Joy & Connection: Thoughts and Photos from Next Music From Tokyo Vol 18
Next Music From Tokyo is the closest anyone can get to an authentic Tokyo live house experience on this side of the planet. Some try, but there’s always something that westernizes the experience, be it the same surf rock opener that opens every show, a distinctively western time-slot template, or a venue that just doesn’t fit the vibes. That’s where NMFT knocks it out of the park – the idea, bring some of Japan’s best up and coming bands to Canada, and just let ’em rip. The 18th edition of the fest brought ハク。(haku.), 揺れるは幽霊 (yureruwayurei), SYAYOS, and pudelhunds to Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver. We caught the first three nights of the tour, in Toronto and Montreal.
The first night of the tour took place at the legendary Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto. The walls of the venue showcase setlists and photos from The Police, Wilco, Foo Fighters, and tons of other acts, and a history that includes bands like My Morning Jacket, The National, St. Vincent, and countless other acts that have grown massive over the years. The Rolling Stones played a pop-up there, and it was Shania Twain’s dream venue until she finally played it earlier this year. And despite the deep roots in defining the western music scene over the last half century, when Next Music From Tokyo is in town, the venue could easily be mistaken for any venue in Shimokitazawa, Koenji, or Shibuya.
Note: There has been some controversy surrounding Horseshoe Tavern, mostly due to their previous bookers. The people responsible no longer book for, nor have any association with the venue. A small blip for a venue that’s been around since 1947.
And in some ways, Next Music From Tokyo translates the Horseshoe legacy for the artists that play on the tour. The promoter of Next Music from Tokyo, Steven Tanaka, picks some incredible, ready to blow up bands every time he runs a NMFT. The last time we were at a NMFT was the 16th edition, featuring Hammer Head Shark, who, since then have grown into an influential band in Japan, releasing a critically acclaimed record, and launching their own project, Yougaze, which is their own label, plus an engine to uplift other bands in their scene. So yeah, Tanaka’s got an eye, and ear for this stuff.
Related Posts: The Tokyo Live House Experience Comes To Canada: Our Next Music From Tokyo Vol. 18 Preview / Thoughts on 3 Nights at Next Music From Tokyo Vol. 16
Another great thing about NMFT is the community. Japanese indie music is a niche within a niche, and finding likeminded people who dig the same, fairly obscure music is very cool. At this edition of NMFT, I met JohnGoesToShows (insta) who posts some neat concert footage on YouTube, be sure to check it out, and I’ve included some of his videos below, mixed with some of mine. (Shoutouts the Shawarma place behind YYZ).
The Bands
It’s never easy for a band on their first gig overseas, even moreso when they’re the one opening. But that was no issue for yureruwayurei. They kicked things off with the opening track from their EP, mnemeoid, “亡霊のきみへ” (borei no kimi e). It starts off with singer Sako lulling the audience into a false sense of calm with just her voice and guitar. In an instant, it explodes, with bassist Koryo throwing himself around the stage, guitarist Hidaka creating some massive sounds, while drummer Juggler hits as hard as any drummer out there. It’s a dynamic that set the tone for their entire set. Moments of beautiful, immersive sounds, cut through abruptly by these massive, massive moments.
Koryo was also just a mass of unrestrained energy that needs to be witnessed. So many of the best moments of the first three nights involved him, either his performance on stage, him grabbing a shaker during SYAYOS’ set. Crowd surfing and moshing with the audience, losing his wallet in Toronto, his glasses, repeatedly, in Montreal. Didn’t fucking matter. Koryo kept going and the energy was so infectious that the whole gig was better because of it.
Connect with yureruwayurei
insta / x / youtube
Up next on the first night was pudelhunds. It also marked another one of the great moments of the tour, the birth of the crowd barking in response to pudelhunds. Their blend of math rock, midwest emo, and a bit of screaming made their set both intense and cathartic. Those intense moments broken up by the barking, and the huge smiles from the dudes on stage. Souta Nakano, the guitarist and screamer of the band barked along with the crowd and seemed so amused by the warm reception. Yuji Nakao, bassist and lead vocalist was so dynamic, stoic at times while singing, but when he let loose, he was a human whirlwind. He even spent some time on the ground in Montreal. And my god, their drummer Daichi, his playing was a joy to hear and witness, handling intricate, complex drum parts with ease.
When their set came to a close in Montreal, the trio took an opportunity to take a photo with the crowd, not them on stage with the crowd behind them, but all 3 members crowd surfing together.
Connect with pudelhunds:
insta / x
The third band to take the stage on night 1 was SYAYOS. A band that Tanaka warned me I was not prepared for. And as someone who fell in love with their record, Anthem 1.1, and had it on constant rotation for the last month, mostly to prove him wrong, I gotta admit defeat. He was 100% right. Anthem 1.1 is fantastic, it’s loud at times, it’s weird, it’s funky, it’s danceable, and it’s completely addictive. What I wasn’t prepared for was the absolute roar that rumbled behind each song live. Songs like “Last Dance” which feature acoustic guitar on the record, had an extra edge to them in a way I simply did not expect live. It reminded me of seeing My Morning Jacket play tracks from The Tennessee Fire, if you know, you know. SYAYOS arguably stole the show every night.
SYAYOS’ performance on the first night is going to go down in my mind as one of the most legendary performances I’ve ever seen. In just over a half hour, they demanded everyone’s attention with their music and playing. Like a pot ready to boil, the energy kicked up gradually, and once they reached their set closer, “Spaceboy”, it all started to bubble over. “Spaceboy” itself is a slow build, but once it got to its peak, there was no containing it. Moshers & crowd surfers climbed on the stage, Koryo from yureruwayurei screamed along to every word, and then SYAYOS themselves joined in on the chaos. Singer & guitarist Hina Suzuki jumped into the crowd, and rolled around on top of the audience in a way that was a little comical, but also badass, and infectiously joyous. Zen, the guitarist very quickly followed. Their rhythm section of bassist Shohei Kinoshita, the creative force behind much of the band’s music, and drummer Maktoto Shimodaira were the band’s anchors. But I’m 100% certain Shimodaira would have joined in on the chaos if he wasn’t trapped behind the drum kit.
And each night, haku. closed the show. I feel like it’s atypical for there to be a defined headliner at NMFT, for Volume 16, the bands were in a different order each night. But with haku.’s star power, it truly did make sense for them to close each night. They’ve got a dedicated, adoring fanbase. They’re a band that’s just so proficient at everything they do. They’re a young band, and even though their viral moment garners comments like “cute 1000%” and other things that don’t focus on the music, Ai, the singer and guitarist, and her ability are in full display even from that clip of a track that’s not even their own.
When they play their own music, it’s where they truly shine. And just a few days before heading to Canada, haku. released their debut major-label LP, 世界が変わる時 (When The World Changes). The songs from that record were the center of their live performance, including “渋谷から” (“From SHIBUYA”) which, in my opinion, is a song that showcases everything that makes haku. great, it’s dynamic. It rocks, there’s time and key changes, Ai raps, and the rest of the band simply brings it.
Live, they’re a whirlwind of action, while Ai typically stays behind the microphone, bassist Kano steals everyone’s attention with her energy and her facial expressions, especially when she steps up to the front of the stage. The same can be said for Nazuna, who may lay back a bit when she’s playing, but for big moments, she steps up and melts faces in the front row with her guitar playing. Mayu, their drummer is an absolute machine, and much like Daichi in pudelhunds, her ability to play these dynamic, shifting, complex drum parts make her someone you just gotta keep an eye on when they’re performing.
In Montreal, the band got their own new crowd interaction. As they left the stage, the crowd started an “Olé, Olé, Olé” chant, which eventually transitioned into a “haku., haku., haku.,” chant, which the band seemed so amused by. It’s easy to see why they’ve been on such an upwards trajectory over the last couple of years, and it’s so great to see them leave the viral moment behind and focus on honing their own craft, making the music they want to make, and soar on their own. On night 2 in Toronto, Ai talked about connection made through music, and how it reaches overseas. Without the connection made through their music, where would they be that evening? Likely not in the back room of a bar in Toronto in front of a couple hundred fans from all over the world.
Connect with Haku.
insta / x / site
The Vibes
Each night felt a bit different from each other. The first night in Toronto was a rowdy evening with plenty of moshing, crowd surfing, and just an uncontainable energy. The bands played into this and once the nerves settled down, with a bit of help from all the love from the audience, they all matched the energy. Moments like SYAYOS playing “Spaceboy”, the explosion of yureruwayurei, the barking, Kano stepping to the front of the stage all felt like big, big moments.
On the second night, the vibes were a bit different. Less moshing, and crowd surfing pretty much stopped after a couple of attempts. But the bands all were at the top of their game. Any nervousness towards playing for a foreign audience were gone, and in my opinion, this was the best sounding night of the three. Each band also tried to play a little into the previous night’s energy, and in the big moments, Toronto still stepped up.
The show at Cafe Campus in Montreal was unpredictable, Koryo made Tanaka crowd surf, and Tanaka even commented the crowd was a bit sparse in the middle. But they stepped up. Speaking of Koryo, he also invited the audience on stage to dance, and many took him up on the offer. And once the new audience and the bands warmed up to each other, which really only took until SYAYOS took the stage as the second band, the energy was uncontainable. It never got quite as moshy as the first night in Toronto, but the transition from a slow-ish start to what it became was a joy to witness. By the time haku. took the stage, everyone was ready to party.
And Montreal also had by far the better lighting between there and Toronto. It made the show just feel more immersive, especially during yureruwayurei’s set. The way they go from quiet, beautiful, emotional moments to louder ones was amplified brilliantly by the lighting. The sound was a bit off for some of the night, and we had multiple performers lose their glasses, I even had to lend an assist to Koryo whose pedal board came unplugged we were all on stage, it was a night of chaotic moments under beautiful lighting with four incredible bands, and a great way to say farewell to the tour as they headed west to Vancouver in the morning.
Next Music From Tokyo is a must-see if you’re a fan of Japanese music, or just independent music in general. NMFT, historically, has featured a range of different artists from different genres, though with a heavy lean towards guitar rock. But bands like haku. are accessible, with a pop core and undeniable talent throughout. Yureruwayurei also will appeal to any fan of shoegaze, whether they’re familiar with the Japanese scene or not. Same goes for fans of math rock & midwest emo digging pudelhunds. And if you don’t love SYAYOS, you don’t have a pulse, I am sorry. Tanaka has cultivated a scene within a scene, and so many people showed up at the show without being familiar with the bands, and left new fans. There was someone asking people in line on the first night, who they came to see, and very few even said haku., he said most people said “people are just here to see good music”. And that’s always a guarantee at NMFT.
We’re looking forward to the 19th edition that is hopefully happening next year, and if the artists that Tanaka said he’s trying to get for that edition are able to make the trip, it’s going to be one for the record books.