VAGE
03. KUMARI
04. BaLa-DeDa
05. Screamer
06. Lethal Affliction
07. guitar solo (Bochum) / drum solo (Berlin)
08. Twisted Pain
09. Eclipse
10. SUZAKU
11. Ablaze
12. Raison d’etre
13. OVERKILL
14. VENΦM
ENCORE
E1. Ajna (Bochum) / Last Faith (Berlin)
E2. Obliterator
