◤ FEMM @ Tokyo In Tulsa 2014 - Fan Account ◢

Let me start this with a warning that I’ve never written a fanaccount before lmao…. But anyways. Tokyo in Tulsa. I’m out of state, so it took 20+ hours to get to Tulsa for this con with the sole purpose of seeing FEMM live. The road was long but it wasn’t really rough until we actually got into Tulsa. I have never been in a city so confusing. Despite all the frustrations, it was all worth it to see FEMM! Let’s get the actual account started~

Day 1 (July 11th)

[Concert]

The doors opened for FEMM’s concert at 9pm, but they didn’t come out until a little after 9:30. There were no seating, so we all rushed to the front and formed a small pit, with the back area more open for people to dance and move around. For the 30 minutes we were waiting for them to start, FEMM’s staff Atsushi and Hiromi were hanging around the stage helping set up a dj stand. They played electronic music and everyone was really jamming out waiting for FEMM.

When it started, they played the intro video from their FEMM website. The audience definitely hadn’t seen it before, so that was amusing for them to take it all in.

As UFO started playing, FEMM were carried out onto the stage from staff members like actual mannequins. Atsushi and Hiromi had to move the girls into position, shifting their arms and stance. It was so cool seeing their mannequin poses in real life! They were frozen for a good 5 minutes or so; the only part of them moving was their eyes as they blinked.

RiRi was wearing her outfit from Kill the DJ and she looked so amazing! Very hot and tough in her black and red outfit. LuLa was in a white and red nurse outfit! She looked very cute and I loved how they coordinated together.

After that, the music started~ We Flood the Night was the first track to be performed! It was so great live. It was an interesting start since it was one of their mellower tracks, but it flowed from the intro vid to the actual live concert well.

I can’t remember the order of each song exactly, but I’m pretty certain Fxxk Boyz Make Money was the 2nd song to be performed. Wow!!! It was so amazing in those outfits, because I was used to the lolita outfits in the mv. You could really see those hip movements in tight latex pants and skirts *-*

They continued to perform their tracks, so White Noise, Kill the DJ, Kiss the Rain, Astroboy, and 2 new songs! Each song was performed so well and the crowd really got into their heavier tracks. I noticed as they were performing, LuLa’s outfit got a little askew because her top untucked from her skirt and was showing off a little bit of her stomach and side *//-//*

The 2 new songs they performed were Whiplash and Party All Night (?). Whiplash was the kind of song that you could easily pick up the lyrics to, it was very catchy. Party All Night was harder to understand lyrically, but the dance was interesting. They made a drinking motion with their hands and there were a lot of points in their choreo where RiRi and LuLa held hands or looked into each other’s eyes. I particularly remember a part where RiRi stood with her hand up and LuLa clasped hands with her from the back (like a weird hand back hug?). It was interesting and I loved both songs!

After their new tracks, they finished up the concert with a remix of Astroby. They were again carried off the stage like mannequins.

In total, the concert itself was only about 30 minutes! It was so short! I was disappointed that they didn’t stretch it out longer, but I recognized that it was due to the fact they couldn’t speak in their mannequin forms. Luckily though, we heard about a fansign that was happening early the next day!

Day 2 (July 12th)

[Fansign]

Fansign was scheduled for 1pm, but the line had started before noon and it was already relatively long by the time we got into it. My friend and I were waiting without knowing that the fansign was for ALL guests for the con…so all the voice actors and what not were there as well.

When we were let in, we saw 2 long lines but they were both for the voice actors. We had to join a few other fans to form the FEMM line that hadn’t officially started yet, because staff members were still setting up for the fansign. I felt so bad! Only about 10 of us were in line as we were waiting for them to set up. We sadly watched the other lines get crazier and crazier, as staff members pulled out t-shirts and posters.

FEMM walked out like mannequins! They walked all the way from the right side of the big conference room to the left and were even helped in sitting down at the table marked “FEMM”. Atsushi and Hiromi had to set up their arms and even put the markers in their hands! It was so cute to see them so frozen. While we were waiting to start, RiRi would often look our way and check out the line. LuLa was a lot more frozen in her stare, I don’t think I saw her look around even once.

They finally let the line move forward and we got to approach the table of merchandise first. They were selling posters for $15, a t-shirt for $25, and a ticket for a special photo event for $5…of course I bought all 3 things lol. Leading into the fansign, I was worried because I didn’t have anything good for the members to sign, so I was really happy to buy official merch.

Walking up to the girls with my hands full and my eyes bursting from joy, I set my stuff down in front of LuLa first. She started signing my poster when I remembered I wanted them to sign my phone as well. I asked Atsushi if I could get another item signed and when I showed him my phone, he seemed skeptical that the pen would work on the smooth surface. They had to cutely set up LuLa’s hand with the phone and silver sharpie. LuLa signed it, but oh no!! The ink didn’t really stick to it >n< I was flustered and pulled out my phone case and said they could sign the inside of that instead. Luckily they didn’t mind the mess up. I kept apologizing because I felt bad for holding up the line.

RiRi had already signed the poster while LuLa just finished with my phone case, so they handed RiRi the phone case and she was about to sign it with the black sharpie. Luckily one of the staff members rushed to set her hand up with the silver sharpie and she signed away. She really made sure to look into fan’s eyes. It was very precious, I felt my heart stop from how intense her looks were. They didn’t speak at all, but RiRi making sure to wave good bye after handing over my phone made me really happy. RiRi not only signed her name, but she added “FEMM” underneath to fill up the space…ahhhh she was so thoughtful in a unique way.

After collecting my stuff and walking to the back of the room, I joined my friend in deciding what to do afterward. We had heard that there would be a Q&A after the fansign, and then after that we could attend the special photo event we had bought tickets for.

We waited in the conference room, watching FEMM interact with other fans and it was really cute seeing RiRi nod and wave fans good bye. At this point though, there was no one waiting in line for them! It was almost tragic how few people showed up for FEMM’s fansign…I think most of the people at the concert were there for the rave after the concert… :-(

After only about 30 minutes, FEMM stood up and mannequin walked back to the right side of the room. Japanese staff members went with them and the con staff remained with the merchandise. They informed us that the Q&A would start after they cleared out everyone from all the fan sign, so around 3:30pm.

[Q&A]

We got lunch and were back in line at 3pm….but omg the line was so small! Apparently the Q&A was only for FEMM, so the amount of fans actually there for the group was revealed. I would guess there was about 10-15 fans in line. It was so insanely small :-((( A con staff member even came out to see how many people were lined up and he asked us to spread the word because they didn’t want to start when so few people were there. Unfortunately, we didn’t really know anyone at the con so we couldn’t help much. The con really messed up on that one, because they forgot to list FEMM’s Q&A on the schedule so literally no one heard about it unless they were there for the fansign. Eugh, such bad planning. But anyways.

The time came and we were lead into the conference room again.They were already sitting at the table when we arrived. A table was set up on stage and since there was basically no one there, we were able to sit front row, right in the center. It was so awesome being less than 10 feet away from them!

As we sat down, we realized that FEMM were their normal selves and not mannequins! My friend and I were worried that the Q&A would be really awkward if they had to be mannequins and and answer questions at the same time, so it was a relief to see “FEMM” and their agents. To represent FEMM, they had literal mannquins, dressed in the blonde wigs and school girl outfits, set up in the center, while the agents were sitting on either side.

RiRi’s agent is Honey-B, while LuLa’s agent is W-Trouble! The agents are the people who act as FEMM, but when they’re agents they’re normal people and act as almost managers for their mannequins. It’s very much like their website’s concept and that was really interesting.

Because there were so few fans, the start of the Q&A was really awkward…my friend ended up breaking the ice lmao. Here are the questions and answers I remember, in no particular order because I can’t remember it that perfectly OTL.

What’s the appeal of mannequins?

W-Trouble started explaining in japanese, but she didn’t really know what to say, so Honey-B had to come in to save the day lol. Honey-B explained that mannequins are really beautiful and that mannequins have a message they want to convey to humans.

Is there a reason RiRi usually is dressed in black while Lula is in white?

Honey-B said that RiRi is a comebat pilot, with a “badass” personality so she prefers tougher, cooler clothes. W-Trouble explained that LuLa is softer and more pure, so she likes more innocent clothes.

Do FEMM want to take over the world?

Honey-B said yes, that that’s FEMM’s ultimate goal. They want to use music to take control of humans and send their message.

What are FEMM’s favorite songs that they themselves have released?

Honey-B said because RiRi is a badass (she said the word badass so many times omg), she loves Kill the DJ. RiRi loves strong words like “kill”, so she really enjoys that song. W-Trouble said that LuLa is the opposite. She likes softer songs and is fond of Kiss the Rain.

How did FEMM learn how to robot dance?

Honey-B explained that because they are mannequins, they are unable to move as fluidly as a human would, so no matter what their dance moves are going to be robotic. They also said that they learned dances in general by seeing it on tv and in other music videos.

What was the most difficult mv to film?

They both said that Astroboy was the most difficult. Honey-B stated that it took them like 26 hours to film and that it was very hard in their really tall heels. The dance was also particularly difficult since it was so fast paced.

Should we expect more mannequins to come out, like FEMM?

Honey-B talked about their website and how people around the world could become agents like them and represent their own mannequin. (I personally asked this question poorly, because I meant would there be any more music groups like FEMM…oh well lol.)

Would FEMM ever want to be crime fighters?

Honey-B had to ask us what a crime fighter was, so I motioned a fighting stance and called out, “like a superhero”. So she was like “Ahh, a superhero, ok” before thinking about a response. She said that RiRi would love to kickass and fight people, so she would want to be a superhero. W-Trouble stated that because LuLa is more interested in spreading their message through music, she wouldn’t want to become a superman.

Did FEMM have to ride in the back of the plane with luggage, or did they get their own seats?

Honey-B said that RiRi was offended by that question and a little mad. W-Trouble agreed and was like “no comment.” lol. Honey-B ended up saying that they did get their own seats.

What is the best song to perform?

Honey-B said that RiRi loves performing We Flood the Night, because all the hand motions make her feel high. W-Trouble said LuLa loves to perform Astroby (which confused me because wasnt it the hardest one to film? lol).

Will FEMM ever consider dancing with or like a b-boy or b-girl?

This question was kind of muddled and neither the translator or the girls really understood what b-boy dancing was, so they basically said that in their upcoming tracks there would be dancing and back up dancers. lol…

What artists would FEMM like to collaborate with?

Honey-B said that RiRi really likes Hip Hop, but not any specific artist so she was open to learning with any skilled rapper. W-Trouble said that LuLa wanted to work with anyone that supported their cause.

What would happen if they faced opposition?

Honey-B said RiRi would get really pissed, and that when angry she acts rashly, so basically as soon as she heard the opposition her fist would be in their face (LMAO). W-Trouble said LuLa would let RiRi take care of anyone who would disagreed with them.

Why did FEMM come to Tokyo in Tulsa?

Honey-B said that her brother actually lives in Texas, and he was close to someone who worked either at the hotel or with the con. He heard about it and contacted her to tell her about the potential gig. Honey-B explained that the only reason W-Trouble and LuLa were there was because of her lol.

Will FEMM come back to Tokyo in Tulsa?

Honey-B said they would definitely want to comeback if the fans wanted them to.

Where else in the world would FEMM like to visit?

Honey-B said that RiRi doesn’t have a particular place she wants to visit, because she wants to take over the world. Any where there are fans, they both want to visit.

How did they learn English?

Honey-B explained that because they are mannequins, they were programmed to know any language they needed. So they could easily be programmed to speak German, etc.

What is the significance of the school girl outfit?

Honey-B stated that the school girl outfit really represented Japan, and since thats the culture FEMM is from, they wanted to wear an iconic Japanese outfit.

What do FEMM think of the outfits? Are they comfortable or uncomfortable?

Honey-B said that because mannequins are hard unlike human skin, really tight clothing doesn’t bother them at all. Anything they are put in is comfortable.

How long does it take them to get into character?

Both agents said that RiRi and LuLa don’t understand the question, because they are mannequins and have always been that way, so they didn’t learn how to do anything.

Through out the Q&A, Honey-B and W-Trouble would lean in to whisper the questions in the mannequin’s ears and then pretend to listen to a response. It was really amusing how they totally kept the agent and mannequin thing going. Also, Honey-B kept going on about how RiRi is the more dominant of the two and that she’s better than LuLa, but LuLa doesn’t like to admit it. Honey-B also ended up describing RiRi as a bitch LMAO. W-Trouble had a harder time answering questions since she wasn’t fluent in English, so it felt like Honey-B dominated everything for sure. It was so amusing and fun hearing about FEMM, even if I felt a little bad W-Trouble would struggle a little to respond.

Afterward, they asked who had tickets for the photo event and then they explained that they needed 30 minutes to set up for that, so we had to go back outside and wait for them to call us back in. We got up and left while the girls stayed in their spots on stage. I could feel them watching us all leaving, so I was really glad I was wearing the FEMM t-shirt I had bought previously lol.

[Photo Event]

Awkwardly waiting around with the 10 or so other fans, we saw tons of con goers waiting around for the cosplay contest to start. Apparently the contest was being set up as we were going to be doing the photo event, so everything was a little chaotic.

We were let into the same room again and we sat down in a line in front of the same part of the room the fansign took place in. We noticed a black backdrop set up so we figured that was where the photos would be taken. I overheard a girl mention polaroids so I got quite excited knowing the photo wouldn’t be taken with like our phones or something lame.

Staff came out and I could see them holding a polaroid camera and then we all looked up and FEMM were walking in like mannequins! They came from the right again, but this time they were wearing the school girl outfits set up on the plastic mannequins during the Q&A! They looked so cute and when they walked past, I was so amazed at how slim they were. Their bodies are really nice and I wanted to worship at their feet from how beautiful they were in real life.

Standing in front of the back drop, the staff helped set them up into their poses and the photos began! They had us each individually take a photo with them, so that was really cool! They wanted you to stand in the middle between the girls, and you could choose to have it taken full body or waist up.

By the time it got to me, I was really anxious. I walked up there and stood like I was taking a school year book photo…I was so awkward lmao. I felt so inadequate next to them, but it was still so awesome to be like a foot away from them. A staff member asked me if I wanted them to sign the polaroid, and of course I said yes. LuLa signed the bottom of the polaroid first, carefully being handed the silver marker and holding onto the little photo. I noticed she was touching the actual photo part and I was worried it would develop weirdly, but in the end it was fine. Next RiRi was handed the photo and she signed the bottom. I took the polaroid from her and she did her cute little hand wave and head nod thing. I felt so blessed.

I remember smiling and saying thank you, attempting to wave at her as I went back to my seat. The photo developed fine but eugh, I looked so terrible in it lmao (no way am I posting it, sorry!)

Only 12 people bought a ticket for the event, so after we were all done we walked to the back of the room and I’m pretty certain the girls were slightly waving us all good bye as we were leaving.

Aaaaahhhh it was a really nice event, but all good things have to come to an end. I had a ton of fun seeing FEMM perform, meeting them getting their signatures, asking questions, and taking a photo with them! The entire 2 days there was amazing, even if it sucked driving over 20 hours there (and then another 20 to get back home x____x). Not something I would ever want to do again, tbh. But still. Totally worth all the pain for how great it was seeing FEMM ^-^

Thanks for reading this long fanaccount and I hope it wasn’t a waste of your time! Please give FEMM lots of love, they are really nice in person and a unique music experience.

((take out with full credits))