The Tokyo Concert Experience

  “(Some) always talk shit until I hit them with the realness”. I’d say that his quote from the hard hitting Offence is quite an accurate description of its author, Little Simz . I myself was guilty for a minute. I got to admit that I underrated her when I first heard her latest album.  About a year ago, around the same time the concert took place, Sometimes I Might Be Introvert was released to huge fanfare. Me -the contrarian- disregarded the album as hype after one listen. At the time lines like “I’m a black woman and I’m a proud one” seemed a bit too on the nose. I didn’t like that she rhymed Kendrick Lamar with marihuana either. The way Twitter was hyping the album as the second coming kind of rubbed me the wrong way. Fast forward to six months later, I went back to her previous one Grey Area , which I loved from the get go, and decided to give Introvert a second chance. That listening session was revelatory. Finally the convergence of maximalist orchestra arrangements w...

  Dirty Old Fart Is Waiting for My Reaction is one of the many hilarious song titles in this band’s repertoire. I confirmed there’s an autobiographical inspiration to their songs as soon as I stepped into the venue. I was expecting and worried about a youngish crowd of Fantano followers and avid Pitchfork readers. To my surprise the place was packed with tons of fellow old dirties; more old than dirty, possibly. My fears of sticking out like a sore thumb vanished. I took my usual spot near the railing at the front on the left and waited half an hour for the show to start. Behind me a couple of English speaking guys couldn’t wait for the show to begin and join the mosh pit in the middle of the standing area. Unfortunately for them such thing never happened. Not because of lack of energy. This was just not a mosh pit type of crowd. Things started with Akimahenka , followed by Don’t Light My Fire . From then on the energy never fanned. Other than small pauses to retune instruments an...