Tokyo Gigs January 2025

JAN 4 PULP, PRIMAL SCREAM, ST. VINCENT, JIMMY EAT WORLD, &c. Makuhari Messe, Chiba ¥18,000

JAN 4 GUITAR WOLF, NISHIKIGOI, SEPPUKU PISTOLS, &c. Loft, Shinjuku ¥4,500

JAN 5 WEEZER, DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE, MANIC STREET PREACHERS, &c. Makuhari Messe, Chiba ¥18,000

JAN 5 AKIO JEIMUS/AYAKO KANDA Bar Isshee, Sendagi ¥500 + tip

JAN 6 MERZBOW (LONG SET) WWW, Shibuya Free

JAN 6 THE LEMON TWIGS Duo Music Exchange, Shibuya ¥7,500

JAN 6 KANALKRANK/NAOKI NOMOTO Bar Isshee, Sendagi ¥500 + tip

JAN 9 OTOBOKE BEAVER, MINAMI DEUTSCH WWW, Shibuya ¥4,300

JAN 10 SHINPEI RUIKE/DAIRO SUGA/SHOJI HANO/&c. Polaris, Ogawamachi ¥4,000

JAN 10 AYATO, RAMZA, DJ FULLTONO, UNDEFINED, &c. WWW, Shibuya ¥3,500 (night)

JAN 10 DJ GARTH, MOODMAN/JUN KITAMURA, KIKIORIX, &c. Vent, Omotesando ¥2,500

JAN 10 MITOKON, ALTA, MINZI ROBERTA, &c. Circus Tokyo, Shibuya ¥2,000

JAN 11 PHILIPPA PACHO, LISA MIZUNO, MARI SAKURAI, &c. Vent, Omotesando ¥2,500

JAN 11 SWAMI SOUND, GUM.MP3, DAZEGXD Circus Tokyo, Shibuya ¥2,500

JAN 11-12 MINYO CRUSADERS Cotton Club, Marunouchi ¥6,800

JAN 12 REALISTIC MONK (CARL STONE/MIKI YUI) + KOHSETSU IMANISHI, &c. Knock, Koenji ¥3,000

JAN 12 VANISHING VILLAIN, YOLABMI, YUUMI (DJ), &c. Forestlimit, Hatsudai ¥2,000

JAN 12 K2/KAORI KOMURA Bar Isshee, Sendagi ¥500 + tip

JAN 12 OPAL SUNN (LIVE), DJ OGAWA, DNG, &c. Vent, Omotesando ¥2,500

JAN 13 MINORU SATO, SHIZUO UCHIDA, MAKOTO OSHIRO, &c. Soup, Ochiai ¥2,500

JAN 13 SLAUGHTER TABLE, KAZUMOTO ENDO, WOLF CREEK, &c. Chitei, Otsuka ¥2,000

JAN 13 K2/MITSURU TABATA Bar Isshee, Sendagi ¥500 + tip

JAN 14 DREAM CREASE, MEG BONUS, UKU KASAI, &c. Spread, Shimokitazawa ¥3,000

JAN 14 SPOILMAN, GAS GIANT, HANAZONO DISTANCE, &c. Aoyama Moonromantic ¥2,800

JAN 15 XIANGYU, FOODMAN, YELLOWUHURU (DJ) Aoyama Moonromantic ¥3,300

JAN 16 SEIICHI YAMAMOTO Bar Isshee, Sendagi ¥500 + tip

JAN 16-17 GINGER ROOT Zepp DiverCity, Odaiba ¥9,000

JAN 17 CARTHIEFSCHOOL, NIKON, TEXAS 3000, ODD EYES WWW, Shibuya ¥2,800

JAN 17 FRED FRITH, SEIICHI YAMAMOTO Baroom, Shibuya ¥6,500

JAN 17 CLARA CUVÉ, &c. Vent, Omotesando ¥2,500

JAN 17 KAYYWHAT, SKINNIM, YUI B2B KOSEI, &c. Circus Tokyo, Shibuya ¥3,000

JAN 18 TENKO/SATOKO FUJII/TOSHIMARU NAKAMURA Koen-Dori Classics, Shibuya ¥3,500 (afternoon)

JAN 18 SHOJI HANO/MASAMI KAWAGUCHI/CAL LYALL Yellow Vision, Asagaya ¥3,000

JAN 18 THE CHAIRS Spotify O-East, Shibuya ¥5,500

JAN 18 GREEN MILK FROM THE PLANET ORANGE, JUNKICHI (DJ), &c. Forestlimit, Hatsudai ¥2,800

JAN 18 IMMINENT DEATH, SANITATION, SURIYA YOTHIN, &c. Soup, Ochiai ¥2,500

JAN 18 MAKOTO KAWASHIMA/SAYAKA BOTANIC/RIUICHI DAIJO Permian, Meguro ¥1,000-¥3,000

JAN 18 FRED FRITH PLAYING WITH 'REREADING FOREST' Baroom, Shibuya ¥6,500

JAN 18 PATRICK SHIROISHI/TAKAKO MINEKAWA Ftarri, Suidobashi ¥2,500

JAN 18 EPHEMERA TRIO (KEYNA WILKINS/ELSEN PRICE/WILL GILBERT) Otooto, Higashi-kitazawa ¥2,500

JAN 18 DJ FART IN THE CLUB, OK WILLIAMS, LIL MOFO, &c. WWW X, Shibuya ¥4,300 (night)

JAN 18 BILLAIN, XIEOMI, METIS (LIVE), &c. Circus Tokyo, Shibuya ¥2,500

JAN 18 ANTAL, THE PEOPLE IN FOG, SHINICHIRO YOKOTA (LIVE), &c. Womb, Shibuya ¥3,000

JAN 18 LAURA BCR, NEWWAVE PROJECT (LIVE), ERIK LUEBS (LIVE), &c. Vent, Omotesando ¥2,500

JAN 19 SUGAR YOSHINAGA, YUMIKO OHNO Polaris, Ogawamachi ¥4,500

JAN 19 TŌ YŌ, HOMIE HOMICIDE, ACROSOME, &c. Forestlimit, Hatsudai ¥2,500

JAN 19 AKAIHIRUME/RUTSUKO KUMASAKA Koen-Dori Classics, Shibuya ¥3,000

JAN 20 ENGLISH TEACHER WWW X, Shibuya ¥7,500

JAN 20 KANALKRANK/T.MIKAWA Bar Isshee, Sendagi ¥500 + tip

JAN 20 COSMIC CRANK, FETCH, MILEZ, &c. Forestlimit, Hatsudai ¥2,000

JAN 20 MASAHIDE TOKUNAGA/NATSUKO HARA Ftarri, Suidobashi ¥2,000

JAN 20 AKIO JEIMUS/CHAASE/HIROYUKI URA Hako Gallery, Yoyogi-Uehara ¥2,500

JAN 21 SUNWICH, ADVANTAGE LUCY, HOA Aoyama Moonromantic ¥4,000

JAN 21 SHOJI HANO/ATSUSHI TSUYAMA Yellow Vision, Asagaya ¥3,000

JAN 21 AKIO JEIMUS/MIYAMA MCQUEEN-TOKITA Hako Gallery, Yoyogi-Uehara ¥2,500

JAN 22 SUNWICH, XIEXIE, SUIMINSEN Aoyama Moonromantic ¥4,000

JAN 22 RYO SUGIMOTO/BAKU FURUKAWA/SHOHEI TAKAGI Hako Gallery, Yoyogi-Uehara ¥3,000

JAN 23 ASIAN DUB FOUNDATION WWW X, Shibuya ¥8,800

JAN 23 JAKOBS CASTLE, LONG BEACH DUB ALLSTARS, &c. Spotify O-East, Shibuya ¥8,969

JAN 23 KAZUO IMAI, UTO UTO (NAOYASU TAKAHASHI/KANALKRANK), &c. Earthdom, Shin-Okubo ¥2,200

JAN 23 ELSEN PRICE/MISAKI MOTOFUJI Nanahari, Hatchobori ¥2,500

JAN 23 KRESTEN OSGOOD/ANDREAS ROYSUM/JUN KAWASAKI Permian, Meguro ¥1,000-¥3,000

JAN 24 CSS Duo Music Exchange, Shibuya ¥7,800

JAN 24 MAINLINER, IGLOO UFO Club, Higashi-Koenji ¥3,000

JAN 24 ROGER TURNER/KAZUO IMAI Bar Isshee, Sendagi ¥500 + tip

JAN 24 SVENDSEN/OSGOOD/ROYSUM/MICHIYO YAGI Shichoshitsu, Jimbocho ¥3,000

JAN 24 DAVE SKIPPER, DRONKED (DARKLAW/KAZEHITO SEKI), MUSQIS, &c. Pool, Sakuradai ¥2,000

JAN 24 JOSEY REBELLE, PLO MAN, REZZETT, &c. Vent, Omotesando ¥2,000

JAN 24 ROZA TERENZI, RISA TANIGUCHI, GENKI TANAKA, &c. Womb, Shibuya ¥2,500

JAN 24 MPH, ACROCANTHOSAURUS, UKGRISING, &c. Circus Tokyo, Shibuya ¥3,500

JAN 25 DOMI & JD BECK The Garden Hall, Ebisu ¥8,800

JAN 25 CHRISTIAN MEAAS SVENDSEN/KRESTEN OSGOOD/&c. Bar Isshee, Sendagi ¥500 + tip

JAN 25 WORLD'S END GIRLFRIEND, KASHIWA DAISUKE, VMO, &c. WWW, Shibuya ¥TBC

JAN 25 FALLOPIAN DISCO FORCE, UHM KATAM, L?K?O/KEI KUBO/SHINJI WADA, &c. Soup, Ochiai ¥3,000

JAN 25 BLOWOUT, BELMADIGULA, OOYAMADA DAISANMYAKU, &c. Forestlimit, Hatsudai ¥2,000

JAN 25 FUZZLIGHTYEAR, WETBLACK, LITTLE BASTARDS, &c. Bush Bash, Koiwa ¥2,500

JAN 25 ROGER TURNER/KEN IKEDA Hako Gallery, Yoyogi-Uehara ¥3,000

JAN 25 MASAHIKO OKURA/MASATAKE ABE Otooto, Higashi-kitazawa ¥2,500

JAN 25 GARY BECK, DRUNKEN KONG, TAICHI KAWAHIRA, &c. Vent, Omotesando ¥3,000

JAN 25 HYSTERIA TEMPLE FOUNDATION, KYOMI, OCCA, &c. Womb, Shibuya ¥3,000

JAN 26 WATUSI ZOMBIE, OSHIRI PENPENZ UFO Club, Higashi-Koenji ¥3,000

JAN 26 OFRI NEHEMYA TRIO Pit Inn, Shinjuku ¥7,150

JAN 27 IDLES, OTOBOKE BEAVER Zepp DiverCity, Odaiba ¥7,800/¥8,500

JAN 27 SOLITUDE IS BLISS, MAKARA, HANDSHAKE OF CARBON MONOXIDE Fever, Shindaita ¥3,500

JAN 27 CHRISTIAN MEAAS SVENDSEN/KRESTEN OSGOOD/&c. Hako Gallery, Yoyogi-Uehara ¥3,000

JAN 27 TAKAKO MINEKAWA/FUMI ENDO Ftarri, Suidobashi ¥2,000

JAN 27 CAVALERA, MELT-BANANA, SIGH Spotify O-East, Shibuya ¥9,500

JAN 27 RYOHEI TERADA/JYOJI SAWADA/YURIKO MUKOJIMA Koen-Dori Classics, Shibuya ¥3,500

JAN 27-28 FABIANA PALLADINO Blue Note Tokyo, Minami-Aoyama ¥8,800

JAN 28 KEIKO HIGUCHI/NAOKI NOMOTO/RIUICHI DAIJO Permian, Meguro ¥1,000-¥3,000

JAN 29 BORIS Club Quattro, Shibuya ¥4,000

JAN 29 BLONDNEWHALF, BOOMBOX MADNESS, DONMARU, &c. Spread, Shimokitazawa ¥2,400

JAN 29 RYOSUKE KIYASU (SOLO) Hako Gallery, Yoyogi-Uehara ¥3,000

JAN 30 SHINPEI RUIKE/HIROSHI YAMAZAKI Koen-Dori Classics, Shibuya ¥3,500

JAN 31 YUMA ABE WWW X, Shibuya ¥4,800

JAN 31 TYCHO Spotify O-East, Shibuya ¥8,800

JAN 31 THE LENTICULARZ, MILKY LYLEI, DAM PIPE, &c. Forestlimit, Hatsudai ¥2,000

JAN 31 KUNIKAZU TANAKA/TATSU/KOJI OHTA Bar Isshee, Sendagi ¥500 + tip

JAN 31 RYU KUROSAWA/DAIKICHI YOSHIDA/SACHIKO NAGATA Hako Gallery, Yoyogi-Uehara ¥3,000

JAN 31 YORDAN MARKOV/MASHU KOMAZAKI/HIDEYUKI ISHIDA/&c. Ogikubo Velvetsun ¥3,500

JAN 31 TIGER & WOODS, &c. Vent, Omotesando ¥2,500

All prices are for advance tickets, unless otherwise noted. Schedules are liable to change at short notice.

Tokyo Gigs February 2025

FEB 1 FRAIL BODY, HEAVEN IN HER ARMS, OTUS Earthdom, Shin-Okubo ¥5,500

FEB 1 AKI ONDA (HAND BELLS SOLO) Ftarri, Suidobashi ¥2,500

FEB 1 IMPROVISERS MACHINE ORCHESTRA Koen-Dori Classics, Shibuya ¥3,000

FEB 1 SHIBUSASHIRAZU ORCHESTRA Pit Inn, Shinjuku ¥3,300

FEB 1 TAKASHI SEO/RIUICHI DAIJO/MASAMI IRUMAGAWA Permian, Meguro ¥1,000-¥3,000

FEB 2 THIS IS IT!, THESE FIVE PEOPLE, SATOKO FUJII ORCHESTRA Pit Inn, Shinjuku ¥3,850 (afternoon)

FEB 2 OTOSHIDAMA BAND, JIM BLACK/NATSUKI TAMURA, &c. Pit Inn, Shinjuku ¥3,850

FEB 2 FRAIL BODY, FIXED, TRIADOF13TH Bush Bash, Koiwa ¥5,500

FEB 2 WOOL & THE PANTS, COMPUMA (DJ), &c. Fever, Shindaita ¥3,500

FEB 3 NATSUKI TAMURA/JIM BLACK/SATOKO FUJII Pit Inn, Shinjuku ¥4,500

FEB 5 PASOCOM MUSIC CLUB, PEANUTS-KUN WWW X, Shibuya ¥4,300

FEB 5 MASAHIKO SATOH/ROGER TURNER Pit Inn, Shinjuku ¥5,000

FEB 6 BRIGITTE CALLS ME BABY Kanda Square Hall ¥7,300

FEB 6 TAMA2000, A VIRGIN, STUDIOBABA, &c. Spread, Shimokitazawa ¥3,000

FEB 7 DJ SHADOW Spotify O-East, Shibuya ¥9,800

FEB 8 TOKYO GAKUSO NEW YEAR'S GAGAKU PERFORMANCE Suntory Hall, Akasaka ¥3,000-¥6,000

FEB 8 LOOPRIDER, GREEN MILK FROM THE PLANET ORANGE, &c. Ruby Room, Shibuya ¥2,000

FEB 8 TETUZI AKIYAMA/RYOTARO MIYASAKA Ftarri, Suidobashi ¥2,000

FEB 8 ROGER TURNER/YUMIKO TANAKA Otooto, Higashi-kitazawa ¥3,500

FEB 8 MIKA TANAYA/RIUICHI DAIJO Permian, Meguro ¥1,000-¥3,000

FEB 8 MAKI HACHIYA/NOBUMASA TANAKA/EIICHI HAYASHI/&c. Pit Inn, Shinjuku ¥3,300

FEB 8 TOSHIHIRO YOSHIOKA/SANGO TSUBAKI Nanahari, Hatchobori ¥2,000

FEB 8 CHO CO PA CO CHO CO QUIN QUIN, KANEKO AYANO, &c. Spotify O-East, Shibuya ¥4,500 (night)

FEB 9 SINISTER, COFFINS, INVICTUS Earthdom, Shin-Okubo ¥5,500

FEB 9 OWKMJ, OTACO, PANZERMAST Nanahari, Hatchobori ¥2,500

FEB 10 FUMI ENDO/YUKIKO SHIINA SAKURAZAWA/KANON AONAMI Ftarri, Suidobashi ¥2,000

FEB 10 SATOKO FUJII TOKYO TRIO Koen-Dori Classics, Shibuya ¥3,500

FEB 10 U-ZHAAN/TAMAKI ROY/CHINZA DOPENESS, CORNELIUS, &c. Spotify O-East, Shibuya ¥8,800

FEB 11 SAMARA JOY Blue Note Tokyo, Minami-Aoyama ¥11,000

FEB 11 MAKIKO SAKURAI, HIKO, DARKRAW, JENIFER MAY Nanahari, Hatchobori ¥2,000

FEB 13 GEORDIE GREEP Liquidroom, Ebisu ¥7,700

FEB 13 KAZUYA MATSUMOTO/AKIHIKO ANDO Permian, Meguro ¥1,000-¥3,000

FEB 13 WANDA WHAT, ? MEYTÉL, TAKUMA HARADA/YURI HARADA Polaris, Ogawamachi ¥2,500

FEB 14 SHIBATETSU/TAKUMI IKEDA Permian, Meguro ¥1,000-¥3,000

FEB 15 PAKK, GREEN MILK FROM THE PLANET ORANGE, GLDN, &c. Spread, Shimokitazawa ¥2,500

FEB 15 MASAMICHI KINOSHITA/LEO OKAGAWA Ftarri, Suidobashi ¥2,000

FEB 15-16 SIGUR RÓS PERFORMING WITH ORCHESTRA Tokyo Garden Theater, Ariake ¥18,000/¥21,000

FEB 16 TAKURO OKADA ELECTRO ACOUSTIC ENSEMBLE Aoyama Moonromantic ¥4,300 (afternoon)

FEB 16 AVANT GARDE A CLUE IN JAPAN Koen-Dori Classics, Shibuya ¥3,500 (afternoon)

FEB 17 HANIA RANI Kanda Square Hall ¥8,500

FEB 17 OREN AMBARCHI/MARTY HOLOUBEK/TATSUHISA YAMAMOTO Koen-Dori Classics, Shibuya ¥4,000

FEB 17 FUMI ENDO/MASAHIDE TOKUNAGA Ftarri, Suidobashi ¥2,000

FEB 18 REMI WOLF Zepp Shinjuku ¥8,500

FEB 18 HOM SHENHAO, XUBO (CHINESE FOOTBALL) Aoyama Moonromantic ¥4,500

FEB 18 YASUMUNE MORISHIGE/TOSHIMARU NAKAMURA Permian, Meguro ¥1,000-¥3,000

FEB 18 OREN AMBARCHI/TATSUHISA YAMAMOTO, CRYS COLE/GUEST Koen-Dori Classics, Shibuya ¥4,000

FEB 18 ANSWER TO REMEMBER Billboard Live, Roppongi ¥6,000-¥8,700

FEB 19 TERUMASA HINO QUINTET 2025 Pit Inn, Shinjuku ¥5,500

FEB 20 BILL PRITCHARD + BAND Nanahari, Hatchobori ¥6,000

FEB 20 HERMANOS GUTTIÉREZ WWW X, Shibuya ¥7,800

FEB 20 SEIJIRO MURAYAMA Permian, Meguro ¥1,000-¥3,000

FEB 20 TERUMASA HINO QUINTET 2025 Pit Inn, Shinjuku ¥5,500

FEB 21 AKIRA SAKATA/YASUHIRO YOSHIGAKI/DAISUKE FUJIWARA/&c. Pit Inn, Shinjuku ¥3,850

FEB 21 THE STALIN TRIBUTE: THE GOD, JUN INUI, JUN TOGAWA, &c. Spotify O-Nest, Shibuya ¥4,000

FEB 21 BILL PRITCHARD + BAND Nanahari, Hatchobori ¥6,000

FEB 22 SEIJIRO MURAYAMA/UTAH KAWASAKI Ftarri, Suidobashi ¥2,500

FEB 22 IKOJI (RAKELĖ CHIJENAITĖ/PIJUS DŽIUGAS MEIŽIS) Otooto, Higashi-kitazawa ¥2,500

FEB 23 FONTAINES D.C. Toyosu Pit ¥8,800

FEB 23 NINGENSEKKEN W/ TOSHIAKI ISHIZUKA, KAZUMOTO ENDO, &c. Earthdom, Shin-Okubo ¥2,300

FEB 23 INCAPACITANTS, KENMOCHI/TANAKA/ARAKAWA, &c. Polaris, Ogawamachi ¥3,500

FEB 23 DOWNY, WORLD'S END GIRLFRIEND, SHUGO TOKUMARU, &c. WWW, Shibuya ¥6,700

FEB 23 AKIRA SAKATA/MICHIYO YAGI/TAMAYA HONDA Lady Jane, Shimokitazawa ¥3,500

FEB 24 KAFKA IBIKI WWW, Shibuya ¥4,500

FEB 24 SUMAC, ENDON Spotify O-Nest, Shibuya ¥8,500

FEB 25 FLOATING POINTS EX Theater, Roppongi ¥8,800

FEB 25 SUMAC, YUKO ARAKI Spotify O-Nest, Shibuya ¥8,500

FEB 25 GHOST-NOTE Liquidroom, Ebisu ¥8,500

FEB 25 ROOM307, EVERFOR, YAN YULONG, CHAPPO Aoyama Moonromantic ¥4,500

FEB 25 RAKELE CHIJENAITE/PIJUS DŽIUGAS MEIŽIS Permian, Meguro ¥1,000-¥3,000

FEB 27 NEW ORDER Ariake Arena ¥12,000-¥20,000

FEB 27 CYCLO. WWW X, Shibuya ¥6,000

FEB 27 SAMM BENNETT/KAZUHISA UCHIHASHI/MASYASU TZBOGUCHI/&c. Shichoshitsu, Jimbocho ¥3,000

FEB 27-28 NATE SMITH FEAT. KIEFER & CARRTOONS Billboard Live, Roppongi ¥9,500-¥12,200

All prices are for advance tickets, unless otherwise noted. Schedules are liable to change at short notice.

Tokyo Gigs March 2025

MAR 1 ETERNAL ELYSIUM, MARBLE SHEEP, TERROR SQUAD Earthdom, Shin-Okubo ¥3,500

MAR 2 HOTLINE TNT, ANORAK! Nine Spices, Shinjuku ¥5,500

MAR 3 TODD RUNDGREN Billboard Live, Roppongi ¥15,300-¥18,000

MAR 3 HOTLINE TNT, ANORAK! Lush, Shibuya ¥5,500

MAR 4-5 GOGO PENGUIN Billboard Live, Roppongi ¥10,500-¥13,200

MAR 4-6 SFJAZZ COLLECTIVE Blue Note Tokyo, Minami-Aoyama ¥11,000

MAR 6 MANI NEUMEIER/KAZUHIDE YAMAJI/MITSURU TABATA UFO Club, Higashi-Koenji ¥3,000

MAR 11 4S4KI Zepp Shinjuku ¥6,000

MAR 11-13 MAVIS STAPLES Billboard Live, Roppongi ¥17,500-¥24,000

MAR 12 MOGWAI Zepp Shinjuku ¥9,650

MAR 12 KYLIE MINOGUE Ariake Arena ¥15,000-¥50,000

MAR 14 EIKO ISHIBASHI Liquidroom, Ebisu ¥6,000

MAR 15 JACK WHITE Toyosu Pit ¥12,000

MAR 17 JACK WHITE Toyosu Pit ¥12,000

MAR 18 PJ HARVEY Zepp Haneda ¥11,000/¥14,000

MAR 18 AYANA TSUJI VIOLIN RECITAL Kioi Hall, Yotsuya ¥3,000/¥5,000

MAR 19 FOXING, &c. Nine Spices, Shinjuku ¥5,500

MAR 20 KARATE, DISCHARMING MAN, CLIMB THE MIND WWW X, Shibuya ¥6,500

MAR 21 CAT POWER SINGS DYLAN Toyosu Pit ¥12,000-¥16,000

MAR 21 TOXIC HOLOCAUST, ABIGAIL Koenji High ¥8,500

MAR 22 TOXIC HOLOCAUST, SACRIFICE Koenji High ¥8,500

MAR 23 FOXING, &c. Kata, Ebisu ¥5,500

MAR 26 AMERICAN FOOTBALL Zepp DiverCity, Odaiba ¥7,800

MAR 26-27 THE FLAMING LIPS, CORNELIUS Zepp Haneda ¥11,000/¥14,000

MAR 28 YU KOSUGE PIANO RECITAL Kioi Hall, Yotsuya ¥6,000

MAR 29 THE BLACK SCORPIO UNDERGROUND, INCAPACITANTS, &c. Earthdom, Shin-Okubo ¥3,000

All prices are for advance tickets, unless otherwise noted. Schedules are liable to change at short notice.

New (and old) music from Japan – Winter 2023 edition

Notable new Japanese releases and reissues

By far the most time-consuming thing I wrote this year was a guide for Psyche about listening to music in the age of abundance. It’s a subject that I think about constantly, and I’m still not sure if I have the answers (who does?). Looking through other people’s AOTY lists, I’m amazed not just by how much music the serious heads are managing to listen to, but that they manage to remember it clearly enough to compile a proper ranking. Patrick St. Michel’s exhaustive list for Make Believe Melodies runs to 100 releases, while Ryo Miyaichi has posted a bunch of 2023 round-ups on This Side of Japan, including a great rundown of his 60 best albums that are available on Bandcamp. I was planning to do something similar myself, but it would’ve meant relistening to a bunch of stuff from earlier in the year, and I honestly haven’t found the time. Instead, here’s a bumper wrap of some new releases and reissues from 2023 that I haven’t already written about on here.

New music from Japan – Summer 2023 edition

Notable new Japanese releases

I swear, if it wasn’t for the arbitrary deadline of Bandcamp Friday, I’d probably never get around to finishing one of these things. Here’s a selection of music from these fine isles that has caught my attention over the past few months. No reissues this time (though Music from Memory’s Dream Dolphin compilation, released in March, is making a weird kind of sense now that we’re swimming in an interminable summer heatwave).

New (and old) music from Japan – Spring 2023 edition

Notable new Japanese releases and reissues

It’s starting to feel a lot like spring in Tokyo, and there’s a lot of stuff happening on the music scene if you care to look, including a bunch of new venues and – finally! – a diverse range of international touring acts doing the rounds. That said, I feel like I’ve been spending a lot more time compiling listings of upcoming gigs than I have actually going to them, which is a balance I need to redress. Anyhoo, enough of my prattling: here’s some of the good stuff that’s caught my attention over the past few months, both new and archival. As ever, I’ve just focused on artists who are active in Japan, which means I haven’t written about Tujiko Noriko’s extraordinary Crépuscule I & II, though you should definitely check that if you haven’t already.