[ENGLISH BELOW] C’est dans un Backstage by the mill sold out en quelques jours que passait ENFIN SiM en France ce 23 Février dernier. En effet, depuis sa création le groupe japonais de punk/reggae n’avait jamais posé le pied sur le sol français.
C’est seulement l’année passée que SiM se produisait pour la première fois en dehors du Japon. Des dates hors du pays du soleil levant attendues depuis de nombreuses années par la fanbase du groupe qui n’a cessée de croître au fur et à mesure des années. Lors de leur date unique à Londres, SiM annonçait vouloir revenir pour davantage de dates en Europe en 2024.
C’est en première parties des tournées européennes de Nothing More et Electric Callboy que SiM avait enfin l’occasion de revenir. Le groupe a ajouté à son planning déjà chargé deux dates en headline : une en France au Backstage le 23 février et une le jour suivant à Cologne en Allemagne.
Et autant dire que les places se sont vendues très rapidement ! Depuis que le groupe a réalisé deux musiques pour le très connu animé de l’attaque des titans ( The Rumbling et Under The Tree) la fanbase a considérablement grandie à l’étranger.
Lors de cette date à Paris le groupe a modestement exprimé sa joie de remplir des salles en Europe aussi rapidement. Mah, le chanteur, plaisante et raconte alors qu’ils auraient dû prévoir une salle plus grande.
L’ouverture des portes se fait à 19h ce 23 février. Le public est bel et bien présent et n’a qu’une hâte : enfin voir SiM se produire en live ! Dans la file les afficionados du groupe discutent, certains attendaient cet événement depuis plus d’une dizaine d’années !
Après avoir remercié le public d’avoir répondu présent au rendez-vous et pour son énergie SiM enchaîne avec des sons plus anciens cette fois-ci.
Who’s next et TxHxC suivent de peu dans une ambiance électrique. Au premier rang les fans sont à même la scène et il est difficile de ne pas tomber. Les premiers mosh pit font leur apparition.
Le groupe enchaîne avec la très connue Killing me et laisse même un fan du nom de Dimitri jouer sur scène avec eux. Celui-ci prend la guitare et assure le show aux côtés du groupe qui semble s’amuser beaucoup !
C’est avant de dire au revoir au public que SiM clôture avec f.a.i.t.h.
On retiendra de cette première date de SiM un show à la hauteur, une énergie incroyable mais surtout beaucoup d’interaction avec les fans et cela faisait vraiment plaisir à voir. Espérons que le groupe arrivera à revenir prochainement !
[ENGLISH VERSION] Backstage by the mill sold out in just a few days, and SiM finally arrived in France on February 23. Indeed, the Japanese punk/reggae band had never set foot on French soil since its creation.
It was only last year that SiM performed outside Japan for the first time. Shows outside the Land of the Rising Sun have been eagerly awaited for many years by the band’s fanbase, which has grown steadily over the years. At the time of their only show in London, SiM announced that they would be returning for more shows in Europe in 2024.
It was as support act for Nothing More and Electric Callboy‘s European tours that SiM finally had the opportunity to return. The band added two headline shows to their already busy schedule: one in France at the Backstage on February 23, and one the following day in Cologne, Germany.
And it goes without saying that tickets sold out fast! The band’s fanbase has grown considerably abroad since they produced two soundtracks for the hit anime Attack of the Titans (The Rumbling and Under The Tree).
On this show in Paris, the band modestly expressed their delight at filling venues in Europe so quickly. Singer Mah joked that they should have planned a bigger venue.
Doors open at 7pm on February 23rd. The audience is well and truly present and eager to see SiM live at last! In line, the band’s afficionados are chatting away, some of them having been waiting for this event for over a decade!
The concert starts at around 8:30 p.m., a little late compared to the time that had been announced. But no matter, the audience’s impatience is only heightened.
SiM arrives on stage without an opening act, a rare enough occurrence to be worth noting. The quartet attack their set with Under The Tree, released last year for the Attack of the Titans anime. Instantly, the crowd goes wild, and fans shout the lyrics along with Mah, the band’s lead singer.
The band followed up with Playdead, the eponymous song from their latest album, released in 2023. This is followed by Hide and Seek and Kiss or Death, also from Playdead. Right from the start, the band delivers a very energetic performance, and seems delighted to see the French audience reacting with such passion. The venue may be small, but the intimate atmosphere of the Backstage makes this first French date a real treat!
After thanking the audience for coming and for their energy, SiM moves on to older sounds this time.
Devil in your heart, released in 2020, begins and is followed seamlessly by the well-known Blah Blah Blah and the iconic Gunshot. The latter two songs reveal more of the original fusion that is SiM: a blend of Ska/reggae and rock/punk duly led by Mah. The SiM singer arrives with his black make-up around his eyes, his usual polo shirt and neon green tie.
After a set of three high-energy songs, to which the audience danced in rhythm with the singer, the band took a short break to chat with the fans.
One by one, they tried their hand at French, while words in Japanese echoed through the audience. « Bonjour », « Merci », « très bien ». The band has clearly been practicing to please the fans in the Backstage area. The different members Show-hate (guitarist), Godri (drummer), Sin (bassist) and Mah (singer) then ask the audience which one of them they’d like to see, and in the end it’s Godri who wins out, surely thanks to his good humor and high spirits.
The band resumes with Baseball Bat. Mah retrieves a baseball bat from a corner of the stage.
Who’s next and TxHxC soon follow in an electric atmosphere. The fans in the front row are right on the stage, and it’s hard not to fall over. The first mosh pits appear.
In the middle of the set, a power cut occurs. The room was plunged into darkness, but the atmosphere was there and the fans began to sing along. Godri on drums follows as the band dance around the stage. The lights come back on after a few minutes, but the sound takes longer to arrive. SiM takes advantage of this to sign autographs and take photos with his audience to keep them waiting.
SiM‘s flagship track, The Rumbling, kicks off the concert with a bang. The audience shout out the lyrics with Mah. At the end of the song, Mah explains that for the fans who have arrived thanks to this music from Attack of the Titans, the surprise must be real in the face of the moshpit. With a smile, he says, « We’re very happy and grateful to have made music for an anime as big as Attack of the Titans, but we’re first and foremost a rock band, and that’s part of our culture ».
The band follow up with Red and finish their set with Do the dance, two songs from their latest album Playdead.
The audience immediately asks for more. As soon as they return to the stage, Mah promises fans that SiM will be back in France for good, hopefully in a bigger venue as this show was sold out.
The band followed up with the well-known Killing me, and even let a fan by the name of Dimitri play on stage with them. Dimitri takes the guitar and performs alongside the band, who seem to be having a great time!
Before saying goodbye to the audience, SiM closes with f.a.i.t.h.
Before leaving the stage, Mah’ apologizes on behalf of the band for not being able to be present at the merch at the end of the show, their schedule with the next date in Cologne not allowing them to stay too late at the Backstage. The band make themselves available for about ten minutes before leaving the stage, offering fans autographs, setlists and mediators. The four members of SiM take lots of photos and leave the stage for good, thanking their fans!
We’ll remember this first SiM show as a great show, with incredible energy and, above all, a lot of interaction with the fans, which was a real pleasure to see. Let’s hope the band come back again soon!
