SIAM SHADE

SIAM SHADE has been gathering attention from various medias after their big hit "One Third of Purehearted Emotions". Lately not only music magazines, but also newspapers and informational magazines have had reports on them. Also, they have gained a lot of new fans and their presence on the j-rock scene is growing bigger every day.

I'm happy that a band that I've been supporting has their break now, but I have mixed feelings about them becoming "the SIAM SHADE of 'One Third of Purehearted Emotions' fame." Also, they wear rock fashion very well and because of that stylishness, the general public image of SIAM SHADE as "a fashionable band that plays hard and pop music" is also strong. Indeed, that has also been part of SIAM SHADE, but I feel a little uneasy when only that stands out. "They are not going to use this as their selling point, are they...?"

With their latest album "SIAM SHADE IV - Zero" out, SIAM SHADE have started the tour: "ZERO-ISM". It starts at Akasaka Blitz. And it is also the place for the hastily announced additional concert. With the 1st floor as standing floor and with seats on the 2nd floor, it's capacity is somewhere between a hall and a live house. It might just be the perfect shed for beginning the tour. The first floor is jammed with excited boys and girls dressed in t-shirts who have left their hand luggage and coats at the lockers and are waiting for the concert to start. At the 2nd floor seats the people were by no means going to remain idle onlookers. Inside the Blitz lingers the unique tense atmosphere very similar to the ones at live houses before a concert. And then, a little after the scheduled start time, the lights of the audience side are suddenly turned off.

It was a fun show to watch. Concerning the show's quality, though it was the first day of the tour, there were a few points that bothered me. The members were kind of feeling their way in the beginning and weren't in high spirits and pulling the crowd along right from the beginning like they usually do. But that didn't become a problem. After they got going, they gave us the usual hard and hot show. And, what I was "glad" about was that they gave us that "usual show". I especially liked the formation of the menu that emphasized their harder side.

SIAM SHADE's songs don't forget the melodious and catchy parts while being speedy numbers performed with superb technique. And the persuasive vocals of HIDEKI, that range from a voices that seems to rip the throat to falsetto, add great expressiveness to the songs. And pushing out that voice of HIDEKI's are the clean backing vocals of KAZUMA. His presence is also big and the ballades that they sing together are a thing to hear. Behind them is the trustworthy iron wall of a rhythm section; JUNJI putting out an exact beat and NATIN with his earth-shakingly strong bass. And on top of the sound whose bottom they maintain is the bright guitar of DAITA which flexibly transforms from aggressive to elegant. When the 5 members give full play to their natural abilities, only then can the audience, me among them, feel the brilliance of SIAM SHADE's songs at maximum. This surely is the true charm of SIAM SHADE's live shows.

As the show was getting closer to its end, the audience, where shrill cheers and deep voices were constantly mixing, was getting all the more wilder. It was wild like an audience at a hard rock or heavy metal gig would be. Because the tour is still continuing, I regret that I can't touch the set list or the setup. But the ending of the main part of this live clearly displayed "the hard rock band SIAM SHADE". I'm sure that it destroyed - in a good way - "the 'One Third of Purehearted Emotions' SIAM SHADE" image of those who came to see them for the first time. You can also say that it reaffirmed even older fans of the fact that before the "One Third of Purehearted Emotions" there was the hard single "PASSION". And before "SIAM SHADE IV - Zero" there was the hard rock album "SIAM SHADE III". Nevertheless, I'm very glad that it was the usual show SIAM SHADE gives. I felt relieved that they are a pure hard rock band instead of a hard and pop band. That a countrywide tour has started with this menu, will also mean that they are going to make sure to fans at each place that they are "the hard rock band SIAM SHADE." Thinking about that makes me happy.

The big hit "A One Third of Purehearted Emotions" and the album "SIAM SHADE IV - Zero" receiving high praise. Saying that they are "the band currently receiving the most attention from the scene" is no exaggeration. The public is following SIAM SHADE closely. However they are not a band that suddenly appeared on the scene with "A One Third of Purehearted Emotions". After their debut in October 1995, while bumping into many walls, they have come here by overcoming them. And before their debut... during their indies period they continued working with their own views and convictions. They are indeed a band with thick roots. In this interview I asked the members about the band's birth and its history. There are of course all kinds of dramas in there, but I'd like you to feel the changing of the members senses and the unity of the band. Doing so you should better get to understand the purehearted passion that the members of SIAM SHADE have.

●When putting out your demo tape in May '93, you changed the band name from Atar to SIAM SHADE. How did the band Atar came together?
NATIN(B): HIDEKI and me were searching for band members and we were introduced to the guitarist Ataru...

●So you took your band name from that guitarist's name?
NATIN: Yeah (laughs). "Ataru" wouldn't be much of a band name; it's not "Cesar", but without much consideration, we'll be "Atar". Also there was the "Bazar" commercial with the monkey. We would steal such flags and write "Ata" over them, so they said "Atar". (laughs) (1)
HIDEKI(Vo): Yay, yay (laughs). We were thinking of many different band names but couldn't find a good one. At that time we took part in a contest, so it went something like this: "let's just go with this for the time being..."
NATIN: It kind of dragged along like that. And while we kept thinking "we'll change it at some point", we missed the chance. Then we decided to change it with our demo tape.

●Mr. KAZUMA, did you join the band when it was called Atar?
KAZUMA(Vo&G): Yes. I was singing in an another band, but I was told that "HIDEKI is going to quit, so join."
HIDEKI: KAZUMA was in a band with really old men. They were really old, weren't they?
KAZUMA: No, only about 3 years older. They were not old-timers. (laughs)
HIDEKI: But they looked very old. Back then KAZUMA was also acting like an old man. (laughs) And so, we were saying that "wouldn't you be better off over here?". At that time I was also asked to join different bands. While pondering, "should I go over there?", I thought that "not until this band gets on track..." Then I noticed that "I'm still here." (laughs)

●What was Atar like musically?
HIDEKI: Basically it wasn't at all different. We got really started after we made about 4 original songs. But those 4 songs are on the demo tape and that's where it becomes SIAM SHADE. In that demo tape there were songs like "LOSE MY REASON" that we still perform.

●At that time SIAM SHADE was a so-called "visual-kei" band, right?
HIDEKI: Were we doing make-up at that time? During Atar?
NATIN: During Atar we wore black jeans and torn t-shirts.
KAZUMA: No, I did once.
HIDEKI: It was when we wore polka dotted clothing.
NATIN: Yeah, but it was only like one time during Atar. After we changed the name to SIAM SHADE we started putting on make-up.

●Why did you suddenly decide to do so?
HIDEKI: Those bands that perform in the clothing that they normally wear, can't get any audience at all. And when you're putting on a show, it's pointless if there is no audience.

●Did the situation with the band change after you put out the demo tape?
NATIN: In hindsight, that's where it started, but at that time it was a "would you please take this" situation. As well as distributing it free of charge, after performances we were handing out the demo tape by ourselves. Even so everyone would just pass by. So we would say, "would you mind giving this a listen?", and they'd be like "don't want it." (laughs)

●That's very sad. (laughs)
HIDEKI: We got told straight. (laughs)

●Then, DAITA joins in July '93, right?
DAITA(G): I joined right before a live show, so learning was tough. I just tried to copy the backing of the guitarist before me, Ata, and I would change the solos. (2)
NATIN: When DAITA joined we were booked for the first time in Osaka and Nagoya. A week after DAITA joined there would be a live show. (laughs)
DAITA: After the Machida Play House it was Nagoya's Music Farm and Osaka's YANTA Rokumeikan (now Brand New). And I didn't even have the "black suit" we used as stage clothing and I didn't know how to make-up myself. It was quite a tough time. At that time I had exclusive staff to make me up and such. (laughs)
HIDEKI: Now that I think of it, you were always wearing the same pants. Even though your vinyl pants would tear you'd fix them with packing tape from behind. (laughs)
DAITA: It's 'cause I didn't have money. I would also borrow HIDEKI's clothes.

●Then in December of that year you had your first independent live at the Machida Play House, which was the base of your activity. Do you remember what it was like?
NATIN: At that time we decided to make our clothing even. We were like, "OK, so, the bassist will wear white", and we would make our own clothes. (laughs)
DAITA: I bought a shirt.
HIDEKI: At this show we distributed a CD that had "DOLL" and the instrumental we still use as opening. I don't have that, so I kinda want it. (laughs)
NATIN: It was limited to 150 copies and everyone that came that day got one for free.

●How was the live show itself?
DAITA: My foremost memory is that we created a Machida Play House audience record. I don't know if it still holds. That J came had an impact and the party after the show is a good memory. (laughs)
HIDEKI: All of our seniors at the Machida Play House came and KAZUMA and I became victims. (laughs) 'Cause wasn't that the last time KAZUMA got drunk?
NATIN: I guess it was the fastest record from starting to drink to passing out. (laughs)
HIDEKI: I have no recollection of after 15 minutes. When I came to I was at home. (laughs)

●It seems like that the party had a greater impact on you than the show. (laughs)
HIDEKI: That's all I can remember. (laughs)

●Then JUNJI joined in May '94. How did that happen?
JUNJI(Ds): I met HIDEKI and NATIN when we were about 18 or 19. I was in a "beat rock"(3) band, but because I liked hard rock, I also liked Atar's music. I was saying to them that, "I'd like to perform together sometime." And then, right at the time when SIAM SHADE was about to change the drummer, the band I was in broke up. I said, "if you're gonna change drummers, take me."
NATIN: It was sudden that time too. Right after JUNJI joined we had the recording of our first album "SIAM SHADE".
DAITA: We also had a live show right after.
HIDEKI: Let's stop remembering that.
NATIN: It was a tough show...

●In July you succeeded in a two day independent live at Meguro Live Station. Will that kind of thing increase the band's confidence after all?
NATIN: I don't know about confidence. It was the only way of doing things we knew of back then. First we'd get the live house we performed in full and then "next let's make it full for two days." In the end, word of mouth will be good advertising. Other bands, though indies, were putting out CDs and gaining fame that way. For us it was "How much people can we draw to a show without any recordings?" And, when you put out a record, it will stay in the world. We had a strong feeling that "we don't want to put out anything we don't have faith in." So we didn't put out anything for a long while.
HIDEKI: "To release a CD and go on a country-wide tour" would've been according to the manual... But we got lucky by chance. Luna Sea's RYUICHI was hosting a radio show called "Midnight Rock City" and we were guests in a segment called "Indies Night". At that time songs from our demo tape were played and that got the word-of-mouth going. That was enough for us back then. The word got around really fast and 40 people turned into 80. It would double all the time and soon we could do an independent live show.

●And in December '94 you released your first album "SIAM SHADE". Did you feel that the time was right?
HIDEKI: It was like the result of our indies time. We wanted to "do something that will remain." We got familiar with all the songs live.
JUNJI: "LOSE MY REASON" wasn't one of the candidates for the record. But I really liked that song and said "let's do that."

●By the time you released this album, you weren't doing make-up anymore, right?
HIDEKI: We were all suntanned and really brown.
NATIN: That year's summer, DAITA was suddenly all brown and that was the start.
HIDEKI: Instead of all brown, it was more like his skin was all red and it was peeling.
JUNJI: It really was a sight. (laughs) He wore sunglasses even at our rehearsals.
NATIN: Then KAZUMA would get tanned on purpose, and we were like, "let's just all get tanned."

●So you decided to give up on visual-kei?
KAZUMA: That's right. Because I didn't have money to go to a solarium, I would get tanned at a park. (laughs)
HIDEKI: I thought "If we're gonna quit that, let's make it obvious" and suggested that we start dancing! (laughs)
NATIN: I even had my hair in dreadlocks.

●And then, one month after releasing your album, January '95, you had an independent live at Power Station. Was that one of your goals?
NATIN: I personally went to Power Station to see Luna Sea and others, so I always thought, "I want stand there too." And Power Station also felt somewhat high-class. That day also happened to be HIDEKI's birthday, so it left a strong impression.
DAITA: We didn't have enough songs back then, so before Power Station, for the first time, we lodged together and I remember that we wrote about 2 songs.

●How was the live show?
DAITA: The audience was really excited. At the end I would throw a cake with candles in it at HIDEKI. (laughs)
HIDEKI: I don't mind you throwing one at my face, but "please, not one with the candles still in it." (laughs) The cake will be crushed, but candles are hard.
DAITA: It was a show where that kind of stuff was OK. (laughs)

●In March there was your first countrywide tour "Preaching Love Tour '95 Spring". Did it feel that the band got stronger after a tour?
NATIN: Back then we were driving around in one car. They say, the more you spend time together... However, we were already good friends and I don't think that the tour made the band tighter. But it was really fun.

●On tour, I suppose that the singer has to take good care of his voice.
HIDEKI: I don't really remember that well, but it must've been the opposite. You see, after the concerts, I would just go drinking and have fun. And that isn't good at all to your throat. My voice would get rough and that was very bad as a singer. Back then I would just be carried away and have fun.
KAZUMA: I don't drink alcohol, so it wasn't like that for me. But I really can't remember much. It was the first time I was traveling places in a car. I really hadn't gone more northward than Saitama or more eastward than Kyoto, so that was fresh and new for me. (laughs)

●In August there was the Shibuya Kōkaidō concert called "Stop that SIAM SHADE noo~ 500 yen". That was an impressive show where Takagi Boo appeared and it ended with a Drifters skit.
HIDEKI: I think that "it was worth doing." To be able to do a skit with a person from The Drifters will be surprising to someone who works in the same business as us.

●Why did you think of doing a Drifters skit at that show?
HIDEKI: Just because it's fun. "What fun could we do that is worth spending money on?"
DAITA: It's continuation from our indies time. We were using such comical elements as a sales point. People around us would be wanting more of such. And when we thought what more could we do, this was it. Also it was our first time in Shibuya.

●So, how was your "first time Shibuya" show?
HIDEKI: I can't remember. (laughs)
DAITA: We don't remember the show. (laughs)

●Although it was your first hall concert?
DAITA: Umm, I think we did pretty well, but we hadn't debuted yet, so it was like an indies extension.
HIDEKI: It was like we did it while being jeered at.
NATIN: That's right. Of course we had absolute confidence in what we did, but it feels like it wasn't a show that was thoroughly thought about.
HIDEKI: What I can say now is that it was no good. In my opinion. It felt like it was missing the core or something... It ends up being a sad story.
JUNJI: And also, my hands were still thin and I was wearing a tank top.

●In October '95 you made your major label debut with the single "RAIN". Why did you choose this song as your debut single?
NATIN: We had a few choices, but after discussions with members, the recording company and our agency, we decided to go with "RAIN". Well, if anything, we gave lot of value to the voices around us. And of course we were also satisfied. There wasn't such a song that "it's gotta be this one!" and the recording company insisted that "RAIN" would be easy to record, so we decided "let's go with that then."

●With this single you had "The Immortal JUNJI - A Miraculous Recovery Buffalo Attack '95 Fall" country-wide tour. Since this was your second country-wide tour, did you feel comfortable?
HIDEKI: It was right after JUNJI's accident, so that's what I remember the foremost.
NATIN: The accident made us panic. Not that our debut would be delayed, but "he's not going to die, is he?" It was a really big accident that was no joke.
HIDEKI: That's why I think that our state of mind wasn't that good.

●This tour's final performance was once again at the Shibuya Kōkaidō; do you remember that?
DAITA: At that time, I think we did the life history diaries. We would show videos of the members' life histories.
NATIN: I remember the program.
HIDEKI: If we hadn't done that I would have forgotten. One also forgets the tour titles, so we decided to name them funnily like this... That's why I haven't forgotten about that. But, when it comes to the contents of the concert... (laughs)
KAZUMA: You're forgetting the most important part. (laughs)
NATIN: What I remember... is that it was our so called major label debut show. Well, it might have to do with the fact that we had performed there once before our debut, but when we announced that "we will debut", we weren't expecting fans to start crying. I remember that HIDEKI then decidedly said "we'll make a contract with Ny-so..." (4)
DAITA: He did say "Ny-so". We were already part of the business. During our indies time we had never said it backwards. (laughs)

●Your 2nd album "SIAM SHADE II" was released around that time. Would it be fair to say that it was an extension of the style of your 1st one?
NATIN: Yes, I think it was a kind of album where we did all kinds of stuff we could do now that we had a major label contract.
DAITA: There were songs that we had performed during our indies period, and songs that we had played in rehearsals. Not all of it was newly written. For example, we had performed "Into A Dream", "SADNESS" and "SHAKE ME DOWN" in live shows before.

●So it was more like you were making SIAM SHADE's 2nd album, instead of making a major label debut album?
DAITA: That's right.

●Your 2nd single "TIME'S" was cut from that album and released in February '96. It's a different version from that on the album.
DAITA: We did write a song to use as a single... At this time "A One Third of Pure-hearted Emotions" was already completed. But when "TIME'S" tie-up [with POP JAM] was decided, we decided to cut that. And instead of just remixing, we decided to record everything from drums to vocals anew. There had come up some suggestions during live shows like, "wouldn't it be better to do like this here?" And since "TIME'S" was a song that was hastily written for "SIAM SHADE II", we felt that there were parts where we hadn't given our best. So we decided to do that. I changed the guitar solo a little, and instead of a fade out, it ends normally. It turned out into a "TIME'S" that has a live feeling.

●And promoting this single, there was your country-wide tour that started in March, "Dr. Super KAZUMA Ultra's Great Adventure '96 Spring". And it ended with 3 days at the Tokyo NISSIN Power Station, right?
DAITA: Those shows were indeed hot. We changed the set-list for each day.... Was it the 2nd day that Tim appeared? We had a foreigner do the English narrative parts of "DREAMLESS WORLD" also live. It was quite a manly show. We used a Beastie Boys song as SE, so the rock was strong with this one.
KAZUMA: I remember that it was the first time that I sang lead vocals.
HIDEKI: Oh, it was already that time! I remember, I remember.
NATIN: Of this time our memories are vivid. (laughs)

●So, you performed at the Hibiya Yagai Ongakudō [Hibiya Open-air Music Hall, shortly: Yaon] in May, do you remember that?
KAZUMA: That was an additional concert to the Power Station ones. So that was the final. It was our first open-air concert, so it felt great.
DAITA: As a way of saying thanks, the last song we performed was "DOLL" that was on our indies time CD. I remember seeing the faces of the people in the first row that were crying.
HIDEKI: I have regrets about Yaon. Our next tour's final will be there again. It's not like it'll be some kind of humiliation match... Well, my attitude towards singing compared to that time is totally different. So I'd like to perform there again soon. I want to go wipe out that regret as soon as possible.
NATIN: I once went to see a show in Yaon, so I had strong feelings for that place.

●So you felt like, "I've stood on the stage of Yaon!"?
NATIN: Yeah. But I feel the same as HIDEKI, that I want to quickly go wipe out that "regret". After all, we haven't performed at Yaon since then.

●Then, in October '96, your 3rd album "SIAM SHADE III" was released. The concept of that album was "HARD". Why did you set up such a concept?
DAITA: We tried doing what we wanted in our debut album, but listening to it now, there are lots of songs intended for hall performances. Back then we hadn't yet performed in big places. We were touring live houses and the scale of some of the songs was too big. Well, that is a good thing, but we wanted to get crazier in such a way that the fans could also participate... Although we were always thinking of live shows when creating songs, we decided to focus even more on that. Well, it also had a "letting off steam" aspect. (laughs)
NATIN: That I went to Los Angeles to mix left a strong impression. Instead, I don't have much recollections about the recording. (laughs)

●Is it after all because you got David Bianco (engineer who has worked with Ozzy Osbourne and Mick Jagger among others) and Steve Hall (mixer who has worked with Madonna, etc.) to do the mixing?
NATIN: Yes. Also, there were a lot of people involved with that recording. Like for recording bass, I had the help of Mr. Nara (Nara Toshihiro: former bassist of SONHOUSE and SHEENA & THE ROKKETS). He would prepare a great sound without me saying anything, so the impression "having things done for me" was strong. Since it was something you didn't do yourself, the impression will fade as time passes. And also, when I listened to the finished mix, my impressions were just at "sounds good" level.
DAITA: But, this album definitely sounds different. The clarity and everything else is totally different. It's not a sound you'd get in Japan. Of course, we did the recording in Japan. It turned into a lump in a really good balance, or how would you say it. And still, the voices don't collide.

●Also, when this album was released you changed your name from CHACK to your real name HIDEKI, right?
HIDEKI: I thought that if we still won't get popular it's gotta be my name's fault. I restored the letter and stroke count. There was also the "why are you called CHACK when you're Japanese?" aspect. (laughs)

●Although it was you who named yourself CHACK?
HIDEKI: I don't have any policy when talking about that name. I was going to change it when we went major, but I had a radio show and all that, so there just wasn't a good time to change. I changed it when that show ended.

●In this year's December you had the male-fans-only gig "Otokogi". Why did you think of doing such a show?
HIDEKI: Since we were a visual-kei band before, it was awkward for male fans to come see us. We thought that we should make it easier for them to come.

●And, how was that show?
HIDEKI: It really is different with guys. At first it was like "woow".
DAITA: Normally, before the SE starts, there is usually some music playing in the background. And when that fades there's usually cheering, right? It was totally silent. I thought that this is a perfect example of "no private talk in the class". (laughs)
NATIN: And then it gets going when we come out.
DAITA: And again. The way they enjoy themselves is also different. Always when a song ends there is cheering, but after that, silence. (laughs) But anyway, that show was great. I had never experienced guys getting that wild, they were holding their fists up even during love songs... It was very moving.
HIDEKI: The press folk and others were saying that it smelled nasty. Since I was one among there, I didn't notice that at all. But when I once went out to go to the toilet or something and then came back, it really did smell awful. (laughs) Reeking of male sweat. But the live show was really fun.

●After that show you performed in the NHK Hall. How did it feel like to perform in front of 4000 people?
JUNJI: I was totally nervous. Up until that point the tension usually leaves when the first song starts. At that time I was nervous even while performing and my arms and legs didn't feel like they were mine.

●Because you were in front of 4000 people?
JUNJI: I don't think it had to do with the number of people, but I couldn't get relaxed.
DAITA: The way it looked from the stage, it seemed like the people formed a mountain. Before the start of that show we were showing a video where we parodied "Bebop High school" and then the screen where it was projected fell and the first song "Sin" started... It was awesome how the people were looking down at us.
KAZUMA: I also only remember that it started with "Bebop High school" and "Sin". (laughs) But it was a good show in my opinion.
HIDEKI: Looking back at it now, I think if it was OK for me to sing at such a place. I was standing on the stage just thinking "I want to get women" and "I want to get money". I was like an empty shell. I think the nervousness came from the pressure of "is it OK for me to stand here?" I think I was losing to that. Now my sense of duty toward singing has changed 180 degrees from that time. So I think that the sense of accomplishment and such will remain. I think that no matter how cool our live show looked it didn't have persuasiveness.

●In February '97 you released your 3rd single "Why not?" It is coupled with "I Believe" which was also in your indies demo tape. Why did you use this particular song as the second side?
DAITA: We had some new songs, but there wasn't any particular that we wanted to do. We just thought "let's do that". Also, this was the song that made me join SIAM SHADE. We rearranged it and... if I may say so myself, I think it's cooler than the original. (laughs) I don't remember the recording very well, but it was probably really fun. "Why not?" was cut from "SIAM SHADE III" and so we recorded only that one song. I could do some experiments, and we recorded it at Char's studio, and as expected, it turned out sounding very good.
HIDEKI: Because "I Believe" is an old song, I too had to show my progress as a singer. And you can also see one reason that made DAITA join SIAM SHADE. I changed the lyrics a little and though "I Believe" was already a cool song, I think we could make it even cooler.

●And then there was the single "RISK" released in May.
HIDEKI: SIAM SHADE was kind of taking a chance with "RISK" - going "take that!" We wanted to get more known to the world and people. If we're going to work as pro musicians, we'll have to put out the part of our wide musicality that will be the most popularly accepted. I made the original song that would become "RISK" and in SIAM SHADE's songs it was most close to a pop song. If we can't sell well here then we won't be able to experiment with recording different things. It got to the level of "instead of just doing it ourselves, shouldn't we spend some money on it too?" And so we asked Matsui Gorou to write the lyrics. He had also written lyrics for Himuro Kyousuke and I thought he would be the best to write rock lyrics.

●How was it to actually work with Matsui Gorou?
HIDEKI: We would fax lyrics back and forward. It was a great experience. I sorta felt a poet waking inside of me. Until that, it was out of the question for the band that an outsider would write the lyrics... It was a time when I felt like blaming myself for the band not selling well. From there I started to think that I need to pay more attention to other people's opinions.

●Were you worried when the sales weren't going up?
HIDEKI: Now that I think about it, money is not everything, but back then I thought "I want money, I want to be famous." I thought that that would happen when we went major. But if you don't sell you'll start to lose spirit.

●This year's August you had a 3 day live at the Shinjuku LIQUIDROOM. You had already performed succesfully at NHK Hall, so why LIQUIDROOM?
NATIN: I thought "why didn't we do a show here sooner?" I had never gone there but HIDEKI and DAITA were saying that it's perfect for us, so we tried. And I noticed they were right.
JUNJI: Our seniors that were around us would go from Power Stage to Nihon Seinenkan to Shibuya to Budōkan. So it was obvious for us to start from Power Stage. We didn't pay notice to LIQUIDROOM as we might have been following the rails that people before us had created. But I think it was really good for us to perform there.
NATIN: It's not about "how many people will it fit?". I had noticed that before, but we started to put that to practice here. It was the outcome of us searching for a shed fitting for us. Actually, I didn't like it at first. I was kind of afraid that the number of people that would come to see us would drop even temporarily. But now I don't think like that at all.

●So if there's a chance, you'll perform there?
NATIN: We will.
DAITA: I'd like to make it our holy land.
HIDEKI: Live shows are like sex. You mustn't come on ahead, and just making the audience come is boring. You gotta come together. I think that the hall is the bed. I haven't had sex on a waterbed, so I don't know, but I think it would be too soft for it. And also, too luxurios places would be awkward too. Or places where the lights are too bright. The aim of our live shows is to really become one with the audience. In that way it might be the best bed yet that we have found.

●It was a time when you found such a place, but also a time when "you felt like you were a glass ball." That came up in your last interview with Mr. Akashi.
HIDEKI: We had that even before that. Since we felt like we took a risk with "RISK" and after that had no effect it made us go "uh-oh?". At that time we were pushing out the hard side of the playing and the popness of the singing. When that had no effect, I started thinking: "is it my fault?"

●At that time Akashi (Masao) appeared and you joined forces in your 5th single "PASSION", right?
HIDEKI: However, I was half in doubt. I think that Mr. Akashi didn't also completely understand us. We were both working by feeling our way. When it comes to the lyrics, I still think that the original lyrics had more persuasion. The chorus wasn't changed at all, but by just changing the A melody part, they turned out into lyrics that can be taken in a dirty way. I regret that a little. But it also gave us a lot of confidence so it's a very important song.
DAITA: "PASSION" was a song, I think, that brought back parts that SIAM SHADE had forgotten. When we were selecting the song I too thought that "PASSION" was good. But I also thought that we should put out another song like "RISK". I was worried that if we put out a hard song like "PASSION" we'd return to the harder style. But instead of how much it sold, I thought it was strange when that song - that sounded different from others - came on the radio. I think that from there it then connects to "A One Third of Pure-hearted Emotions".
HIDEKI: On TV you've got the visuals that can make you think, "they look cool." But with radio you've only got your ears. And because we could get such an outcome, that gave us the light that, "maybe we are going to make it!?" (laughs)
DAITA: One or two months after we released it, it rose to #11. That made me think "it's the power of the composition after all."

●And then, "A One Third of Pure-hearted Emotions" was released in November '97. Did you learn different ways of getting sounds working with Mr. Akashi?
DAITA: Yes, I did. In many ways there were both things like: "you had to do it like this, or it wouldn't have turned out like that" and "so it necessarily didn't have to be like that?". At first I thought "oh, it's because of the tie-up [with Rurouni Kenshin]". But like it was with "PASSION" we could leave a result as pros, that our direction as a band wasn't mistaken... Until that, the results weren't promising and I was starting to have suspicions about that. But this gave me confidence. Not only did it give confidence to my songwriting, but also to my playing.
HIDEKI: It's not that the world finally gave us it's approval, but without this we would have ended up thinking "maybe we are a juice company that makes only bad-tasting juice?". At first I got started in music 'cause I wanted to "get women and money". But after the setbacks I had the time to think "what does singing mean to me?". So I gained something big from the setbacks. And also, I wrote the lyrics while having such feelings and the band had been warming the song for a long time. So it was lucky that it became a hit at the same time. It became a hit at the perfect time and made people say "you guys are good", so now we're afraid of nothing anymore.

●It's not like your frustration period lasted for many years, and there were some good things too, right?
HIDEKI: If it had lasted any longer, I would have quit singing. I would have just thought "I'm not just fit for it." In that sense it felt like it was destiny. It's like everything turned out well at that time. But it's not because we started to sell that we inserted the song "Dear" dedicated to fans in our current album "SIAM SHADE IV - Zero". While in the depths of despair I really noticed the importance of fans and I wrote that song with genuine feelings. You know that some fans will leave you when you start to sell. But I'm really happy that I could dedicate one song to fans at such a time.

●Now that you've started writing songs with all the members, you've given the album the subtitle "Zero" to symbolize a fresh start.
DAITA: I think that that is what was most important.
HIDEKI: I don't think that we will get vain when we get big. I think that we were vain in the beginning, when we had our major label debut. Then we were taken down a peg or two and we realized the weakness of humans. Now I think that even if we get big now we'll have the proper awareness. It doesn't mean that we are vain, but that we are properly expressing what we think.

●Your latest album "SIAM SHADE IV - Zero" is not only reviewed in music magazines, but also in informational magazines and newspapers. How does that make you feel?
HIDEKI: I think it's the natural outcome. Because it is cool. I think that I put so much effort in every letter in the lyrics that I don't know if I can do that again. Also in the singing I feel that there was for the first time a strong feeling of "I want to get this across." "SIAM SHADE IV - Zero" is to me an album close to a miracle.
KAZUMA: The biggest thing is that we all wrote the songs. There was a limit to what the three of us could write and the other two would have faded... I think that it will get even better from here on.
JUNJI: Even if it's just the foundation, I want to offer songs to the band... To put it other way, until now I was just a player, but now I can really say that I am a member of SIAM SHADE. I'll continue doing my best.
NATIN: We want to go on a tour quickly. The recording happened at around May last year. "PASSION", "A One Third of Pure-hearted Emotions" and "SIAM SHADE IV - Zero" were all jumbled together and I was thinking, "I want to perform these live asap" and "I wonder how surprised everybody will be?"
HIDEKI: During our previous tour "No, Way-out" we did perform "No! Marionette" and others and they were powerful. So the next tour "ZERO-ISM" might take the cake? It even feels that way to me. I can't help imagining a SIAM SHADE that has become too cool. Anyway, I can't wait to stand on the stage. And I want to return after memorizing all of our fans faces one by one and give them something money can't buy.
DAITA: I think that even the people who like SIAM SHADE's music but don't have the courage to come see us live will think that "I want hear that live!" after listening to "SIAM SHADE IV - Zero". With an album like this I think it'll become a show where you can "see the 5 in flesh and blood." I think that up until now we have had cool stagings and have made the audience enjoy and have had fun ourselves. This time I'll try to perform so that even though I'm just standing there playing, it'll make you go "whoa!" The word "frustration" is no longer in my dictionary.

●This ends our look back at the history of SIAM SHADE. How did you feel, remembering the road that you have walked?
HIDEKI: You know how Japanese, or Asians generally only listen to the singing. I think that there are a lot of people who will come to see us live for the first time during this tour. I'd like them to feel that "SIAM SHADE is SIAM SHADE becuse of all the 5 of us."... Of course we must remember not to show off and think about the balance. I think that the live shows are the places where you can feel "what SIAM SHADE is." That wasn't really an answer to the question... But looking back at our history, I just think "because all the 5 of us where there, SIAM SHADE is what it now is." (laughs) I think that we were challengers. We were doing things that people hadn't done before and we just might have changed the times a little. There were times when it came back to bite us in the ass, but to do something like that in this age made us gain something that people who were afraid of doing that didn't. ...You mustn't worry about the failures. What is important is "what is now?" In that sense, "keep your eyes forward." I want to make the people of the world feel that. I'm even thinking, "isn't there something we can do to get over the language barrier?" You may think that I'm just talking big, but I think it would be cool to accomplish that in my lifetime. So, I think that I too don't have the word "frustration" anymore. "Anything but carrots, bring it on!" (laughs)
JUNJI: I'll continue giving my all as 1/5 of SIAM SHADE. There isn't really anything special "now that I think of it..." (laughs) You just do your best at every moment.
NATIN: Until now, the fans and the staff have said to us all kinds of things. But we have always worked as hard as we can, so I think that we don't have to pay much mind to such things.
KAZUMA: There are good times and there are bad times. At any rate I'm relieved that we now have a promising future. But that doesn't mean that the past was all bad. We had fun as a band and I'd like us to continue having fun even in the future. If all of us weren't having fun we would have quit. I'd like us to stay close even from now on.
DAITA: Considering everything until now, we have formed stronger bonds... Well, I think that all of us have had hard times, since we have created our own way. But, like NATIN said, we were told by different people that "there is also this way". And I think there were some points where we were in doubt. However, I think that now everyone has felt that "this is our way". Now we just have to go forward on that road.