TOKYO GIG PICKS (FEBRUARY & MARCH)

Maid in Japan: Band Maid

2025 is here and is wandering around in search of its signature sound. Will it find it here in Tokyo? I doubt it. As the greatest Metropolis on earth, there is too much going on. So, I'll just tell you a few things that have caught our ears and interest in the months ahead. Here is Tokyo-Met's pick of the gigs for Feb and March: 

BAND MAID

You might think this is just another example of BABYMETAL, namely an exploitative, formulaic metal-pop band made up of disgusting old musos in the shadows fronted by some charming young lasses up front, but BAND MAID are a bit more real than that, although I'm not sure how much more real. The look is designed to appeal to the same sweaty crowd of awkward pudgy males that frequent maid cafes, who would otherwise die if they met a woman in a "less formal" setting. But, there is just something so brutally Japanese about all this that it is as authentic a J-experience as doing Zen meditation under a freezing waterfall. So, knock yourself out! 3rd & 17th February, Liquid Room Shibuya! Price: ￥7000 (Ticket Info)

SIGUR ROS

This is probably your last chance to catch SIGUR ROS before Donald Trump decides to annex their homeland (Iceland). I remember listening to them some years ago and being swept up into their breathless, nebulous sounds which rather put me in mind of desolate Arctic landscapes surmounted by the aurora borealis. Hope they can still do that with a whole orchestra of classical musicians in tow. Tokyo Garden Theater, 15th and 16th of February. Price: ¥18,000-21,000 (Ticket info) 

DARK TRANQUILITY

Darkness needs light and, using the same logic, Death Metal doesn't really work without saccharine melodies to create that ultimate sense of loss, damnation, and consolation. One of the best purveyors of this oxymoronic sound are in town at Shibuya Club Quattro on Monday, March 10th as part of the Swedes' "Japan Tour 2025." After all the line-up changes do they still have it? Price: ￥9,000 (Ticket info) 

MIKE STERN BAND

Former BLOOD SWEAT & TEARS stalwart Mike Stern is one of the surviving greats of jazz rock, having collaborated with everyone from MILES DAVIS to HUE & CRY. This time the line-up at the always cosy Blue Note features Richard Bona, Dennis Chambers, Bob Franceschine and Leni Sterm. Plenty of high-quality musical luggage to be unpacked with two sets each night on the 12th, 13th, 14th, and 15th of March. Price: ￥10,000 (Ticket info)