Culture Music Live music

Tomoyasu Hotei at O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire

Tomoyasu Hotei at O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire | Live review
Avatar photo
Avatar
Shot by Erol Birsen
Thoralf Karlsen Shot by Erol Birsen

If music is meant to move people, Tomoyasu Hotei shifted everyone 6000 miles into orbit. The six-string samurai – the man we all know but don’t know – opened with the classic Mission Impossible theme, ringing out across the O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire.

There is something strikingly cinematic about Tomoyasu’s music, though this is not surprising given the long list of film soundtracks he’s associated with. Kill Bill track Battle without Honour or Humanity, which was performed towards the end of the night, was both anticipatory and climactic.

Tomoyasu played to the fiddle of the Shepherd’s Bush crowd, and he did so in style. The crescendo of classics roused all present, the involvement of the singer’s best friend of 20 years adding to the chemistry and magic of the occasion. The abundance of musical talent on show overshadowed the lack of vocal quality in this specific performance, as Tomoyasu’s guitar solos demonstrated just why he is so famous in Japan.

Trying to make a name for himself in the UK may be a different game, but Tomoyasu nonetheless displays a knowledgeable consideration for Western guitar music, especially in his collaborations with Andy Mackay from Roxy Music who joined a couple of tracks with his clarinet and sax. The audiovisuals were also something to behold, with bizarre images of a monkey on top of an owl along with a spinning world – a world where Tomoyasu brings together East and West through the power of his music.

Thoralf Karlsen
Photos: Erol Birsen

For further information and future events visit Tomoyasu Hotei’s website here.

Watch the video for Battle Without Honour or Humanity here:

More in Live music

Stereophonics at Finsbury Park

Hannah Broughton

Sabrina Carpenter at BST Hyde Park

Katherine Parry

Noah Kahan at BST Hyde Park

Bev Lung

Oasis at Cardiff Millennium Stadium

Filippo L'Astorina, the Editor

Lana Del Rey at Wembley Stadium

Jonathan Marshall

Miles Kane at Moth Club

Gem Hurley

Ludovico Einaudi at the Royal Albert Hall

Cristiana Ferrauti

Zach Bryan at BST Hyde Park

Bev Lung

Linkin Park at Wembley Stadium

Antigoni Pitta