Reports: Japanese Music Events

The Electric Ballroom originally began life as an Irish music hall in the 1930s before adopting its current name in 1978. Since then, it has seen some of the most...

Leading lights in the visual kei rock scene, Sendai’s NIGHTMARE make a rare appearance in London. Such is the desire to witness this band that a queue starts to form...

As Storm Darragh rages across the marshes of Suffolk, two very unique artists join forces inside the Snape Maltings complex for what promises to be one special performance. The inclement...

Now returning for its fourth edition, WACK in the UK has quickly become a highlight in the European idol calendar. The regularity with which it is held means that it...

It has been almost two years since I last photographed a Re:O gig, and with a new look and sound, the Japan/UK band's journey continues and they are definitely going...

There’s no doubt that women have saved the soul of rock music. All the macho, masculine posturing of the last 60 years had reached a musical dead end and there...

Something that has been missing from Ipswich’s cultural landscape has been a decent mid-sized venue but now The Baths has stepped in to fill the void. Set in the heart...

It seems like only yesterday that modern metal quartet JILUKA were last in the UK (it was, in fact, 26th June 2024 when they appeared at The Underworld, Camden Town)...

WACK in the UK has quickly become a highlight on the calendar of any self-respecting fan of the Japanese idol scene. In fact, it has grown beyond the show itself;...

This was the final club date (festivals notwithstanding) on LOVEBITES’ European tour and the band did not disappoint. In fact, after wending their way through the continent the band are...

Two unique artists representing the underground idol scene stop by London on the first of three dates that comprise a whirlwind jaunt across Europe. With a bright and breezy personality,...

The self-professed 'repetition freaks', with a love of Krautrock, put on a fantastic show at the Hare & Hounds to a packed crowd. With their pleasant ambience and pulsating electronica...

If ever a band was to live up to their name then it would surely be Birmingham’s very own spincycle. There’s a cyclical nature to their sound, a repetitive battering...

Following the success of the first WACK in the UK event last year in November, WACK returned for round 2 with KiSS KiSS, ASP and GANG PARADE on 27 March....

In March 2024, MASS OF THE FERMENTING DREGS were on their first European tour since coming back from their hiatus of a few years. With their newest album Awakening:Sleeping as...

On the first of what promises to be a series of events celebrating J-Rock, three very different performers convene to illustrate what a deep and varied musical heritage Japan has....

Why a plethora of Japanese artists should have adopted the music and aesthetic of an art form that was once the sole preserve of narcissistic Norwegians shall forever remain a...

Jerusalem-born, now Bristol-based, the artist known as Tlya X An is a strange tangle of influences. Hyper-pop, dance, RnB and trap are all drawn into her sphere, then reassembled as...

In the heart of Coventry’s canal basin lies The Tin Arts, a former coal bunker that now serves as the city’s creative hub. Its former life now makes the perfect...

Once upon a time, when Coventry was an industrial powerhouse, the canal which dissects the City was an important artery in transporting its wares around the country. After the region’s...

Since forming in 2015, it has been full steam ahead for Japanese steampunk metal band FATE GEAR. Having left a tantalising trail of albums and extended plays, the band are...

On a Wednesday summer evening in 2023, at the Lexington in London, the event was hosted by Loud Women, a DIY collective that champions women’s music through live events. During...

Haru Nemuri brought her Shunka Ryougen tour to the United Kingdom and Ireland from May 25 - June 7, 2023. Before it began this tour was already heavily affected by...