LIVE REVIEW: PHOEBE BRIDGERS @ ZEPP DIVERCITY, Tokyo, Japan (21/02/23)

4/5

The Reunion.

Day off in Tokyo and after getting bored and looking around at the 7Eleven, it was time to finally see Phoebe Bridgers take to the stage. Wrapping up her world tour, big in Japan for the first time since the pre-pandemic 2019. All to mark a big week of gigs after seeing the Red Hot Chili Peppers in the Tokyo Dome last minute on Sunday. Following Lady Gaga, Norah Jones, Bruno Mars and countless others welcoming the border open Far East back to the live show, you can bet our bottom merch dollar we've got our fix back. So almost being fourth in line to then get walked down to the t-shirt stand and be made to wait outside (could have used one of my skeleton hoodies to cover these skinny bones) as Zepp DiverCity invited you in by order of your ticket number (did they call 1930 yet?) can be forgiven. Besides, I'm the kind of idiot who waits outside with the Nirvana like boygenius cover of the latest Rolling Stone magazine with a magic marker from Family Mart (sorry, 7Eleven) like I didn't just read the part about her not liking 'Punisher' invasive fans. I ended up giving up the ghost. 

None of that mattered as one of the best indie artists of our time came out to heavy metal, flames and a logo Black Sabbath would be proud of. Band baring their iconic jumpsuit bones. As soon as Phoebe bridged the gap that was keeping us at a social distance for so long across the Rainbow Bridge of Odaiba, looking over the bay like the massive DiverCity Gundam statue, we were right in her alien world of Halloween delights and ghost's in the machine like a seriously stellar SZA collabo. Although opening to the massive 'Motion Sickness' my old ass legs swayed with a feeling Maggie Rogers (rocking her Gatsby 'Surrender' tee) TikTok put best later. It's been a long, overwhelming time. Stay safe out there, people. 

There's nothing like hearing 'Kyoto' in...erm Tokyo. But anagram aside, when a fan who asked for a picture of my Rolling Stone (that sounds dodgy) showed me one he snapped of him and Bridgers in Kyoto (or maybe it was Osaka) the night prior, needless to say the jealousy pangs hit me like waiting in line through dinner service. With tour teams asking for fans testimonials for a concert film, being here hit different. "If you don't mind telling us, how's your relationship with your Dad?" A fan opened up with courageous candour, as I was still nervous about being in front of a famous YouTuber just by chance. A YouTuber whose living in Tokyo videos helped me get to grips with moving to Japan. I hope she knows how much she helps. It's not often you get the chance to seize and say. And it's hard to put into words without looking like a complete creep. Through the cold and confusion, crowds felt connected. Especially to this evening's host who also full-circle felt close to this country. Bridgers sadly lost her Dad recently, telling us the last place she spoke to him was whilst she was in Japan. 

Punishing storybook pages took us through this compelling and connecting concert like no other. Her silhouette being beamed up a spaceship, only to hit back down to earth like a saltine on the New Orleans sidewalk of Beale Street. If these pictures could talk, they'd sing. Because with artistic inspiration as well as integrity, they were part and parcel of a stunning set, crafted and curated, that told a story like no other. The heart breaks, but it makes for some magnificent music and a solidarity that soldiers on, wounded and weary, but willing and ready. We all felt it tonight. Bridgers brilliant dry humour watered the gig with comic relief to the feels we were all getting punched in. And a sure to be viral bit about a bandmate looking like Ed Sheeran was the shape of things to come on a beautiful birthday celebration for him. As this reunion tour wrapped up like gifts for an old friend, Bridgers belted out the epic screams like 'The End Is Near'. Getting into the crowd for the second time before leaving on the highest note. All before she revealed more with an encore that teased a song off her supergroup boygenius album ('The Record') coming in March. No longer stranger to the live show, this killer set was anything but punishing. Instead, for the record, it was the work of a genius, boy. TIM DAVID HARVEY. 

Set-List Picks: 'Kyoto', 'Motion Sickness', 'The End Is Near'. 

DOCUMENTARY REVIEW: J-HOPE IN THE BOX

4/5

A Box Full Of Hope.

Spike from 'Notting Hill' may have never got the chance to see Pandora's box, but now you can on Disney +. As their latest music documentary takes you behind the stage scenes for 'J-Hope In The Box'. Following their 'Permission To Dance' concert film, the Mickey Mouse giant entertainment company's streaming service looks at the making of BTS member J-Hope's 'Jack In The Box' album. And nothing is left on the cutting room floor.

From Seoul to Chicago, we see the South Korean rapper like never before. All whilst curating and creating his classic album, hot on the heels of his supergroup's hiatus. You get to see just how hard Hope works here and how all it all pays off...without a trace of 'Ego' like that epic song. The soul of Bangtan Sonyeondan takes his solo act to the Lollapalooza stage, burning the Windy City down like he did his credit card on his last shopping spree on Lake Shore Drive. An effervescent man of the people. He gregariously gushes upon meeting rap God J. Cole and impresses the emcee with his mixtape knowledge. He gets sweet support from his bandmates Suga and Jimin, showing this brief break could never bore into the beautiful bond this Korean ARMY still makes and recreates.

Get ready to be surprised like a popping box, Jack. Because if you thought this type of music was manufactured, your mind needs a rework. The meaning behind this muse and his message is given new translation, no longer lost thanks to the subtitles. Then, it feels like the whole state of Michigan is out in full force behind him, at the same Grant Park President Barack Obama gave his election victory speech. The whole raised like the L skyline behind like, "the city is mine."

But even off-stage he holds court like a GOAT. Working in the studio like a bull on an album that shows he's a real rapper to all that pop power. Hitting the rehearsal steps like M.J. (either or) did the gym. J is all butter like another big hit. If this is what hope looks like, I don't know why we lost it.

Intimate and inspired from production to performance, Jung Hoseok is the real deal. Sitting in New York's Bryant Park with a smoothie like you wish you were there that afternoon, or chopping it up with collaborator rapper Becky G like he was the 'Chicken Noodle Soup' to her soda on the side. The love felt for Hope is palpable. The process, potent. This journey of endeavour is one that will encourage fellow artists to follow suit, no matter what hand they've been dealt. From Seoul to 'trotting around the globe is a notion that is now more than just an American dream in this and his reality. You can't keep the energy of Hope in a box. And now the whole world is open to it. TIM DAVID HARVEY.

Further Filming: 'BTS: Permission To Dance (On Stage-LA)', 'Billie Eilish: Happier Than Ever (A Love Letter To Los Angeles)', 'Taylor Swift: Folklore (The Long Pond Studio Sessions)'. 

LIVE REVIEW: RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS @ TOKYO DOME, Tokyo, Japan (19/02/23)

4/5

Under The Dome. 

Ever since Tokyo opened up its post-pandemic borders to the world last year, a slew of superstar artists from America have stuck their set-lists to the stage. Lady Gaga. Norah Jones. Bruno Mars and Maroon 5 to name just a formidable few. The latter two performing in the Giants home of the Tokyo Dome. Under a sphere in this land of the rising sun. Now in the same week Phoebe Bridgers is set to punish this town in Zepp, the Red Hot Chili Peppers are back after a bittersweet sixteen years for a sweet set of their signatures.

Get the funk up for one of the best bands in a sold out show. Because what a spontaneous night this was. A buzzer-beating affair for the Laker fans decked out in purple and gold in Rui Hachimura’s home. A last minute decision to cop some discount tickets behind the nets that usually catch baseballs, but closer to the stage than most, no foul. Besides at stadium shows, even row A is a postcode away. This Sunday we were so skin of our behinds close that by the time we resisted the merch, got a drink, paid a visit and found the seats, a second after a quick snap of our tickets for the socials journals it went dark, and the show started...at 5.30pm. This is Japan after all.

As Chad Smith took to the skins, John Frusciante opened proceedings with a raucous riff and Flea provided the beautiful bass backing and all the best lines (wondering whether he ate "a donkey's a##hole" for breakfast may have gone over the heads of most in the Dome, but his "beautiful and mysterious" comments were exactly that), Anthony Kiedis came bounding out chords later with his signature stamping puddles style of stage rug cutting. Exploring all the space of this live studio like a spinning top.

From the first classic to the last, the Chili's couldn't stop. Performing choice cuts from their duet of albums last year ('Love Unlimited' and the 'Return To The Dream Canteen') before the bicep flex of a 'Black Summer'. Because 'suns out, guns out', let's face it, the Ant man's giant, tribal tattooed shoulders belong in the Smithsonian like this all American dream of a band from a Hollywood basement belong in both the hip-hop and rock and roll Hall of Fame. Or any genre they blend brilliantly and effort less as such like Prince's before them. One hundred years from now, the Red Hot Chili Peppers identifying signature sound will be as instantly recognizable as Sinatra's. Yet, talking about my generation, one of two of the world's biggest bands alongside the Foo Fighters are amazingly treated with apathy instead of appreciation these days. Like you're not witnessing living legends like LeBron in the flesh. With their boundless body of work still being classically curated, far from the peak. 

Whether it's dreaming of 'Californication' or 'What Hits' ('Funky Monks', 'Suck My Kiss' and so much more nostalgia for your tube sock, that's what). Or surprising us with standout favourites like 'Soul To Squeeze', before the epic encore of back-to-back absolute classics 'Under The Bridge' to thousands of smartphones and 'Give It Away' to even more hands thrown in the air. One of the most amazing bands we need to appreciate whilst they're still in their prime (still swinging at 60) know how to rock out (without their c###s out, these days, but still shirts off), but with a Chili chilled vibe. Much like Rihanna's real touchdown of a half-time show from last week. But now the Mars Superbowl spot nostalgia is complete with those that are Red Hot, the Tokyo Dome knows how to knock it out the park again, and the Yomiuri Giants haven't even sent out the first pitch yet. Now, bathed in a neon surfing crowd sea of red, how's that for liking it hot? TIM DAVID HARVEY

Set-List Picks: 'Black Summer', 'Soul To Squeeze', 'Under The Bridge'. 

REVIEW: P!NK - TRUSTFALL

3.5/5

Born Pink. 

The power of P!nk. In the exclamation of 2017's 'Beautiful Trauma', the huge hit, lead single off this classic pop album ('What About Us') was a political statement disguised as a break-up song. "What about us? What about all the times you said you had the answers", Pink asked then President Donald Trump and the America he claimed to be making great again. We love layered songs like this, accessible to everybody, but hiding deeper truths in a moral message. Like Stevie Wonder's 'Happy Birthday' song which is actually an ode that helped MLK get his own day. Now how's that for a dream? Whilst we're here, check out Pink's anything but 'Irrelevant' track protesting the overruling of Roe vs. Wade to show just how important this artist and her message is right now. But on the all-caps 'TRUSTFALL' of music megastar Pink's ninth album (her first since the pre-pandemic 'Hurts 2B Human' of 2019), Alecia Beth Moore Hart straight-forward bares it all on the outstanding opening track dedicated to her Dad. The heartbreakingly beautiful 'When I Get There'. 

"I think of you when I think about forever/I hear a joke and I know you would’ve told it better/I think of you out of the blue when I’m watching a movie that you’d hate/You’d said you were never one to hesitate/You were always first in line, so why would it be different for Heaven?/But I got a couple questions/Is there a bar up there where you’ve got a favorite chair?/Where you sit with friends and talk about the wеather?/Is there a placе you go to watch the sunset/And, oh, is there a song you just can’t wait to share?/Yeah, I know, you’ll tell me when I get there." Need we say any more? Easily one of the greatest songs this singer has ever sung which clearly means the most to her. You can trust in that. 

'TRUSTFALL's' title track is all about letting go and falling backwards into the arms of someone you embrace like faith. Then you can fly like the iconic video for another early 2000s legend that still believes in MTV. It's a beautiful message for the trauma, underscored with lyrics like, "Picture a place where it all doesn't hurt/Where everything's safe, and it doesn't get worse, oh my/We see through bloodshot eyes/Picture a place, somewhere else far away/Where you know what they mean, and they mean what they say to us/And would that be enough." Pink has always represented for those who feel like they can't have their say with her powerful voice. Way before it was "cool" or social media support easy to do. She's still championing everybody who now feel like somebody thanks to people like her. And the ones who are going to come to that realization late at night, headphones on, tears wiped under the covers. Smartphones illuminating screens of iconic album covers. 

The Lumineers leave a legacy on the album standout 'Long Way To Go' on some compelling collaborations for the record. First Aid Kit help stitch up the beautiful ballad 'Kids In Love' which reminds you of the teenage one LL Cool J rapped about as a youth, alone in his room. Whilst the classic closer featuring modern country giant Chris Stapelton ('Just Say I'm Sorry') staples everything together with one of the realest love songs of autonomy and accountability. But for all these big names, one of the biggest in the industry still holds her own like trading album guest features with fellow rebel with a cause Eminem in 2017.

Pink still has venom and knows how to get the party started again. You can feel that coming home to the lead single 'Never Not Gonna Dance Again'. She's been through way too much to not cherish all the steps we all have left. And it's a notion you should two-step with whether your parents are getting older, you've become one yourself, or if you're still just a kid. 'All I Know So Far', Pink remarked in 2021 in promotion for that documentary was that this new album was going to be "very honest". And it's exactly that to the tee a few weeks after fellow artist of before their time women's empowerment (although this has always been an important and potent movement before mainstream media latched on) Shania Twain showed us she was still the 'Queen Of Me'. 

Experiencing 'Turbulence', Pink navigates the storms of love and life. And you should buckle up as the 'Just Like A Pill' singer is about to start a fight, embarking on a 2023 world tour now it's safer to do so. The 'Runaway' talent is still here to the 'Last Call'. Deeply devoted like her now iconic, gone viral award show speech to her daughter. 'Hate Me' or her? Nah! This singer is no 'Lost Cause' singing on 'Feel Something', "I usually break the things that I love/I usually break the things that I love/I build 'em up too high just to watch them fall down/The sins of my father are heavy/I carry the weight on my back/Wouldn't you think by now I'd be ready", until you do. Navigating all these inner and outer nuances for better or worse. But it's 'Our Song' that will strike a chord with the "little bit funny" Elton John and John Legend 'All Of Me' crowd. A script flipped antithesis, stating, "Now we don't even know the words to it anymore/And you don't look at me that way like you did before/Now it's just another song on thе dance floor/And we don't evеn know the words to it anymore." Get ready to be in matrimony with a mainstream artist that's the real deal. P!nk has released one of the biggest albums of the year, yet we're far from the fall. Trust. TIM DAVID HARVEY. 

Playlist Picks: 'When I Get There', 'Trustfall', 'Long Way To Go (Feat. The Lumineers)'. 

REVIEW: SHANIA TWAIN - QUEEN OF ME

3.5/5

Man! I Feel Like A Queen!

Let's go again, girls! Where the legend of Dolly Parton and the mainstream millions of Taylor Swift meet, you get country icon Shania Twain. Ready to rock again, more than a half decade after 'Now'. The comeback was already complete then, impressing us much. But now after a pandemic lockdown and recovery from surgery and a major illness, the 'Come Away With Me', diamond 'Best Friend' singer is back to take the throne as the 'Queen Of Me'. Saddling up on all the pretty horses for her sixth studio album. Unbridled with powerful passion and anthems of women's empowerment that show the former poster-star of country music is 'Not Just A Girl'. No doubt, like Stefani. 

Before Taylor and Gaga, there was her. And she is that icon in star-studded Stetsons that spangle for the States. This Canadian crossed the border, due south and made her name in more than just one genre like Nashville. Tailor made. Twain still knows how to twang out a hit on the old guitar too. Add 'Giddy Up! ' to her greatest hits and your next hoe down. Singing along to this exclamation, "Time to make it happеn 'cause it feels so good/Singin' in the mirror like it's Hollywood/Lifе is gettin' shorter, gotta drink it up/Time to shine like I know you should/Slide to the left, then slide to the right/Jump in the air 'til you're ten feet high, yeah/Come on, come on and make it your night/Smiles for miles/All up on my face (My face)/Wear it, share it/'Cause we ain't got time to waste (Get to it)." The perfect elixir to get you out of your seat and on your feet. Lifting your malaise out the doldrums of a New Year this February (already?!) with the first major album release of 2023. 

Yet, it's the first single 'Waking Up Dreaming' that's really catchy, striking a chord as you wipe your eyes. With "Way up higher than we've ever been/No, we won't stop at the ceilin' (Ooh)/So let's keep wakin' up dreamin" and all the sing-a-long "whoa, oh, whoas", this is what it feels like to be in the beauty of a boundless love. And why not sing about it? You only have to read Shania Twain's amazing autobiography (named after one of her biggest and best hits, 'From This Moment On') to see that it's been a long and winding road, concrete tough. Enduring enough over the last few years to write another moving memoir too. Departing her record label (Mercury Nashville) of almost 30 years. Overcoming dysphonia and Lyme disease and almost losing that incredible and important voice. "I'm not a girl, I'm not a boy/I'm not a baby, I'm not a toy/I'm a queen/No, I don't need a king, so keep the ring/I've got the gold in my chest (gold in my chest)/A heart that can sing/I'm a queen", she declares with authority on the title-track that also serves as an affirmation to those who run the world. Consider the world tour she's about to embark on as a victory lap. 

'Not Just A Girl' indeed, like the name of a Netflix documentary you can put next to the Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift and Jennifer Lopez ones. Or her sign-off compilation from Mercury that shows Shania has more hits than Serena's racquet. That title also being a standout here. The penultimate track before the closer and our save the best for last favourite of the set, 'The Hardest Stone'. "Hold me, but don't you hold me down/Changе is gonna come/But my patience running out/Madе a decision/What the dictionary's/Missing is my definition/I'm not just a four-letter word", is your new quotable like "do, do, do" from the woman in me who sings, "I solved the mystery/That was it for me" from the stone. La, da, da. 

Jack Savoretti co-writes the scorching 'Last Day Of Summer' to put a spring in your winter's step. It's hard to feel discontent with the enchanting queen of electric power-pop ballads. You can 'Inhale/Exhale' and breathe the 'AIR' of this album and even enjoy some Target and JPC bonus cuts ('On Three' and 'Done and Dusted' for your one, two). Much impressed, this feels like a 'Number One'. Even with the "pants on fire" child's play of 'Pretty Liar' that then drops an F-bomb as strange as the time Will Smith dropped it (but with meaning for the moving 'Tell Me Why' with Mary J. Blige). But this queen can do whatever the f### she wants. She doesn't need any man to tell her what to do. No woman does. 

Twain changed the game when she flipped the script on Robert Palmer's infamous 'Addicted To Love' video and made it her iconic own for her huge hit 'Man! I Feel Like A Woman'. You might as well face it, she made empowering groundbreaking strides for gender equality way before the mainstream made it easy to do. All without the following of a social media army behind her too. You best believe the pioneer has one now though. Feeling 'Brand New'. She's 'Got It Good' like, "The heartaches, and the mistakes/I'll be there, I understand (I understand you)/Babe, don't bе afraid (don't be afraid)/To give me your hand." Getcha by golly, wow! Don't say "welcome back, Shania" like a lovely Lionel Richie on their 'Tuskegee' remake of his 'Endless Love' classic. The Queen of Country Pop has been HER for years. 100 million albums sold and streaming for one of the bestsellers by the record books. Count it! TIM DAVID HARVEY. 

Playlist Picks: 'Giddy Up! ', 'Not Just A Girl', 'The Hardest Stone'.