Sweet Candy Power During the barren years, having a Japanese band performing in the UK seemed like a remote prospect at the best of times. Luckily, sturdy rock outfit Shonen Knife were one of a the small number of acts … Read More
Under an iron sky If there’s one underground idol act that’s caught the imagination of western idol fans, it’s the 5-strong team of Necronomidol. The occult-themed outfit dazzled audiences in 2018 during their Black Wings Over Albion tour with their … Read More
Wave rock wonder It’s perhaps tough to grasp how long Shonen Knife have been in business as a music combo. Originally formed in 1981 by sisters Naoko (see J-Pop Go interview previously) and Atsuko Yamano alongside Michie Nakatani, Shonen Knife have since cultivated their … Read More
The UK’s biggest Japanese cultural event is back… Hyper Japan is the UK’s biggest convention of J-culture and anime held in the UK. First staged in 2010, Hyper Japan is designed to promote all aspects of Japanese culture, encompassing food, … Read More
Ringing in the changes… Celebrating the 15th anniversary of her debut, J-pop singer-songwriter Ai Otsuka’s new song ‘Chime’ has been chosen as the new opening theme for the 2019 TV anime Fruits Basket. Ai Otsuka is probably best known for her … Read More
I see the mirror reflecting me… With the release of her new album Places (see J-Pop Go review previously) earlier this year, UK audiences were also fortunate enough to see Rie fu perform some of those songs live at some … Read More