Gigging in Japan: Phoenix
Back home I was a frequent gig-goer. I enjoyed summer festivals filled with music and moshpits. Since my move to Japan, the meaning of ‘summer festival’ has somewhat changed; cue yukatas and bon dances. But good music travels far, so I occasionally peruse the net hoping for familiar bands to fly to this side of the world. The first hit I got was Two Door Cinema Club. They played Osaka (check out my review) back in December 2012. There were some major differences to gigs back home; the silence between songs, the religious, synchronized clapping and the fact that they start and end pretty early. My second gig here was that of a British singer, Gabrielle Aplin. I was expecting the same crowd participation as at Two Door, but at cozy venue Umeda Akaso, an eclectic mix of people from salarymen to students, came to support the kawaii Gabby. This time there were more woops and roars and cheers and response from the Japanese crowd. This gave me hope for Phoenix.
Phoenix: Thomas Mars, Deck d’Arcy, Christian Mazzalai and Laurent Brancowitz make up this foursome from France who have danced their way round the globe and have even managed to jig through Osaka and Tokyo. Their music is alternative, fresh and simply catchy. I was introduced to them only weeks before I committed to see them.
When I went to see these mighty Parisian boys last month, I didn’t know what to expect. On Sunday 12th January, the IMP hall in Osaka Business Park filled with hipsters, merchandise-ridden fans, a few oldies and us. The carpeted venue had a no drinks policy; to gig without a beer in hand is culture shock in itself. Doors were at 5 (mecha early or what) and the show started at 6 (on the dot). As the lights dimmed and the band came on stage, the crowd fled to the front in unison as if everyone was in on it but us. The wave motion was a friendly, nostalgic surprise. There was life and personality to these Phoenix fans and they were ready to dance!
Popular songs like Lisztomania and Lasso caused bursts of movement and fist pumping from all of us, complementing greatly with the on-cue pyrotechnics. I have to hand it to the tech team, they put on a good show.
Lead singer Thomas was a crowd pleaser, at every opportunity he’d wrap his mic lead round himself for safety and lean into the crowd so his followers could have a grope and a feel. By the end, he had even dived in head first for a bit of crowd surfing. I’m not sure this particular crowd could handle his spontaneity as most of the side crowd had to run in to help keep him swimming!
There was a mix of instrumentals, creepy-eye guitar solos (don’t ask), domo arigatous, songs that made you throw your arms up and songs that made your head sway. The Phoenix bunch were great entertainers and encored with my favourite song, If I Ever Feel Better. Though their vocals weren’t always pitch perfect, the charm, effort and genki performance they gave really got the crowd going and became my favourite gig in Japan. Catch them at Summer Sonic this August – a summer festival that does not include shrine carrying!
Cherie Pham
5 Tips for when losing your Japan gig-viewing virginity:
1. Start time means start time. If it says “show time: 6pm†it means 6pm, you should know by now that Japan runs like clockwork.
2. Door time. The time the doors open is usually shown on your ticket. It’s a good chance to buy merchandise and figure out where the lockers are pre-show.
3. Ticket number. Be aware, although there is a door time you may be waiting outside for a bit for your ticket number to be called. So if you’re number “1036†you probably won’t be getting in first.
4. “But back home…†No. You are not back home, so if it doesn’t specifically list a support act, there won’t be one; if it says no drinking, don’t drink, and if the ‘cloakroom’ is an organized pile of 500\ garbage bags, then go with it.
5. Find a show. Check out http://www.creativeman.co.jp/english/ for gig listings in English!
