Two-piece band AINAKANNA will head to the United Kingdom for a tour at the end of October. After the duo managed to raise enough money in 2019 to go ahead with their overseas adventure through a crowdfunding campaign, the pandemic came in between. Patience is a virtue, it has taken around four years for them to announce their tour, but the pair have finally managed to schedule a the tour of the UK with shows in London, Manchester, Brighton, Leeds and Hastings.
The band name AINAKANNA comes from the two first names of the band members, vocalist Aina Ougi on keyboard and drummer Kanna. AINAKANNA’s sound is best described as pop-rock, fusing aspects of Japanese pop and Western rock. In addition, they describe themselves as a band with two band members, which for them is the minimum for a band, but according to the two, their sound is actually maximum. Both musicians have interesting musical backgrounds, Aina Ougi had been active with music since childhood. Before starting AINAKANNA, she was a singer-songwriter debuting through Victor and even created a theme song for the Japanese horror film Rinne. Kanna has been active in several bands, mostly session bands, but also in bands such as CHERRY LEZ LOLiTA and Moto-Psycho R&R Service. In 2016, the two ladies came together to start the current band. In 2019, they released their very first album, 東雲プレリュード (Shinonome Prelude). This was soon followed up with another album, titled TRANSIT HAKKEI, in 2020 and a third album in 2022, titled 暁 (Akatsuki). The latest release is a single on which they collaborated with Australian jazz singer Michelle Rounds.
The band has big plans to perform outside Japan and become better known. The crowdfunding campaign had started with the idea of seeing where the duo could end up, the United States or the United Kingdom. For instance, the duo wanted to play at the US-based festival SXSW with some extra shows in the United States in addition, or perform in the United Kingdom with possible shows at events. The first plan didn’t pan out, but who knows, they might manage to do it in the near future.
AINAKANNA United Kingdom Tour 2023 Dates
Wednesday 25th October, 2023: Eagle Inn – Manchester, United Kingdom
Friday 27th October, 2023: Upstairs at the Pack Horse – Leeds, United Kingdom
Sunday 29th October, 2023: Hope and Anker – London, United Kingdom
Wednesday 1st November, 2023: The Pipeline – Brighton, United Kingdom
Thursday 2nd November, 2023: The Piper – Hastings, United Kingdom
