Once again I’m adding something new to this little blog of mine (I hope you don’t mind being constantly bombarded with new content that I want to explore and try out). So I give you my first live concert review!
Image sourced from Google Images
Last week I went to see the band Touch My Secret. They are a Japanese rock band that consist of three members. The members include Anne who is lead vocalist and stand alone lead and rhythm guitarist, Chloe on bass guitar and backing vocals and Louie on drums. They seem to be a fairly new band on the Japanese rock scene and according to the internet have been going since 2015.
“My English is bad” stated lead vocalist and stand alone guitarist Anne. She then exclaimed with a hint of her Japanese accent “Maybe you can’t understand Japanese lyrics but **** it” before flashing a grin at the audience. The thing is music doesn’t need to be in a certain language in order to understand and enjoy the feelings and emotions being conveyed by a song. Music is universal. For everyone to enjoy no matter the language.
Touch My Secret were wild. They went from being very calm and quiet off stage to a whirlwind of head banging and swaying bodies to the rhythm of the music on stage. It only takes three to make so much epic, J-rock noise. Drummer Louie rips into a massive drum solo so intense it was almost as if he has a personal vendetta against the drums itself, and that was before the show had even really started. The intense solo was only a taster of what was to come. The rest of the night flew by as the audience was transported to the land of the rising sun and it’s ability to rock. Touch My Secret’s entire set was a combination of rock and metal leaving barely any time to rest from each songs head banging session. Many of the metal breakdowns were so heavy it felt like you were falling down into the pits of hell (in the best way possible) before dragging you back up to watch as Anne jumps onto the front stage monitors hypnotising the audience with her awesome solo skills. Although their tracks often became very heavy there were times when they mellowed and softer, bittersweet songs bloomed from their instruments making the audience sway to the rhythm. They may have played to a small audience in a tiny cafe but the Eastern energy they brought to this Western audience certainly left a massive impact upon us all.
All photos except the one I already credited at the beginning were taken by myself
It’s a real shame that this band isn’t bigger because they were an A+ act that can perform at such a high and professional standard. Anne, Chloe and Louie are incredibly talented and as a guitarist myself I truly admired Anne and her ability to sing lead vocals whilst also performing both rhythm and lead guitar with absolute certainty. One of the best gigs I have been to in a long time putting even some of the biggest acts I have seen to shame. Definitely a band worth checking out if you are into rock, metal and kickass band members!
Rating: 9/10
Would I see them again: In a heartbeat!
A Nerdy Perspective 
I envy you guys in the UK that you get most of the great japanese gigs and we here in central Europe frequently come out empty-handed. I follow TMS for some time too, and although it is not exactly my style of music, still I consider them pretty awesome and I can imagine the live show must be just stunnig, as it usually is with most japanese acts. Their ability to perform a superb show while clearly enjoying themselves, to connect with the audience in spite of the obvious language barrier, and their kindness and humbleness offstage, these features bring me to my knees every time I get to attend some of these concerts. God bless japanese musicians (and especially female ones) ,as they are the IMHO the future of rock music.
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I haven’t seen many Japanese bands live but you’re right the U.K. does get pretty good access to stuff! It’s a shame that Central Europe doesn’t get the same opportunities! I have only just discovered TMS and you are exactly right with how they perform! There is something so amazing and quite special about seeing bands like TMS perform compared to British bands! You’re right God bless them! 😄
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As one of the organisers, I first want to thank you for your review.
In my humble, personal opinion, you are spot on. 😛
In all seriousness, I think you captured what we saw last year.
There is a funny story about how this years tour actually started in terms of why..but that is for another comment. 😉
But I can say yes, TmS ability to switch between music styles, fluently, and make it a real journey for fans and newcomers alike is amazing.
As we just saw, the Japanese music scene has much to offer!
And seeing as I am German, and only moved to the UK a few years ago, I can agree that the UK is a hub for Japanese bands (never saw a Japanese band live before moving to the UK, now it is every other month).
I really have to thank you for the review, and I am glad you enjoyed it. I hope we will see much more of them in the future!
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Wow you organised it? That is so cool! Thank you for taking the time to read my review and I’m so glad you enjoyed it! 😄 You are spot on with the Japanese music scene! It has an incredible amount to offer and I find it so hard to access smaller bands even in the U.K. (maybe I’m just looking in the wrong place idk 😂) just out of curiosity where do you get updates and info on Japanese bands touring in the U.K.? As I really want to explore that part of the music scene more! You don’t have to thank me! I thoroughly enjoyed both seeing TMS live and writing the review! I’m just shocked by the response I have received since posting it (I didn’t think anyone would give it much attention but I was wrong) I hope to see much more of them too! 😄
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In an odd case You are not a member yet, there is this FB group called The Japanese Music Experience. Very rich, reliable source of info on various Japanese music, info on gigs, very friendly and helpful people there; no flamewars, namecalling… Very mature. Focused slightly more on female musicians, (which is the best part of Japanese music scene, anyway 😉 ), all genres. So I guess it is a good starting point.
Have to warn You, though: this is a slippery slope and You are about to fall down the rabbit hole. Did that two years ago and it really did change my life in many ways. Beware 😉
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Thank you so much I’ll be sure to check it out! 😄
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