Tokyo Gigs, February 2019

FEB 15 Keiji Haino/Toshiji Mikawa/Miya/Doravideo Club Goodman, Akihabara ¥2,800
FEB 15 ZinkandSilentListen, William Tokuhisa, Takumi Ikeda Nanahari, Hatchobori ¥2,500
FEB 15 Francesco Tristano (live), Seiho (live), Tune aka Fukui, &c. Vent, Omotesando ¥2,500
FEB 15 Blind Observatory, Suna, Von Bueno, &c. Contact, Shibuya ¥3,000 w/flyer
FEB 15 dBridge, Kabuki, Dx, Datwun, &c. Circus Tokyo, Shibuya ¥2,000
FEB 16 Neurosis, Converge, Endon, Self Deconstruction Tsutaya O-East, Shibuya ¥9,000

FEB 16 Tony Conrad: Completely in the Present screening, Asuna Nanahari, Hatchobori ¥2,500
FEB 16 Praslea, Raha, Wada Yosuke, &c. Contact, Shibuya ¥3,000 w/flyer
FEB 16 Yousuke Yukimatsu (all night) WWW ß, Shibuya ¥2,000
FEB 17 Acid Mothers Temple, Kinski Club Goodman, Akihabara ¥3,000
FEB 17 20 Guilders Space Rock Ensemble, &c. UFO Club, Higashi-Koenji ¥2,500
FEB 17 Neurosis, Converge, Palm, Black Ganion Unit, Daikanyama ¥9,000
FEB 19 Glades Fever, Shindaita ¥4,800
FEB 19 Taro Aiko, Madzine, Giek, &c. Forestlimit, Hatagaya ¥1,500
FEB 20 Akira Sakata/Johan Berthling/Paal Nilssen-Love/Yuji Takahashi Pit Inn, Shinjuku ¥4,000
FEB 20 Phoebe Bridgers Unit, Daikanyama ¥6,000
FEB 20 Ringo Deathstarr Tsutaya O-Nest, Shibuya ¥5,800
FEB 20 Ko.do.na Bar Gari Gari, Ikenoue Free (w/ drink order)
FEB 21 Tune-Yards WWW X, Shibuya ¥5,500
FEB 21 NSDOS, Akiko Kiyama/Naoto Tsujita, &c. WWW, Shibuya ¥3,000
FEB 21 Phoebe Bridgers Unit, Daikanyama ¥6,000
FEB 22 Kavita Shah/Francois Moutin Pit Inn, Shinjuku ¥5,000
FEB 22 Hassan K, Jankenpopp, Kill You Sons, &c. Kagurane, Kagurazaka ¥2,500
FEB 22 Rancido, Dazzle Drums, Kengo, &c. Contact, Shibuya ¥2,500 w/flyer
FEB 22 Simo Cell, Akiram En, Romy Mats, &c. WWW ß, Shibuya ¥1,800
FEB 23 Miu Mau, Kate Sikora, Transkam, Come to My Party Green Apple, Koenji ¥1,500
FEB 23 Submerse, Anon, Fire Emjae, &c. Forestlimit, Hatagaya ¥2,300
FEB 23 VaVa, OMSB, Tofubeats, Kid Fresino, &c. Unit, Daikanyama ¥3,300 door
FEB 23 Tribute to Nujabes: Pase Rock, DJ Chika, DJ Minoyama, &c. Circus Tokyo, Shibuya ¥3,000
FEB 24 Koteki-san, Biopatata Nanahari, Hatchobori ¥2,300
FEB 24 NSDOS, Atsuhiro Ito, Veltz, &c. Kagurane, Kagurazaka ¥2,500
FEB 24 Toshiyuki Goto Contact, Shibuya ¥1,500 door
FEB 26 The Internet Studio Coast, Shinkiba ¥6,300
FEB 26 DJ Nori & Muro Contact, Shibuya ¥1,100
FEB 27 Hikashu/Makoto Inoue/Yasushi Yamashita Star Pine’s Cafe, Kichijoji ¥3,900
FEB 28 Dominic Miller Cotton Club, Marunouchi ¥7,800-¥10,000
FEB 28 Siv Jakobsen Fever, Shindaita ¥4,800

Prices are for advance tickets, unless otherwise stated

Tokyo Gigs, March 2019

MAR 1 Keiji Haino/Seiichi Yamamoto/Doravideo, &c. Club Goodman, Akihabara ¥3,500
MAR 1 Oshiripenpenz, Enjoy Music Club, Seinosuke Saiki UFO Club, Higashi-Koenji ¥2,500
MAR 1 Kelvin T, Nerv/Tokimeki Science, K∑ITO/Renick Bell, &c. Kagurane, Kagurazaka ¥2,000
MAR 1-3 Dominic Miller Cotton Club, Marunouchi ¥7,800-¥10,000
MAR 1 Nick the Record (all night), Naoki Serizawa, &c. Vent, Omotesando ¥2,500
MAR 2 Slam, Reki, Gen444, &c. Vent, Omotesando ¥2,500
MAR 4 ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead Club Quattro, Shibuya ¥6,500
MAR 5 Fever 333 Liquidroom, Ebisu ¥5,500
MAR 5-6 David T. Walker Billboard Live, Roppongi ¥8,800/¥9,800
MAR 6 Napalm Death, Eyehategod, Misery Index, Melt-Banana Club Quattro, Shibuya ¥9,000
MAR 6 Clairo WWW X, Shibuya ¥5,000
MAR 6 DJ Yogurt, Abula, Hidekazu Tanaka, &c. Contact, Shibuya ¥1,500 w/flyer
MAR 7-8 John Grant Tokyo Kinema Club, Uguisudani ¥7,000
MAR 7-8 Miroslav Vitouš Trio Cotton Club, Marunouchi ¥8,000-¥10,000
MAR 8 Courtney Barnett Tsutaya O-East, Shibuya ¥6,500
MAR 8 Byron the Aquarius, &c. Vent, Omotesando ¥2,500
MAR 9 AAAMYYY WWW, Shibuya ¥2,800
MAR 9 Steve Bug, &c. Vent, Omotesando ¥2,500
MAR 10 DJ Paypal, DJ Fulltono, Keita Kawakami, &c. Circus Tokyo, Shibuya ¥2,500
MAR 11 Toshinori Kondo, Spiica, Turkey, &c. Contact, Shibuya ¥2,000 door
MAR 12 Gang Of Four Duo Music Exchange, Shibuya ¥7,000
MAR 12 Mani Neumeier/Akira Sakata/Tatsuya Yoshida/&c. Club Goodman, Akihabara ¥3,000
MAR 13 Gang Of Four Unit, Daikanyama ¥7,000
MAR 16 Shuta Hasunuma Philharmonic Orchestra, Lee Lang, &c. WWW X/WWW, Shibuya ¥6,500
MAR 16 Pariah (DJ), Rok Da House Kagurane, Kagurazaka ¥3,500
MAR 16 Daniel Avery, &c. Vent, Omotesando ¥2,500
MAR 20 Kiyohiko Semba & Haniwa All Stars EX Theater Roppongi ¥8,800
MAR 20 Mocky, Ahh! Folly Jet, Ryo Tsuruoka Liquidroom, Ebisu ¥4,500
MAR 20 Foxpill Cult, Keiji Haino, Kaiten Hyakumei UFO Club, Higashi-Koenji ¥2,900
MAR 21 Mani Neumeier/Koichi Makigami/Mitsuru Nasuno/&c. UFO Club, Higashi-Koenji ¥2,800
MAY 22 Guitar Wolf WWW X, Shibuya ¥4,000
MAR 22 Khruangbin Club Quattro, Shibuya ¥5,800
MAR 22 Kchen, Juan Plus One, Guan, &c. Kagurane, Kagurazaka ¥2,000
MAR 23 Hijokaidan/Akira Sakata, Hatsune Kaidan, Masonna Club Goodman, Akihabara ¥2,800
MAR 23 Mocky, Shintaro Sakamoto WWW X, Shibuya ¥5,500
MAR 23 Amelie Lens, Farrago, Q'Hey, &c. Contact, Shibuya ¥3,000
MAR 23 Doc Scott, Zero T, Tetsuji Tanaka/MC Cardz, &c. Heavy Sick Zero, Nakano ¥3,000 door
MAR 23 Denis Sulta, D.Tiffany, N.O.S. DJs, &c. Vent, Omotesando ¥2,500
MAR 24 Ryuichi Sakamoto/Otomo Yoshihide, Asian Kung-Fu Generation, &c. Toyosu Pit ¥4,900
MAR 27 D.A.N, Kid Fresino Liquidroom, Ebisu ¥3,800
MAR 28-29 Rufus Wainwright Tokyo International Forum, Yurakucho ¥10,000
MAR 29 Koenji Hyakkei + guests Club Goodman, Akihabara ¥3,500
MAR 30 Jun Togawa Loft, Shinjuku ¥4,000
MAR 30 RPR Soundsystem (Rhadoo/Petre Inspirescu/Raresh) Liquidroom, Ebisu ¥4,000

Prices are for advance tickets, unless otherwise stated

Tokyo Gigs, April 2019

APR 1 Still Corners Fever, Shindaita ¥4,800
APR 1 Pet Shop Boys Nippon Budokan, Kudanshita ¥11,000/¥12,000
APR 5 Wild Nothing WWW X, Shibuya ¥5,500
APR 8 Garden City Movement, &c. WWW, Shibuya ¥4,800
APR 8 Sevdaliza Spiral Hall, Omotesando ¥2,500
APR 8 Philip H. Anselmo & The Illegals, King Parrot, Palm Liquidroom, Ebisu ¥8,000
APR 11-12 The Marcus King Band Billboard Live, Roppongi ¥7,500/¥8,500
APR 12 Primitive Man, Bell Witch, Coffins Bush Bash, Koiwa ¥TBC
APR 13 Hitsujibungaku, &c. WWW, Shibuya ¥3,000
APR 13 Summoned by Giants, Floater, Lifeblood, &c. Nakano Moonstep ¥2,500
APR 13 Primitive Man, Bell Witch, Coffins, Blackphone666, &c. Nine Spices, Shinjuku ¥3,500
APR 14 Talibam!, AKBK, T.Mikawa/Joe Talia, Fuelphonic, &c. Soup, Ochiai ¥2,000
APR 16-19 Kraftwerk Bunkamura Orchard Hall, Shibuya ¥12,000/¥13,000
APR 18 Shohei Amimori and Bacteria Collective, Okada Takuro, &c. WWW, Shibuya ¥2,500
APR 19 The Cinematic Orchestra SWU Hitomi Memorial Hall, Sangenjaya ¥7,500/¥8,000
APR 21 Takahiro Arai/U-zhaan Mameromantic, Daikanyama ¥3,500
APR 22 Ibeyi Liquidroom, Ebisu ¥6,500
APR 28 Kay Lyra/Mauricio Maestro/Keisaku Takahashi Mameromantic, Daikanyama ¥4,000
APR 29-30 George Clinton Billboard Live, Roppongi ¥16,500/¥17,800

Prices are for advance tickets, unless otherwise stated

Tokyo Gigs, May 2019

MAY 3 Fushitsusha WWW, Shibuya ¥4,500
MAY 8 Ichiko Aoba, Marihiko Hara WWW, Shibuya ¥3,500
MAY 9 Andy Shauf WWW, Shibuya ¥5,400
MAY 12 Explosions in the Sky, Mono, Boris, Envy, &c. Tsutaya O-East, &c., Shibuya ¥9,500
MAY 15 Melvins Club Quattro, Shibuya ¥7,000
MAY 17-18 Jakob Bro Trio Cotton Club, Marunouchi ¥6,500-¥8,500
MAY 22 Todd Rundgren Sumida Triphony Hall, Kinshicho ¥8,500/¥9,500
MAY 22 Japanese Breakfast WWW X, Shibuya ¥5,000
MAY 27 Tom Misch Studio Coast, Shinkiba ¥6,500

Prices are for advance tickets, unless otherwise stated

Best Japanese music of 2018

Or: a not-top-10 of the releases I’ve enjoyed most this year

Back by popular demand, here’s a rundown of the Japanese music that’s been keeping me entertained during 2018. As with last year’s list (which you can read here), I’ve chosen to focus on artists who are actually based in Japan, which is why Jim O’Rourke and Joe Talia are in there but notable releases such as Kuniko’s Reich: Drumming aren’t. I’ve included links to Bandcamp where available. There’s also a list of some non-Japanese music at the end, which I imagine you care about even less than I do, and some memorable gigs. Without further ado...