Live Review: The Japanese House - Albert Hall, Manchester 10/05/2024
The Japanese House stunned Manchester’s Albert Hall with an incredible performance.
Amber Bain, known as The Japanese House, has plied her trade for some time now and is certainly reaping the rewards. One of these such rewards is that her music has led her to perform to capacity crowds at some of the most widely known and loved venues. On Friday 10th May, those attending the show at Manchester’s truly wowing Albert Hall would be lucky enough to see The Japanese House take to the stage. The evening was full of incredible music from all involved, including the notable support acts.
Kicking off the warm evening’s entertainment was a brilliant performance by Esme Emerson. The band, centred around the titular duo Esme and Emerson, were the perfect act to kick off the night. Their music was scintillating. They achieved a brilliant sound by pairing the gripping vocals of lead singer Esme with both an acoustic and electric guitar. Certain tracks were extremely well received and those who attended the show previously unaware of the outfit will certainly have them on their radar now. ‘Please’ was one which captured the attention of the Manchester crowd, who lapped it up. The haunting lead vocals were beautifully chilling, and the acoustic guitar which accompanied this was beautifully melodic. Esme Emerson are definitely to be kept an eye on, for they are sure to rise to the top!
Second to grace the stage before the main event was Bonnie Kemplay. Her experience on the biggest stages of them all when she embarked on a nation-wide tour with The 1975 last year has certainly proved to be handy. Kemplay took to the stage at the Albert Hall with confidence, just the singer-songwriter and her guitar. Her performance was phenomenal, and it feels certain that she will be headlining venues of this stature in no time at all. Many in attendance were already aware of Bonnie Kemplay, and a number of her songs were loudly sang back to her… One of which was the excellent ‘Blushing’ which was simply breath-taking when stripped back to solely Kemplay and her guitar.
As the sun set through the stained-glass windows at the beautiful venue, it was time for The Japanese House.
An almighty roar was let out by all those in attendance as Amber Bain and her band took to the stage. Bain and co wasted no time and gave the fans a huge track right away!
The song in question was ‘Touching Yourself’, which has cemented itself as one of the fan-favourites. From the get-go, Manchester was with The Japanese House. The crowd of just over 2000 sang along with Bain as she delivered a faultless vocal performance, which was matched by the band who were equally as incredible. Each and every person joined in with the extremely relatable lyrics, singing in unison: “Picture your face, I wanna touch you but you’re too far away…”
With that, the gig was off to a flying start.
The Japanese House as a live act was incredible. Producing such effortlessly beautiful music in the first place is one thing, but delivering it in the fashion that Amber Bain and co did is remarkable. Their collective effort resulted in a flurry of wowing renditions of some of The Japanese House’s most loved music.
One which was especially salient was ‘Over There’, which showed off just how talented the lead vocalist really is. Amber Bain’s vocal performance on this one was chilling in all the right ways. Her voice beautifully echoed around the historic venue. The slow, emotive music that backed her angelic voice topped it all off. As a track, it really does showcase the very best of The Japanese House.
Amongst the well-known, big hitters, there was room for some completely new material. ‘Smiley Face’ has made itself known as a track on this run of shows…
The song lived up to the reputation of the rest of The Japanese House’s discography. It was jangly, funky and an all-round excellent track that boasted some brilliant instrumentation and vocals, as has come to be standard for The Japanese House. Saxophone reminiscent of bands like The 1975 added extra oomph that was certainly appreciated by those in the audience. The track was performed during the encore, and it wasn’t out of place at all! The crowd relished the new material and will be eager to hear its recorded form in the future.
Concluding the night was ‘Sunshine Baby’. The song has proved to be extremely popular since it was released, and it proved to be a brilliant track to end the night’s entertainment.
Amber Bain was yet again joined by the unanimous voice of Manchester’s music lovers who beautifully belted out the words to the stunning song.
The end of ‘Sunshine Baby’ signalled the end of the night, and what a night it was! The Japanese House have gone from strength to strength in recent times, and it’s no wonder that Amber Bain and her band have continuously grown in popularity.
The gig at Manchester’s Albert Hall was more than memorable for all those who attended, and fans will hope to welcome The Japanese House back as soon as possible.
Words by Matthew Caslin
Photography by Katie Probert
