Last year at Comic Fiesta, Japanese singers ASCA and Mikiha (幹葉) of spira spica (スピラ・スピカ) took the stage and wowed Malaysian otakus with their amazing performances. The two singers returned to Malaysia once more for the SACRA MUSIC FES that took place on 3rd February (Saturday) at Zepp KL.
The lineup for this year’s event included FLOW, Who-ya Extended and opening act Akase Akari. Fans were lining up at Lalaport BBCC to watch these amazing artists perform not only their original music but also the theme music from popular animes. All we can say about the concert is that it was absolutely astounding. Here’s what went down:
Akase Akari
Known mostly for being a cosplayer, Akase Akari opened the SACRA MUSIC FES with “Koi No Yukue” while cosplaying as Marin Kitagawa from the anime “My Dress-up Darling”. After performing the second song “Connect” which is the opening theme for “Puella Magi Madoka Magica” (originally sung by ClariS), the singer revealed that she was amazed by everyone’s Japanese since the majority understood her without the need for a translator.
Her sweet cute voice and personality captured the attention of every male fan in the audience and if that wasn’t enough, her closing song “IDOL”, the opening theme for Oshi no Ko (originally sung by YOASOBI) got everyone dancing on their feet.
spira spica
After seeing her perform at last year’s anime-cosplay event, we simply couldn’t get enough of her! Mikiha of spira spica was the first act to grace the stage with her energetic presence and amazing vocal abilities, showing off her impressive stamina and breath support as she danced, ran and jumped on stage throughout the entirety of her set!
The lead band member opened her set with the uptempo “RE:RISE” from “Gundam Build Divers Re:Rise” before moving on to her rendition of “Blue Bird” from Naruto which got fans screaming at the top of their lungs. Just like what she did at Comic Fiesta, Mikiha then taught the audience a dance for the next song “Pyramid Daigyakuten” which is also the opening of “Ore dake Haireru Kakushi Dungeon”.
We were blown away by how quickly everyone learned the dance as they all were in perfect sync during the performance of the song, even Mikiha herself was surprised but excited nonetheless. After teaching the traditional Japanese Awaodori dance, the artist proceeded to the fan-favourite “Gurenge”, the opening theme song for “Demon Slayer” and we were just as amazed as we were when we heard her cover of the song the first time. Hopefully next time, we’ll get to see her perform the song with her senpai LiSa. She ended her set with her band’s very own song “SANSAN Days” but before she left the stage, Mikiha surprised everyone by briefly singing the folksong “Rasa Sayang”!
Who-ya Extended
It was Who-ya Extended’s to take the stage. The singer gave an electrifying performance, opening his set with “Q-vism” and “Synthetic Symphony”. Although this was his very first time in Malaysia, he felt right at home on stage and showcased his vocal skills with the ballad “Prayer” which is the ending theme of “Hametsu no Oukoku”. The rest of his set was nothing short of headbanging tracks such as “Repentance Dance”, “Killing My Fear” and “A Shout of Triumph”.
The artist elevated his performances with not just fast-tempo songs but amazing light sequences and visuals projected onto the screen. Before ending his set, he thanked the audience for their support and energy throughout the entire performance. He even promised that he’ll be back soon so we’re very much looking forward to that! The young performer gave the audience one last treat and that’s by performing “VIVID VICE”, the opening theme of the popular anime “Jujutsu Kaisen”. You can bet that everyone sang along to every word.
ASCA
ASCA blew everyone away during her set at Comic Fiesta last year and this time it was no different. Starting her set with the ever-so-powerful songs “Stellar” and “Howling” which she extended the vocalisation part of the latter for fans to sing along with her. The venue vibrated immensely with the audience dancing and jumping to her performance. “Nama says ASCA! Apa khabar? Sudah makan?” she cutely asked fans before slowing things down with “HIBARI” from the anime “The Case Files of Lord El-MelloiⅡ Rail Zeppelin Grace Note”.
Showing off her breathtaking vocals, ASCA got everyone waving their light sticks as she performed the slow-tempo track. The singer picked up the pace once again with the headbanging and fast-tempo song “RIN” from “Grancrest Senki”. Our hearts sank a little when it came to the final two songs of her set. Still, the performer gave her absolute best when she ended her set with “REAL DAWN” and one of her biggest hits “RESISTER”, the opening theme song for “Sword Art Online Alicization”.
We hate that the time has come for her to exit the stage but we’re certain that we’ll be seeing her again in the future, perhaps for her very own solo concert.
FLOW
The moment that we’ve all been waiting for finally arrived. The second the band’s instruments were being set up on stage, fans have been eagerly waiting for FLOW to blow them away again after 9 years. When the famous Japanese group started their set with “Kazenouta”, the audience was jumping, chanting and even vocalising throughout the entire performance like they were actually at a full-on rock concert.
Kicking it up a notch, the band performed the fan-favourite “Sign”, one of the most iconic openings from “Naruto” which the crowd knew every lyric by heart since 2010. Taking a break after their 3rd song “COLORS”, FLOW expressed their gratitude for their fans’ support and how excited they were to return after almost a decade.
Despite a minor hiccup during “REKKA”, the group carried on like nothing was wrong before going into another fan favourite, “GO!!!” also featured in the “Naruto” soundtrack. It’s true what vocalists Kōshi Asakawa and Keigo Hayashi said when interacting with the audience that anime unites the people in Zepp KL that evening as everyone relived their childhood memories by enjoying the songs from one of the most popular animes of all time.
One of the highlights that evening was when FLOW guided the crowd to do “the wave” from every direction; left to right, right to left, down to up! It was truly a magical sight to behold. Ending their set with a bang, the band performed the headbanging “GOLD” where members of the audience joined in for one last giant jump towards the end of the song.
Encore
Just when we thought it was all over, every SACRA MUSIC FES act came back on stage to perform one last song together, “VIVA ROCK” by FLOW from “Naruto”. The performers thanked the audience one last time for their support and waved the Malaysian flag on stage before saying goodbye. This is our very first SACRA MUSIC FES and we had the time of our lives that day and we hope that the festival will come back next year with more amazing acts!
