The Japanese House
Support from the likes of Zane Lowe and label-mates The 1975, with whom she toured huge venues across the country this year, have solidified the pre-existing hype surrounding The Japanese House, a.k.a. Buckinghamshire songwriter Amber Bain. Heading out on her biggest UK tour to date, a stop at Norwich Arts Centre may be modest against several nights at Brixton Academy, but made for a special night nonetheless.
Fake Laugh is first on; normally “a load of rock dudes” accompany Kamran Khan but tonight he plays solo, easing the tentative audience into the evening with jaunty guitar numbers and stunning vocals. Next up is Colouring, a dreamy quartet with a textured sound similar to Bombay Bicycle Club or early CHVRCHES. It’s their first tour; “I’m very nervous, excuse me…” notes frontman Jack Kenworthy, appearing a little uncomfortable initially but loosening up swiftly. Keys, guitars and a hefty dose of samples make up most of the set but newest single Everything Has Grown is the highlight; Kenworthy tinkers softly on a keyboard, first solo then joined by his band mates in a moment of innovative pop wonder.
Under the cover of darkness, to wild applause, The Japanese House take to the stage. Amber Bain moves to the front, cracking straight on with the guitar opening to Clean and sending a ripple of excitement through the room. In jeans and a grey sweater, she resembles the majority of her fans – fresh faced and flawlessly cool – introducing herself and complimenting the “amazing venue” she stands in. The echoing hall of Norwich Arts Centre is the perfect setting for Bain’s spacious and ambient music, in as much as it’s pretty difficult to picture the 21 year old performing in the back room of a grotty pub somewhere. As vivid lights add to the geometry of beams and pillars, she seems thoroughly in her element.
Making up the band are a male drummer and keyboard/guitarist who groove in time with Bain through tracks like Teeth and Pools to Bathe In, both cuts from the EP to which the latter lends its title. The production of each song is pristine, not relying too heavily on the samples, which can easily turn a live set into just a play back of recordings. Unreleased tracks break up better known material, but the almost sell out crowd appreciate it all equally. Swim Against the Tide is downbeat but soothing. Good Side In leans towards a more melodious side of the group’s alt-pop sound, with a recurring guitar motif and dicing percussion elements getting heads nodding all around. The lack of hooks makes The Japanese House’s music so compelling. Bain’s songwriting is raw, and though she disguises darker themes with upbeat arrangements, there’s no commercialism here, only true, pure artistry.
“Emotional!” she laughs at one point, her awareness of the melancholy nature of her material only making the performance more cheerful. Between singing she’ll pull faces at younger members of the audience, or let a smile slip at the frequent woops and cheers. As set closers go, Still is remarkably wistful, but Bain’s embellished vocal oozes soulfulness, added to further by an ensuing sing-along before a modest thanks and farewell.
No doubt in months and years to come, we who saw The Japanese House in such a perfect environment will look back and cherish the memories. This introspective, post-modern pop star has a bright future ahead of her, a fact made crystal clear by tonight’s performance.
