For all that heTonight Julian plays with the same terrific conviction he brought to the showcase and the set works well. He has thrown in a Girls Aloud cover, which works out well, nice anecdote about being on tour with them and his version of Colin Blunstone’s “Say You Don’t Mind” is truely moving. It gets into swing as he plays “Ride My Star” which is a real highlight, but the decision to throw “Wonder Why” in as an encore is a surprise, it is too good to come right at the end. For all that it has been a real success
Dingwalls is packed out and the atmosphere is great. I have heard about Neil Finn’s legendary bonhomie but it is something else to witness it first hand. He is the perfect host, all the more so when it is an evening of music that few of those in attendance will have heard before. The reaction is great as indeed it should be, these songs sound terrific. It is great to hear Ed playing and Phil Selway is an absolutely charming acoustic singer songwriter. It is a great band; Wilco’s rhythm section is a joy to watch. I am impressed at the amount of songs they manage to get through from the album. The band encore with “I Got You” one of my favourite songs from Neil’s first band Split Enz. He follows this up with “Always Take the Weather” and a couple of other Crowded House tunes that everyone swoons over.
We manage to eat by 11.15 and then head over to the Metro, a beautiful Victorian music hall which has long been a great home for music in the city. The band finally come on a little after midnight. The first song is a pile driving number, starts out with a slow Bonham beat and then speeds up to more of a pulverising pace before settling down into the groove. There is a strong and clear Zeppelin influence at work here, much of the set falling back into the grooving blues of the early Led Zep records, what lifts it even higher are the moments of harmonies. Undeniably this is amazing. To watch Dave power away at his drums is an awesome sight. Josh is a towering presence as is John up front. They drop down into some real motornick grooves at time that could go on forever and with the lights flashing hypnotically in my eyes I am struggling to hold it all together. I can see Dave is looking exhausted as well; it is damn hot in here. I manage to pull of a picture of Josh and John but I struggle with Dave and abandon my picture and the notes I am taking. They play maybe 12 songs which is a lot of music to take on board from a brand new band, but it feels like they pulled it off in spades. I cannot believe what I have witnessed, I am supremely fortunate.
We drive into the centre of the city to drop our bags and we head over to Lollapalooza where Kesha and Band of Horses are playing. The festival is in a beautiful park down by the lake. On one side is the waterfront, on the other the skyscrapers. I am really blown away by the city; it is a wonderful place to be. The festival is on a substantial site, but one that feels much more easily navigable than Summersonic. It is nice being outdoors as well. The temperature is every bit as hot as Tokyo but nowhere near as humid. Thunder threatens, but never quite makes it.
We wander across the site which has the two main stages facing each other, one sets up whilst the other has a performance. The BMI Stage where Kesha is performing is a much more modest affair, but there is already a small crowd gathered who are dancing to tunes that her DJ is spinning.
Kesha comes on and performs six songs. She looks amazing. She has the stars and stripes draped across her shoulders, and an outfit that consists of black shorts and a black body and shredded leggings over her golden skin which is smothered in golden glitter. Next to her is a keytar player who looks like Gwen Stefani and a guitarist who looks like Tony James when he played with Gen X. She tears through “Backstabber” “Party in a Rich Dudes House” and is totally convincing. She comes over much more like Karen O. She is spraying beer into the crowd and then her guitarist is pouring it all over her face. She carries on through “Blah Blah Blah”, “Dinosaur” and a triumphant “Tick Tock” which has a whole crowd of kids up on stage with her. She ends with a glitter cannon blasting glitter into the crowd and then another cannon firing off condoms. I am totally smitten with her, she is amazing, everything I could have wished for in a pop star.
I head over to see Band of Horses and it feels like everyone in the whole festival is converging on this stage. I am impressed at the number of girls packed in down the front signing all the words, but then this is such a great looking romantic band why the hell not? They play with the same kind of righteous delivery that I adored in bands such as Guided By Voices and The Hold Steady, but there is a purity here that can take them far higher. Ben’s voice is truly special, soaring above and beyond anyone else performing here today. And boy do they rock, Bill is a great focus to that side, he tells us later that he rocks the tennis visor because his hero John McVie wore one. I can’t believe that I am stood side stage taking all of this in, the sun setting on the Chicago skyscrapers as they light up for the evening. What a special day. We are getting to the end of the set when there is another band starting to be overheard between the numbers. Everyone is trying to work out what is going on when we realise that Janes Addiction have taken to the stage and that is the bass line to “Mountain Song” that we can hear. The Band of Horses sound guy just cranks the volume up higher to 130db and the band play on for another three songs. It feels like such a victory against the old guard, despite Lollapalooza being Perry’s festival and everything.
I walk back to the hotel and jump in a car taking me back to Summersonic. I am taking my digital camera with me this time so I can get to be a proper tourist, filming the views from the highway as we head out of the city. I get to Summersonic at 2pm. It is scorching hot. I head off to find the Ting Tings who are finishing up in the interview room. It is fascinating in there, ten, twelve, maybe more, film crews are all set up to interview each of the pop stars as they come out, some taking Polaroid’s which they invite the artists to sign, others asking them to sign the wall behind them. I am more fascinated by the arrival of Joan Jett who looks stunning, the same as she always has done, not a mark on her face. I find her fascinating though. Being this close to the woman who was the embodiment of rock and roll to me from the age of seventeen.
We walk all of the way down the backstage corridor to the Sonic Stage where the Ting Tings are about to come on. The room is rammed; there must be 8,000 kids in here. I always wanted the Ting Tings to be massive in Japan, I had hopes that they would be as big as Shampoo, but having been here I can suddenly see why Shampoo worked so well. And those were different times. Still we have done 50K records and there is no denying the support out today.
The lights go down and I walk down to the front of the stage so that I can draw them up close. Jules comes on to play the opening lines to “We Walk” on the piano, almost immediately the crowd are going mental. He gets to the repetitive riff, loops it and walks back to the kit striking up the beat as Katie walks onstage. I love this song, it packs all of my favourite eighties moments into itself. I am so lucky to have them on the roster when I love them so much, every bit as much as Elastica who I never thought could be bettered. Elastica with application, how about that. They launch into “Great DJ” and that glorious moment when the bass loop licks in is pure magic. I am so happy though to see all of these Japanese kids going barmy. Whilst the set doesn’t have quite the highs of Glastonbury, it is still wonderful to be able to finally see the band play in an environment where I always dreamed I would one day see them. “That’s Not My Name” is the final moment, building to that defiant crescendo.
We have a car to take us to Summersonic, one of the two major music festivals that Tokyo hosts each year. Fuji-Rock was two weeks ago and is held 90 minutes out of town in the countryside at the foothills of Mount Fuji. It models itself upon Glastonbury. I am not sure what Summersonic could be said to be based upon. Bucolic it is not. We drive up the highway for an hour before we arrive at a substantial conference centre. Creativeman, who are one of the two big big Japanese promoters stage this festival over an Arena and a Stadium. The closest thing to compare it to would be if Wembley Arena was divided into three spaces by massive screens and then there was a concert in the adjacent stadium.
Kai finds us and guides into the vast complex. All of the dressing rooms run along one side of the building, people are constantly marching up and down the corridor heading to and from promotion. People shoot about on miniature bicycles. Security is low key, polite and strictly enforced. Kai takes us into the food hall, a massive space that is as dark as night filled with illuminated stalls all selling various fried Japanese food. This really does feel like a festival, bizarre that it is indoors. Phoenix are performing on the Mountain Stage, the largest of the indoor stages.
We look in on Kasabian’s dressing room as they arrive for the show and start setting up. There is no chance for banter as they are rushed off to promo almost as soon as they appear. We follow them down there and get to enjoy the surreal site of Tom and Serge squeezed onto a tiny brightly coloured plastic sofa being interviewed for a local music channel. All around us other bands are being interviewed in similar surroundings. Shackey and I go off for a wander. I run into Simon White again along with the lad from Simian that I met in Paris. Simon introduces me to Plug who Cerne had suggested I meet here, he runs Hostess, and “You two are very alike” laughs Simon as he heads off into the afternoon. Dave insists we go and see the Arena site. Kai suggests we go and take a shuttle bus as it is a bit of a journey to get there. We pass My Chemical Romance on the way.
We sit there on the bus waiting for it to depart. I check my watch. It is nearly 6pm, Mew are onstage shortly, so I leave Dave and Kai to head over to the Stadium and I go and find the Sonic Stage where Mew are already performing. At least I am getting to bathe in something beautiful for half an hour. Mew make music of undeniable quality, but it is music that cannot easily be played on the radio. It is art of the highest order, beyond even the reaches of Sigur Ros. They do have a substantial audience in Japan; I think there is an audience for everything out here. I get quite swept away watching them, they are a compelling proposition, a much better live band than I had ever previously given them credit for.
It is getting close to Kasabian’s stage time and I head over to their dressing room. On the way I stop for a piss. Outside it is raining really heavily, a massive storm has just broken. Nine Inch Nails had to halt their set it is coming down so fast. I stand transfixed watching the water. Japanese kids stand around smoking, some of them grooving away to music inside their heads. They are all fucking cool.
I get the opportunity to stand side stage at the big event. There is nothing better than to see the whites of their eyes as a band walks onto the stage, that adrenalin buzz as they go out to face a crown. Tonight it is 18,000 screaming Japanese kids. Who could want for more? Tom is all wound up; psyching himself up as he spins out and launches into “Underdog” Serge is loving it. He turns to Ian on the kit laughing at the phenomenal reaction as they plough into “Shoot the Runner” . The gig runs perfect, “Where Did All the Love Go” and “Fire” go down as well as “Empire” and the classics from the first record. There is no denying the power though of songs like “LSF” that have the whole room singing as one. Tom later tells me how when he heard Mani playing on Primal Scream’s Vanishing Point, which is what inspired them as a band to drive the bass guitar as hard as they could. It works like a treat.
I find Dave and we travel to the venue for The Kasabian Gig. It is at the Shibuya AX or the Armani Exchange. I am very excited about this, seeing one of my bands for the first time in front of a Japanese Crowd. The venue must hold 1,000; it is purpose built, quite metallic. They have glued CDs to the ceiling, which makes it feel actually quite sixties retro. There is a crowd of girls dressed as nurses milling around. It has been arranged by the label “They are the nurses from the Pauper Lunatic Asylum” Kai explains. That might not work where it not for how cool they all look.
We go inside and find our seats. They could not be better, right at the front of the circle. The anticipation for Kasabian is huge and I am very excited myself, not least because I am desperate to see Tom’s hair. He doesn’t disappoint, as they stride on to play “Underdog” he looks amazing, pure sixties side parting, very Bailey. We should get him to photograph the band. What I love is the way the crowd will go mental during the set only to be almost silent after each song. I really quite like it. Certainly Kasabian enjoy enormous popularity out here and there is talk of playing the Budokhan next tine they are in this autumn. This is more of a warm up show for Summersonic.
It is such a thrill to be here, watching our biggest British rock band taking care of business in Japan. The crowd could not be more enthusiastic, yet at the same time more respectful, dropping to a hush between each song so that they can hear anything that drops form’s Tom’s lips. There is always a special thrill though in seeing an artist that you have worked with, that you care about in a foreign land, reassuring almost to see that another culture has taken to music that you believe in.
We get to see the band in their dressing room before the show and they are in great spirits. The show is good, I like them; Andrew’s humour in particular is a great asset.
I head over to Latitude for one last time. The rain has eased up by the time I arrive and I walk over to The Uncut Arena to watch Manchester Orchestra. I do mange a good drawing of Andrew the singer . I slip backstage afterwards and meet up with Andrew and his manager Brad. After the catch up I leave them to go and see The Editors up in the Obelisk Arena.
I slip backstage and run into Chris Gentry and Simon White who are here with Phoenix. I met the band four albums ago as they launched their career in Paris. They still look very young and we chat about Philippe. They are delighted to discover he is back in A&R. I go and chat with Chris from the Editors who is sat with an American girl from some band. Ed comes over and I say hi before Rob and Jackie arrive. I briefly look in on their dressing room before going out to watch them in the field. It is an impressive show. The band look great now, they really have stepped up. The new songs take on their own particular life when performed live. They look smart, very much their own band. I like the fact that there are moments when no one on the stage is playing a guitar. It is like they are drilling down into their USP. They feel special.
I go and watch Kasabian storm onstage with. I am a little unnerved when a phalange of Hells Angels come and stand in front of us, rather more than graced the video for “Where Did All the Love Go? Tonight is special. Tom is on another level right now. I doubt there is another British frontman who comes close, he has the glory of Jagger, Robert Plant and Roger Daltry all wrapped up in his CND T Shirt under that red bomber.
