{"id":2105252,"date":"2026-08-21T18:27:25","date_gmt":"2026-08-21T15:27:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2105252"},"modified":"2026-08-21T18:27:25","modified_gmt":"2026-08-21T15:27:25","slug":"city-pop-waves-proves-japans-retro-sound-is-still-making-new-fans-in-london","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2105252","title":{"rendered":"City Pop Waves Proves Japan\u2019s Retro Sound Is Still Making New Fans in London"},"content":{"rendered":"

[analyse_image type=”featured” src=”https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/MAIN-IMAGE_TAKANAKA-Photo-Jamie-MacMillan.jpg?w=1024″]<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\tTrending on Billboard\t\t<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n

\n\tPalace Bowl Presents, an open-air festival spanning 12 days across July and August, kicked off this summer in South London\u2019s leafy Crystal Palace Park. Its major draw is a genre-spanning lineup of live performances including rock, soul, gospel, Afrobeats, electronic, and even Japanese city pop.<\/p>\n

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See latest videos, charts and news<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n\tThe three Japanese artists who graced the stage for City Pop Waves, the U.K.\u2019s first-ever city pop concert, were Masayoshi Takanaka, Junko Yagami and Himiko Kikuchi. Under the blazing sun, Kikuchi appeared in round-lensed sunglasses and took her seat at the Hammond organ, opening the show with \u201cDucky Ducky.\u201d As she pounded out the keys, a sound as rich and full as a big band washed over Crystal Palace Bowl. \u201cToday we\u2019re playing songs from FLYING BEAGLE<\/em>,\u201d Kikuchi announced, turning around to show the crowd the back of her T-shirt, printed with the album\u2019s memorable beagle artwork.<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t\tWeezer’s Golden Era Has Arrived: Stream The ‘Gold Album’ Now\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\n\tRather than leaning on dramatic narrative or a grand concept, FLYING BEAGLE<\/em> draws its appeal from refined ensemble work, with piano, keyboards, guitar and horns echoing one another to build an easy, satisfying groove. Yet witnessing this album, originally released in 1977, take on new life here in a country so far from home \u2014 twenty-somethings in the crowd shouting \u201cFluffy!,\u201d the venue erupting into chants of \u201cHimiko! Himiko!\u201d \u2014 was a powerful reminder of how effortlessly music can cross eras, borders, and generations.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWe\u2019re out of time, so this will be the last number,\u201d Kikuchi announced, prompting an immediate cry of \u201cOne more song!\u201d from the crowd. She answered the call with \u201cLook Your Back!\u201d A performance rich with Rhodes piano and a sweeping, breakneck horn section conjured the feel of a dramatic chase scene, closing the set on a fierce note that fully captured the playfulness and boldness of Himiko Kikuchi\u2019s music.<\/p>\n

\n\tNext to take the stage was Junko Yagami. \u201cHello, London!\u201d she called out to the audience, beaming. Her voice clearly transcended the language barrier, reaching fans from every corner of the world gathered there. Proof came during \u201cTasogare no Bay City,\u201d when the white man standing next to this writer sang along to every word. He\u2019d made the trip from the Netherlands especially for this show, he explained, having stumbled upon the song roughly six months earlier and thrown himself into memorizing its Japanese lyrics ever since.<\/p>\n

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\"Junko<\/div>\n<\/div>
Jamie MacMillan<\/cite><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

\n\tUp next was \u201cTERRA \u2013 here we will stay,\u201d a majestic piece running over eleven minutes that Yagami wrote during the pandemic. True to its title, the song traces the Earth\u2019s story from birth to end, addressing present-day issues like global warming and war. \u201cWe say \u2018no\u2019 to war,\u201d Yagami declared in fluent English, drawing a wave of applause from the crowd. \u201cThe earth is screaming because of global warming,\u201d she said, revealing that she had become a grandmother just a week earlier. \u201cI wrote this song for my grandchild\u2019s future,\u201d she told the crowd, entrusting them with her hope. The screen displayed breathtaking images of Earth together with \u201cTERRA\u201d\u2018s lyrics rendered in English, a message that clearly reached the London crowd.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe set list was short with just four songs, but Junko Yagami delivered far more than a run-through of beloved classics. As an artist still very much of the present, she used her powerful performance to speak out on world affairs and climate change. Her stage, alert to the changes of the times yet never sacrificing the sheer energy of the music itself, proved that city pop isn\u2019t just about nostalgia but is a form of expression unfolding in the present that can resonate around the world.<\/p>\n

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Jamie MacMillan<\/cite><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

\n\tAs the moment neared for headliner Masayoshi Takanaka to take the stage, chants of \u201cTA-KA-NA-KA!\u201d rose up from the crowd, and a wave of anticipation swept the venue even before the show began. Then Takanaka appeared, grinning broadly and waving to the crowd. The moment he struck up the buoyant riff of \u201cBRASILIAN SKIES,\u201d the audience erupted into a frenzy.<\/p>\n

\n\tTakanaka\u2019s playing is a seamless fusion of jaw-dropping technique and the melodies that spring from it. Songs familiar from the studio recordings transformed into something more dynamic, more communal in a live setting. While the band laid down a powerful foundation, Takanaka, smiling every so often, let the guitar itself do the talking \u2014 stretching out solos and expressive phrases that pushed the instrument itself into the spotlight.<\/p>\n

\n\tWhen the main set ended and the band briefly left the stage, there was still one thing the audience was waiting to see: the surfboard guitar. As the crowd waited for the encore, waves of \u201cSurfboard!\u201d chants rolled through the venue, punctuated by claps in three-beat time. Sure enough, as the intro to \u201cJUMPING TAKE OFF\u201d kicked in, Takanaka reappeared cradling the surfboard guitar, and the crowd roared. He strode from one end of the stage to the other, showing off the gleaming red instrument.<\/p>\n

\n\tThere was also a delightful surprise in store, with Takanaka unexpectedly announcing, \u201cSee you at Wembley next year!\u201d He closed out the show with the final track, \u201cYOU CAN NEVER COME TO THIS PLACE,\u201d and told the crowd, \u201cArigato!\u201d As the whole band took a deep bow, the venue responded with a wave of generous applause and cheers.<\/p>\n

\n\tRunning close to two hours, the show went well beyond simply playing through his best-known tracks and fully revealed the appeal of Masayoshi Takanaka as a guitarist like no other. For all its meticulous construction, the set was laced with playful touches throughout, and that spontaneity gave the show magic only a live performance can deliver. It was a stage where a deeply relaxed atmosphere and overwhelming energy coexisted \u2014 grand entertainment that transcended the bounds of a typical live show.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tBut above all, what made this night\u2019s performance so special was the sense of unity forged between the stage and the crowd. The music born from Takanaka\u2019s guitar and the audience receiving it with their whole bodies came together as one, and the roughly two hours they completed together left an indelible impression on London that night.<\/p>\n

\n\tCity Pop Waves proved to be more than just an opportunity for Japanese artists to perform abroad \u2014 it became a place to witness the moment of the country\u2019s music being shared across borders and generations. And nothing made the case more eloquently than this show that city pop is no passing fad, but a music set to keep winning new listeners for years to come.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u2014This article by Mami Kondo first appeared on Billboard Japan<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

[analyse_source url=”https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/music\/music-news\/city-pop-waves-london-recap-masayoshi-takanaka-junko-yagami-1236322108\/”]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[analyse_image type=”featured” src=”https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/MAIN-IMAGE_TAKANAKA-Photo-Jamie-MacMillan.jpg?w=1024″] Trending on Billboard Palace Bowl Presents, an open-air festival spanning 12 days across July and August, kicked off this summer in South London\u2019s leafy Crystal Palace Park. Its major draw is a genre-spanning lineup of live performances including rock, soul, gospel, Afrobeats, electronic, and even Japanese city pop. Explore Billboard See latest […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[48],"class_list":["post-2105252","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-billboard-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2105252","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2105252"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2105252\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2105252"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2105252"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2105252"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}