"Do you...want to stop being human?" I don't know Hisui, something tells me you made that decision for me.
All flocked to Camden in London as hoardes of J-Pop fans gathered, unable to resist the flittering flame that was Electric Ballroom. In particular, the five-member girl group known as Phantom Siita.
Created and trained by artist and Japanese vocal phenomenon Ado, Phantom Siita are known as a "retro-horror" group, melding regular J-Pop idol aesthetics and classic horror into something girlishly terrifying. They embarked on their first world tour "Moth to a Flame", alluding to the Siita in their name - a combination of the scientific term for butterfly (Parantica sita) and moth (Epicopeia hainesii).
Photo Credit: May // KpopWise
The show started with their most popular track "Just Wanna XXXX with You". Red lights flooded the stage as the five members in blood-dipped black school uniforms slowly emerged and took their positions. Their faces solemn, ghostly even, quickly turning into something more malevolent as the song began and they slipped into their iconic "All I want is you, I wanna see your blood". The entire first segment felt as if they were toying with their prey, entertained in their dark insanity at the idea of their victims tragic end as they went on to perform the darkly obsessive "Devilish Girl", "Hanabami" and "Conflicting".
They greeted the audience, leading a fan chant before moving onto their cover songs. The first kept the deranged, obsessive theme with a group performance of Jun Togawa's "Suki Suki Daisuke", an 80's classic for all J-Pop fans. They then moved on to their solo performances, which were an amalgamation of retro Japanese pop songs. The first was the youngest Mona with a cover of Seiko Matsuda's "Aoi Sangoshou" then Rinka with Meiko Nakahara's "Fantasy", letting loose as she twirled around on stage. Next up was Miu in an elegant cover of Kenshi Yonezu's "Kick Back" and Hisui, captivating the audience with her high note in Hikaru Utada's "One Last Kiss". The final solo was Yasuha's "Fly-Day Chinatown" by Moka, who added on a funky little dance break.
Photo Credit: May // KpopWise
They then returned as a group for Taeko Onuki's "4:00AM", begging they begged the sky "Lord, give me one more chance" over and over in evident desperation. The melancholy aura remained as they performed their original song "Hanagatami", shedding their earlier deranged hysteria as they solemnly swanned the stage in a wistfully, nearly waif-like manner. As if they could disappear at any moment. They finished with the well-loved Japanese city pop classic "Mayonaka no Door/Stay with Me" by icon Miki Matsubara.
After another chat with the audience, they finally performed their debut song "Otomodachi", before giving a heartfelt "Thank you" and disappearing. Though it didn't last long as the audience stomped and cheered for an encore, coaxing the girls back out with a performance of the iconic "Tot Musica" by their producer Ado, which featured in One Piece Film: Red, chanting the mantra with all the drama of fallen angels. In a switch, they moved on to possibly the most-loved for some, the Sailor Moon opening "Moonlight Densetsu". The audience all joined in with the girlhood anthem in a wave of nostalgia before they spoke to the audience once again.
Photo Credit: May // KpopWise
After a day of hard work, the girls expressed their joy at being able to perform and meet London Haine (Phantom Siita fans), but also their sadness in it being their final stop on the tour. "I love this moment more than sleep", little Mona said, encouraging the audience as they cheered for the group. They each relayed their sentiments, a series of "Thank you" and "I love you", with a cheeky "Please call my name!" from Hisui, followed by a roar of fans chanting her name. Though at the end, many a tear was shed and they gave their final bow, before performing their last song of the night "Zoku Zoku" as a farewell.
And like that, the show was over. Upon first hearing the news, it was interesting to hear that such a new group would already be going on a world tour. However, "Moth to a Flame" did well to showcase the talents and stellar training of the five members. Favourites of the night were "Devilish Girl", "Hanabami", "Tot Musica" and "Mayonaka no Door" for the great job their did injecting their own identity into such iconic songs. Considering their fairly new position, it's impressive how far the young group have gotten. They seem to have an interesting trajectory ahead of them, and are definitely something worth keeping an eye on. For now, we can only watch and see what they do next.
Photo Credit: May // KpopWise
Did you attend the show? What did you think? Share your opinion with us below, and be sure to follow KpopWise for more updates!
Photo Gallery
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |