Unwittingly wooing the crowd: The Japanese House live

Last month,  The Japanese House played to a sold-out audience at Electric Brixton in South London. The place was packed full of people of all ages, everyone in a jovial mood. Watching one couple kiss passionately during the main performance was really heartwarming. Before The Japanese House came on, support act, Fake Laugh, opened up the show with some mellow indie songs, reminding me of my music taste when I was in high school. His music was largely made up of the kind of soothing guitar sounds and vocals that you’d hear in a movie soundtrack.

Fake Laugh consists of singer and guitarist, Kamran Khan, who was accompanied by other musicians on stage, including a drummer who made a lot of funny faces while playing, and a keyboardist, tambourine player and backup vocalist who, at one point, was swivelling around in his chair with glee.

Fake Laugh’s music was largely made up of the kind of soothing guitar sounds and vocals that you’d hear in a movie soundtrack

For the most part, though, Fake Laugh was quite chilled out, as were the audience, who are never that excited to see a support act. One of his most popular songs, ‘Honesty’, did manage to rouse the crowd though, and is definitely worth a listen.

The Japanese House, like Fake Laugh, consists of one person. Amber Bain is the House herself and her fashion style is androgynous, edgy and cool. She was a laidback performer, effortlessly singing, with what I can only describe as a sweet voice, and playing the guitar while unwittingly wooing the crowd.

She was a laidback performer, effortlessly singing

Some of the young women in the front row were practically blushing just seeing The Japanese House in the flesh. The pink and purple lights matched the vibe of the soothing electro-indie songs perfectly. The way that she and her band were set up is perfectly depicted in the music video for ‘Something Has to Change’, except for a different coloured suit. Songs like ‘Clean’, ‘Maybe You’re the Reason’ and ‘Lilo’ were performed to an enraptured audience, swaying and singing along. Everyone was calm except one woman in the upper seating area, who kept screaming out for The Japanese House to notice her. I wonder if she ever did.

Overall, it was a great performance that was enjoyed fully by dedicated fans, and I made a note to myself to lookup more of her songs when I got home.