Following the release of her new album, ‘In The End It Always Does’, The Japanese House (Amber Bain) kicked off her first full tour in 4 years at Glasgow’s SWG3. After having seen her perform back in 2019 at SWG3, I was very excited to see her again. What is immediately clear is that Bain’s vocals sound remarkably similar, if not better, than the studio versions of her songs. Something that is very difficult to pull off but really goes to show her talents as a vocalist.
The gig began with the upbeat songs ‘Touching Yourself’ and ‘Something Has To Change’, two of my personal favourites. The energy filled the room as the crowd danced and sang word for word, it felt like a moment that people were waiting for for a long time. This upbeat energy quickly changed to a more mellow introspective mood as Bain performed the songs ‘Boyhood’ and ‘Baby goes again’.
There were a few shaky moments, but that is to be expected after such a long time away from live performances and they do not reflect Bain’s talents. Plus, the crowd were on her side throughout it all, jumping in to remind her of lyrics and to cheer her on. One of my highlights was the addition of the saxophone, which brought an added groove to many of the songs. You couldn’t help but be drawn to the sax.
Although most of the set was filled with songs from the new album, there was room for some old classics from previous records, my favourites ‘I Saw You In A Dream’ and ‘Maybe You’re The Reason’, which I actually think the crowd enjoyed more.
For the encore Bain surprised the crowd with the first live performance of ‘Dionne’, a dreamy pop song that explores the feeling of being attached to someone and references iconic pop legend Dionne Warwick. The crowd fell completely silent and were in absolute awe of Bain in this candid moment. We all clearly felt the same level of gratitude to be witnessing the first live performance of ‘Dionne’.
The Japanese House are famously on the record label Dirty Hit alongside The 1975. Some people state that they wouldn’t have their fame if it wasn’t for The 1975, but I wholeheartedly disagree. The Japanese House are a unique entity who have created an excellent live show, with impeccable vocals and musical power. The SWG3 gig is proof of this.