live report ~ m.o.v.e: May 8, 2009
ACen - Chicago, IL
At ACEN 09, I had the opportunity to see m.o.v.e for the first time! As someone who was a casual listener and liked what I had heard previously, I wasn't entirely sure what to expect. After a long wait in line with a lot of people, we were all ushered in and people rushed in, storming the place like mad. After a lot of waiting, the Slants finally played. They played a good show, and had a lot of fun, but they aren't the focus of this review.
After the Slants played, there was once again a pretty long wait. After a while, the band filtered on stage to much applause from the audience. The music started and everyone went crazy. Although it was obvious that many people in the crowd couldn't identify with the first song, everyone was still going insane with all of the energy the band brought by just starting one song.
Everyone began to sing, dance, and cheer, and were purely enjoying themselves. Yuri sang first, and danced around her microphone stand, enchanting everyone (especially me, since I fell in love with her by the end of the show.) The songs were very high-energy, with a great balance between Yuri's singing and Motsu's rapping. There were even a few times where the DJ in the background had a chance to shine: the fast-paced, hard-to-count BPM music took over and everyone suddenly became professional dancers and danced to their heart's content. Some people even went as far as intentionally moving away from the stage so they could have more room to dance.
The band made sure to keep it varied with a few slow songs, and even did some really fun MCing between songs. By the time the band was done playing, everyone was on their feet, cheering, and in love. They were done sooner than I even fully realized they were playing, it was all such an awesome show. It was obvious that everyone was having a lot of fun, the band included.
For a band that may be relatively unknown compared to some of the superstar bands that make their way to conventions in the US, m.o.v.e shows a lot of promise, and potential. With their talent, stage presence, and an all-out-fun catchiness that manages to mix several genres so well, they are definitely a band to keep an eye on in the near future.
report by Joey; photos by Melony and Joey
Thanks to AVEX and ACen for making this possible.
links
m.o.v.e Official Website
Download m.o.v.e's music on iTunes
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