After only being formed in 2021, it’s good to see FUKURO’s pulling power as a young independent band from Japan. Tonight’s show looks like it’s going to be a near-capacity crowd. In fact, the evening’s VIP tickets have sold very well and as such they’re a bit late letting the regular punters into the venue. However, there’s still an hour until showtime and the excitement inside is reaching fever pitch and the scenes surrounding me are reminiscent of Beatlemania. Ear-piercing screams erupt as mobile phones are held aloft with photographs of the band members and it all conspires to create an electrifying air of tension which seems to slow down time to an unbearable crawl as we await for the band to appear.
FUKURO at The Underworld, London on 15.07.25 | Photography by JJ Grant (wonderlens)
As you’d expect, when the band members arrive on stage, each appearing individually, the screams become an ocean’s roar and threaten to drown out the instruments. If it affects FUKURO at all then it doesn’t show because the band plug in and play and act like consummate professionals. Musically, FUKURO remind me of The Doors (only FUKURO have swapped bass for a guitar) as both play rock music with a jazzy swing. In fact, keyboardist Daisuke reminds me of The Doors’ Ray Manzarek and plays ethereal passages with notes that dance in the air like impish spirits. Drummer Lotto also has a jazz sensibility, a tight-but-loose style that renders him the King Of Cool, like Frank Sinatra…only on the drums. Often in rock music the bass guitar is hidden deep within the mix and is viewed as a supplementary instrument, as a way of keeping time (indeed, the aforementioned Doors dispensed with a bassist), yet Yutara plays his bass like a lead guitar and in a complete transmogrification, dictates the pace and rhythm. The result is a tight band who turn tracks such as Neko and “Seppun” into finely pointed arrows, and songs that never fail to hit the bullseye, turning the excitement in the venue into near hysteria.
As an old school metal fan, I was always keen on bands that had a strong visual element; Alice Cooper, Kiss, and even black metal bands such as Darkthrone. When presented correctly, it can add another dimension to a band. Of course, there were always bands like Mötley Crüe who used style to sustain their lack of substance, but I’m pleased to report that FUKURO fall into the former camp. With vocalist Yoshiatsu looking like an evil version of The Joker (from Batman), and the band attired in black with matching waistcoats, FUKURO cut the image of a strange lounge band performing in some haunted house (think The Shining’s Overlook Hotel). However, when it comes to music, FUKURO are all business and deliver a set that’s bursting with energy. Yoshiatsu is the quintessential frontman; not only does his voice twist and turn, but his body contorts into impossible positions, as if he is possessed by an evil spirit. The band’s dark image does nothing to repel the band’s female followers, in fact it seems to act as an aphrodisiac and many of those crammed in front of the stage are overcome with emotion and in tears at getting close to their heroes.
There’s a short break in the action where each band member has a short MC section to introduce themselves to the crowd, but mostly this is a non-stop rock show with the songs coming thick and fast. It means that the set comes to an end far too soon, but not before the band perform three well earned encores, before the band pose for the mandatory crowd photograph and soak up the applause. As we exit The Underworld and enter the bright city lights, we’re left with the feeling that we’ve seen something very special indeed.
FUKURO at The Underworld, London on 15.07.25 | Photography by JJ Grant (wonderlens)
Photography: JJ Grant (wonderlens)
Many thanks: Killing Daze
