Tokyo Live Calendar - Gigs in Feb 2010
By Jonti Davies
tuesday 2nd
The Higher @ Shibuya Club Quattro (19:00 | ¥6,000)
Don't you hate it when bands deliberately pick names that sound incomplete?
wednesday 3rd
Andrew Bird @ Shibuya Club Quattro (19:00 | ¥5,000)
Classically trained and amazingly talented, this Bird can sing!
thursday 4th
The Killers @ Zepp Tokyo (19:00 | ¥8,500)
I saw The Killers a couple of years before they were famous, before they'd even released an album, and at that point I thought they were rather good. Not too keen now, but they're clearly better live than they are on CD...
The Horrors @ DUO Music Exchange (19:00 | ¥5,500)
Truly horrific style-over-substance UK fare here.
Devendra Banhart @ Unit (19:00 | ¥6,000)
Filthy hippie Devendra and his band like a bit of Daft Punk: this much I realized when I found them standing next to me at a Daft Punk show. But do Daft Punk like Devendra?
saturday 6th
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart @ Fever (19:00 | ¥5,000)
Indie pop like the 1990s are still going. This one's with fellow Americans The Depreciation Guild, as well as local bands Scott Goes For (another incomplete name - aargh!) and Caucus. Got to be good value. There's a repeat show on Sunday 14th.
Ino Hidefumi @ Superdeluxe (20:00 | ¥4,000)
First stop on Ino's "Inocology Tour". My wife reckons he's cool; I think he's a bit too "lounge-sophisticate", y'know. So choose your own wisdom. Sorry.
sunday 7th
Joanna Newsom @ Unit (19:00 | ¥5,500)
The harp is now hip.
monday 8th
Gossip @ Liquid Room (19:00 | ¥6,000)
Just be careful if you're standing near the stage, OK?
tuesday 9th
Daniel Johnston @ Laforet Museum Harajuku (19:00 | ¥5,800)
The manic-depressive legend (Kurt Cobain reckoned Johnston was "the best songwriter on earth") is playing Japan! What will he make of this place?
thursday 11th + friday 12th
Antony and the Ohnos @ Akasaka Sogetsu Hall (19:00 | ¥6,000)
Should be interesting, this one: Antony (from Antony and the Johnsons) is performing with 103-year-old - yes, 103-year-old! - modern dance specialist Kazuo Ono.
saturday 13th + sunday 14th
Paramore @ Studio Coast (18:00 | ¥6,700)
A weekend of bouncy, energetic young people playing bouncy, energetic music. If you're young, why not?
sunday 14th
Quasi w/ moools + Qomolangma Tomato @ O-Nest (18:30 | ¥4,000)
This is one leg of these eclectic bands' 2010 Japan tour. There's a repeat show on Friday 19th.
monday 15th
Blood Red Shoes @ Unit (19:00 | ¥5,000)
England's White Stripes. (Well, not quite.)
tuesday 16th
AFI @ Shibuya Club Quattro (19:00 | ¥6,000)
Big shouty rock.
friday 19th
Do Make Say Think @ O-East (19:30 | ¥4,300)
If you can't make this gig, you can check out these Canadian post-rockers on Thursday 11th at O-Nest instead.
saturday 20th
Mew @ Shibuya-AX (18:00 | ¥6,500)
Probably one of Denmark's top 20 bands...
wednesday 24th
Jeff Lang @ Shibuya Club Quattro (19:00 | ¥5,000)
Surprisingly tasteful Australian roots/folk with extra doses of slide guitar. You'll know if this is for you.
thursday 25th
Phoenix @ Shibuya-AX (19:00 | ¥5,800)
Can't quite understand the hype around these Parisians recently, but I suppose they're easy to listen to. Does that make them 21st century "easy listening", I wonder?
friday 26th
Basement Jaxx @ Studio Coast (19:00 | ¥6,500)
The Brixton boys are back in Tokyo town and ready to get the whole place jumping. Be there!
the venues
Akasaka Sogetsu Hall
03-3408-1154 | www.sogetsu.or.jp/english
Club Quattro (Shibuya)
03-3477-8750 | www.club-quattro.com/schedule_shib.php
DUO Music Exchange (Shibuya)
03-5459-8716 | www.duomusicexchange.com
Liquid Room (Shibuya)
03-5464-0800 | www.liquidroom.net
O-East (Shibuya)
03-5458-4681 | shibuya-o.com/category/east
O-Nest (Shibuya)
03-3462-4420 | shibuya-o.com/category/nest
Shibuya-AX
03-5738-2020 | www.shibuya-ax.com
Studio Coast (Shinkiba)
03-5534-2525 | www.studio-coast.com
Unit (Daikanyama)
03-5459-8630 | www.unit-tokyo.com
Zepp Tokyo
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