ChRocktikal in Amstelveen
The excitement was palpable in the room while we waited for the band to enter the stage. The gloomy rainy weather outside hasn't discouraged fans from coming early to get the good spots. The lights dim and the crowd screams.
Photography by Tessa van Damme
One for one the members enter the stage and wave to us. Starting off with Intro: CRTK and PEACE. After this impressive opening of the show the members one by one introduce themself in Dutch, with some help and encouragement of the fans. Siyeon mentioned they have been looking forward to today and can't wait to make it an unforgettable evening. RIDE, WTH and All in on me, continue the set with a mix of rock and dance rhythms making the energy in the room amazing.
Junyoung, the bassist, tells us he arrived yesterday and he finds it truly amazing to be here
and share this moment with us. Drummer Gwanwoo shyly explains he is happy to be with us today and feels honored to perform for us today. Wonseok shares that he has always wanted to come to Amsterdam because a lot of his friends have studied Jazz music here in Amsterdam. Siyeon wishes she had a day off to roam the city because she always wanted to visit it, but even though she can't, the fact that we are here tonight makes her very happy. It’s truly amazing they are able to communicate so well in Dutch!
Continuing the set with slower rock ballads Shame and Green which feature vocals not only from Siyeon but from Wonseok and Gwanwoo. Introducing the next song; Free! Siyeon asks if we like driving because the song is about driving and feeling free. Changing up the energy Victor takes us back into the rock genre the band is most known for, the distorted guitar, heavy drums pair perfectly with Siyeons impressive vocals and it even features screams from Junyoung!
While Siyeon takes a short break off stage Junyoung shares he really likes the Amsterdam football club Ajax and when he visited the Johan Cruijff Arena the night before his heart was beating so fast, because he plays with Ajax all the time in the game Fifa. The remaining band members play a cover of Cigarettes & Alcohol by the band Oasis, with some extra added solos from every member!
Siyeon joins the members back on stage and wastes no time going into the next song; Intro ( Bloom & Gloom) which starts with a fast drum intro and guitar solo and flows perfectly over into REQUIEM. While working on their latest album they modified the mix over 20 times because they only wanted to give us the best of the best. Siyeon asks the crowd which their favorite song of the new album is and in unison the crowd screams back “Guilty” which is the next song they play. ¡Corre! is next on the set list, a song with spanish influence and lyrics sung by Wonseok. Wonseok talked earlier about enjoying the Heineken beer he had. The other members joined in enthusiasm for the drink. When someone in the crowd offered some throughout the night they couldn't refuse. Nearing the end of the set during KALish and NAVI the crowd showed us they still had plenty of energy to give.
In the closing speech all the members again told us how grateful they are for us to be here and how much fun they had here, the last song on the setlist was Iris which they sang together with the crowd. But we all know the end is not really the end, after cheering for an encore the members came back to stage to do one more song; Memory Box and took the time to really wave goodbye to the crowd, giving out plectrums, setlists and drumsticks making the night of some lucky fans even better than it already was.
Review by Tessa van Damme
Photography by Tessa van Damme
ChRocktical in p60, Amstelveen, September 17th
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