flumpool 5^th Anniversary Tour 2014 [MOMENT]

Singapore Special Live Open Press Conference

1 August 2014 | JStage (J-Cube)

Last held an intimate mini live fan event at Switch in February, flumpool is back! Since April, they had already done a whirlwind tour of 24 concerts in Japan (4 more upcoming arena specials in August), 2 in Taiwan and finally their first full-fledged concert in Singapore on 2 August 2014. This was the first time in Singapore flumpool did an open press conference with the fans present.

Making Singapore as one of the exclusive overseas stops meant a lot to the fans here. And for the fans to have access to the press conference made the whole affair even sweeter.

The band arrived at about 5.15pm amidst screams, fan-made signboards and mascots, a departure from the usual air of seriousness at press conferences. Fans have always been a core support for flumpool and receiving such a unique welcome would have dispelled any discomfort that they might be having. Members were very much at ease and smiling throughout the event. Ryuta Yamamura (vocalist) was the main spokesperson, expressing their fondness for the fans and delight to be here.

“Singapore fans are really passionate! We love spending time here with the fans. Even though this is our fourth time here in Singapore, we are looking forward and really excited about the concert as it is our first solo live!” However when prompted for more details of whether they would be doing anything special at the concert, Ryuta played coy and said that they would be keeping that as a secret and if one is curious, be there to find out more.

Given that the tour is titled [MOMENT], the press conference revolved around the different moments in their musical journey – past, present and future:

Most Memorable Moment

Seiji Ogura (drummer): The most memorable had to be the Nippon Budokan Live concerts in 2009. It is a pity we can’t share with the fans here. So now that we have this concert, let’s create new moments together!

Genki Amakawa (bassist): The first time I received payment… because my bank account was in the red

Ryuta: Budokan Live was actually a moment I would like to erase as the band was so tired at the end that we felt very down. However, this only made flumpool stronger and got us to where we are now today. So it is a moment I will not forget.

Favourite flumpool Song

Seiji: Akashi. The song composition was rearranged to be sung in a choir for the 78^th NHK National Music Contest. Singing with the choir reminded me of singing with the fans in the concert. It was very special.

Ryuta: Hana ni nare as it was our very first song so it has a lot of meaning for me

Genki: Taisetsu na mono wa kimi igai ni miataranakute. I had lots of wonderful memories and fun shooting the PV

Kazuki Sakai (guitarist): Frame. I had this image of audience singing together with us at Nippon Budokan and when it really happened, it was like a dream came true!

Unforgettable Moments in Singapore

Ryuta: We love the chilli crab! Actually not really the crab but the fried buns that come along to dip in the sauce!

Kazuki: Taking pictures with the Merlion with water coming out of my mouth! (laughs)

Ryuta: Spending time with the fans here. Singapore fans jumping in front of the stage make us really happy! 

Future

Ryuta: From the sensitive Hana ni nare to a stronger tone in Because… I am, the change in style reflects our growth in our music. We are still growing and learning. Working with Mayday has been a privilege and we respect them very much. We would like to be able to become like them to attract fans from all over the world.

Fans and media alike were pleasantly surprised when Ryuta gamely answered a question in Mandarin. His marked improvement in the language proficiency left the audience impressed. Ending the press conference was a special performance from flumpool – an acoustic version of Hana ni nare and the moment fans were waiting for – going on stage to receive an autographed poster personally from the band members.

“We would like to create the best moment at the concert and spend the best time with Singapore. Thank you for coming. See you tomorrow. Love you Singapore!” Ryuta enthused before going off the stage with the rest of the band, leaving behind precious moments from the press conference for fans to reminisce and new moments to create with flumpool the next day.

Text and pictures by eefie.chan