SWG3, 16/12/2019
The Japanese House, consisting of solo artist Amber Bain, began releasing music in 2015. Almost 5 years later, it is evident in her live performances that she has grown from being a little unsure on stage to a performer who can confidently hold a crowd. After the release of her debut album Good at Falling I knew that, when she returned to Glasgow, I could not miss this gig. And the quality of the night meant that I was right.
Evidently, by the thunderous applause and cheers when The Japanese House took to the stage, my excitement was matched by the whole crowd. Right from the start, every word was sung perfectly back, and a massive grin was seen on each and every face.
Now with a full arsenal of songs under her belt from 4 EPs and an album, she carefully picked songs across her discography so it didn’t become too album centric. Tracks like ‘Maybe You’re the Reason’ had the whole room dancing. But Amber also wasn’t afraid to take the audience on a journey through her emotional and introspective songs, like ‘Lilo’ and ‘Everybody Hates Me’. And that’s what is so special about The Japanese House: she isn’t afraid to explore the depth of human emotion.
The Warehouse at SWG3 became the perfect venue for this gig, as the infectious beats echoed round the whole room. The capacity of 450 created the intimate setting that her more introspective tracks needed. Hearing the songs live created a whole new depth to each one, as they took on a fresh and different persona.
I left the gig deep in thought and with the lyrics stuck in my head, as Good at Falling was the soundtrack to a certain time in my life. That seems to be the effect of The Japanese House: the songs get you dancing one minute and evaluating your life the next.
Full credit goes to The Japanese House for creating a gig where anything goes, where you could get your dancing shoes out or your tissues.
[Grace Richardson – she/her – @headcarz]
[Photo credit: SWG3]
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