This year five-member J-pop girl group, Phantom Siita, embarked on their first world tour, Moth to a flame. The retro horror idol group was originally formed in late 2023 through an audition process overseen by Japanese singer, Ado, and her agency, Cloud Nine. Handpicked by Ado, the group pursued a concept in opposition to the well-known cute image of Japanese idols, calling themselves “frighteningly beautiful moths.” Their custom black sailor school uniforms with ombré gradient of red at the ends exude the imagery of creepy schoolgirls found in Japanese horror. Despite the frightful imagery, Phantom Siita is still an idol group at its core with designated member colors remaining a part of its identity.
Given their recent beginnings, one could say the young members needed more experience before heading out on a world tour. Ado herself has her own tour and one-off performances set for this year. It’s likely Ado’s agency wanted to push the recently formed group to ride on the coattails of her popularity. So far, Phantom Siita only has one album, Girlhood Memories, with seven songs. This limited discography meant that the group would have to fill up the time with individual covers, in order to put on a whole show at the Anaheim House of Blues.
After a strong start with their most popular song on social media, “Kimi to ×××× Shitai dake,” the mishmash setlist exposed how unprepared their team was for an overseas performance. Early in their careers, the members themselves seemed unsure of how to work an international crowd. Most of the audience was comprised of young fans, who found the group’s music through SNS but may not have been familiar with the concept of Japanese idol culture. The absence of an English interpreter didn’t help matters, leaving it up to the audience to attempt to understand the Japanese-speaking members.
Phantom Siita’s strength is in their costuming and commitment to the “retro horror” theme, which came out in their full group performances. Unfortunately, their intricately designed hakama weren’t brought to their international shows, and the members wore their tailored school uniforms for the entirety of the show. Their teamwork shone when it came to moving in unison into coordinated formations. However, their shortcomings came forth when alone individually on stage. Some members are stronger vocalists than others, and this could have been navigated by choosing songs better suited for each member’s range. Certain members were struggling to hit high notes during their covers, and the sound mixing should have increased the volume on the instrumentals to cover the strain in their voices. Considering the members were nervous performing in front of a non-Japanese audience, the members did their best to energize the fans during moments of lull.
However, the confused silence was daunting during those solo member covers, which felt as though the members were told to pick through a series of J-pop songs popular in the West in order to fill up time. This included city-pop favorites like “Mayonaka no Door~Stay With Me” and anime songs like “KICK BACK,” which received the most cheers. Although the group song covers helped to round out members who were struggling vocally, nearly half the setlist (including the encore) consisted of those covers songs with no additional moments to interact with fans. A variety segment would’ve helped bridge the awkwardness between the audience and the members, but it felt the production was designed to keep fans at an arm’s length distance. Arguably, their best performance outside of their own discography was their cover of Ado’s “Tot Musica,” which was their audition song.
Ending on a lively performance of the aptly named “Zoku Zoku,” Phantom Siita bid Anaheim concertgoers farewell. Overall, the five members gave the concert their best effort through aesthetics and stage theatricality. Moth to a flame was a decent underground idol showcase, but it didn’t pass for a $65 concert charge. Other than the introductory comments about their initial impressions of Los Angeles and In-n-Out burgers, fans didn’t have much to grasp in terms of understanding the members’ unique personalities. There’s a clear market for more Japanese idols and popular Japanese anime songs. Though, the safest bet in terms of cost would be to go appear at conventions rather than set out on a costly world tour.
Click on the photo below to view our photos from the concert:
Article updated February 26, 2025 for correction.
