Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on January 2013
2013 doesn’t sound lucky, but ignore numerology and consider the musical good fortune Tokyo will be blessed with in the coming year.
After a long absence, revered New York rock muse Patti Smith (interview here) returns to Tokyo January 23-24 for a pair of concerts that will present her formidable new album Banga, which even includes an ode to Japan in the form of the song “Fuji-san.”
Smith will have hardly left the tarmac at Narita before a string of gigs sees English postpunkers Bloc Party flaunting their new outing Four at Ebisu Garden Hall on January 27, followed by rave duo Crystal Castles at Akasaka Blitz on January 30 and New Zealand indie-pop hero Gotye at the same venue the next day.
February begins with a bang. Pop tart of the month Carly Rae Jepsen of “Call Me Maybe” fame appears—also at Akasaka Blitz—on February 1.
The festival season gets underway earlier and earlier each year. Label/promoter Hostess launched its Weekender events last year and the first of three slated for 2013 will see Dirty Projectors and friends take the stage at Zepp Divercity on February 2-3.
My Bloody Valentine fans will hopefully already have bought tickets for the shoegazer grandfathers’ two gigs at Studio Coast on February 7-8—both are sold out and no announcement of another date had been made at the time of writing.
The end of the month sees Beatles drummer Ringo Starr in Japan for the first time in 18 years. He’ll host two concerts at Zepp Tokyo on February 25-26.
In March, the concert calendar begins to emerge from its relative winter slumber. Brooklyn neo-folkies Grizzly Bear are at Liquid Room on March 5, Latin-rock pioneer Santana at the Budokan on March 12, bluesman Gary Clark Jr. at Daikanyama Unit on March 18, and beguiling electro diva Grimes at Club Quattro on March 27.
March also welcomes a fresh festival to Shibuya’s glitzy new Hikarie complex. The Orb theater inside the building hosts lounge orchestra Pink Martini, the incomparable modern jazz saxophonist Wayne Shorter and mercurial Brazilian multi-instrumentalist Egberto Gismonti for Jazz Week Tokyo March 22-27.
The year really gets into high gear at the end of the month with promoter Creativeman’s annual Springroove and Punkspring two-fer slated for Makuhari on March 30-31. R&B heartthrob Ne-Yo and EDM hero Avicii headline the former, with rockers Weezer and NOFX fronting the latter.
Barcelona-based electronic music festival SonarSound has been confirmed for Studio Coast on April 6-7, with the headliners still to be announced. American alt-country outfit Wilco then hit Zepp Divercity on April 12.
May sees Icelandic dream pop juggernaut Sigur Ros take on the venerable Budokan May 14. Later in the month, surf-culture fest Greenroom returns to Yokohama’s Red Brick Warehouse on May 18-19, with Aussie reggae outfit Blue King Brown confirmed as bill-toppers.
May also sees loveable metal icon Ozzy Osbourne’s Ozzfest touch down in Japan for the first time, with Ozzy’s own Black Sabbath headlining alongside Slipknot, Slash and more.
The summer festival season officially kicks off in the mountains of Nagano, where alt. music event Taico Club has been officially confirmed for June 2-3. The original Van Halen lineup of singer David Lee Roth and Eddie Van Halen along with brother, Alex and son Wolfgang, then take on Tokyo Dome June 21 after their November tour was canceled.
If recent years’ timing is any judge, Japanese rockers Asian Kung Fu Generation’s Nano-Mugen festival will take place mid-July at Yokohama Arena, with the mother of all Japanese rock fests, the Fuji Rock Festival, confirmed for Naeba July 26-28. Promoter Smash will be hard pressed to top last year’s Stone Roses-Gallagher Bros-Radiohead-Jack White bill, with the first announcement scheduled for March 1.
Japanese rock fans can look forward to Rock In Japan on the first weekend of August, while classical music fans will want to visit the Saito Kinen Festival in Matsumoto throughout the month.
Sprawling urban rock fest Summer Sonic takes place on the weekend of August 10-11 at Makuhari Messe convention center. Promoter Creativeman has just announced the headliners, with Metallica in their first festival appearance in Japan joined by Stone Roses and Muse.
The legendary Kodo drummers will host their annual Earth Celebration August 23-25 at their base of Sado Island in the Sea of Japan. Likely to coincide with EC is Wire, the vast indoor electronic music rave created by techno producer Takkyu Ishino at Yokohama Arena.
Leading jazz festival Tokyo Jazz always takes place the first weekend of September, while outdoor minimal techno event Labyrinth generally occurs the third weekend of September at Naeba, the same ski area where Fuji Rock is held.
In fall 2013, look out for another Hostess Weekender indie rock extravaganza as well as Kaikoo and Neutral Nation, two events devoted to quality alternative Japanese rock and electronica that often feature a Westerner or two on the bill.
