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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