Photo by Watanabe Aya
The seventh Spotify Early Noise Night, an event promoted by Spotify, the world's largest music streaming service, bringing together the latest Japanese artists, was held at SPACE ODD in Daikanyama on July 18th.

The event is linked to the popular playlist of the same name, and aims to expose promising newcomers from Japan to a wider audience. Coupled with the affordable admission fee of just 1,000 yen each time, the event has attracted attention, especially from discerning music listeners.

Last month's first Osaka event drew much attention, but this time the venue returned to SPACE ODD in Daikanyama, Shibuya, and the event was held on the customary 360° stage, with the audience surrounding the performers. Four acts from a variety of genres and scenes performed: THREE1989, Newspeak, TENDOUJI, and SUSHIBOYS.

Here is a report on this rare night, where these four unique acts painted the venue with their own unique colors.

■THREE1989

The first act of the day was THREE1989. Born in 1989, this trio is fronted by Shohei Uemura (Shohey), known for his appearance on the TV show "Terrace House." Their stylish looks have also attracted attention from outside the music industry. On this day, they performed as a seven-piece group, including a three-person chorus and a drummer. The opening song was "Tears on the Dance Floor," featuring Shohey's sweet vocals. This is a mellow mid-tempo number, but the arrangement, featuring soulful choruses, creates a majestic worldview reminiscent of gospel music. "Good evening! Spotify Early Noise Night! We're THREE1989, nice to meet you!" vocalist Shohey said with a lively MC, before moving on to "High Times." The groovy rhythm section, complemented by DJ Datch's scratching and effects, had the audience swaying from side to side and dancing in their own way. Announcing this was their "Japan premiere," they performed "mint vacation," released on July 19th. Another funky and danceable track, led by a sharp, cutting guitar.

To finish, they smoothly transitioned from "UMBRELLA," the lead track from their second mini-album "JET BLUE," released in April, to "Don't miss it," captivating the audience with their gorgeous and soulful sound.

■Newspeak

After a DJ transition by Spincoaster staff, who are participating in the event as official media, Newspeak, a four-member band that formed last March but has quickly gained attention, made a dashing entrance with a sound effect that sounded like the opening of a sci-fi movie. This talented band, also garnering attention with their cool, model-like looks, played the aggressive number "Media" as a greeting, changing the atmosphere in the venue with their dynamic performance. From their first EP, released last September in a limited run of 500 copies, they launched into a series of tracks: "Beat Goes On," with its catchy guitar riff and anthemic chorus, and "What We Wanted," with its bouncy piano riff that invites dancing. The audience erupted in excitement, responding to the band's enthusiasm. Then, Rei (vocals/keyboards) announced, "The next song is a new one," and performed "LAKE," a new track from their upcoming mini-album, "Out of the Shrinking Habitat," due for release in October. Showing the band entering a new phase, they closed with the epic anthem "July." Combining a globally-acclaimed sound, including UK indie rock, with native-sounding English lyrics, they are a prime example of a band that doesn't seem entirely Japanese.

■TENDOUJI

Perhaps because it was after the World Cup, TENDOUJI appeared on stage with The Waves' "WE ARE THE CHAMP ~THE NAME OF THE GAME~," famous for their "Ole, Ole, Ole, Ole~♪" song, playing in the background, drawing laughter from the audience. The four-piece band is also known as "the most beloved band in the Tokyo indie scene," but despite their friendly looks and funny personality, they are always impressive with their pop musical sense and live performances.

The show started off slowly with the mid-tempo "Parasite" from their first full-length album, "Mad City," released last year. The second song was a new one featuring a ragged guitar riff, followed by "Space Weekend" from their EP "BUBBLE POPS," released in April of this year. The intensity of the performance rose steadily in line with the song's tension. During the MC session, Kenji Asano (Gt./Vo.) commented, "It felt like someone was staring at my ass the whole time (laughs)," expressing his confusion about the unique environment of the 360° stage. He also announced that they would be holding their own event, "MAKE! TAG! NIGHT!!! Vol.1," in October, before moving on to the second half of the set. The audience sang along during early songs like "HAPPY MAN," "THE DAY," and "GROUPEEEEE," and the band's performance became even more intense and dynamic. However, no matter how rough the performance, the catchy melodies of each song never wavered, and this reminded us once again that this is what makes TENDOUJI who they are.

■SUSHIBOYS

The final act of the night was the hip-hop group SUSHIBOYS, who experienced a meteoric rise last year. With their unique group name and distinctive outfits, primarily featuring vintage clothing, they continue to stand out in the scene.

From the very first song, the band was at their peak, running around the stage with their energy at its peak, while the three MCs alternated between unique flows. Their opening MC, "Welcome!", drew laughter from the audience, and then they demonstrated their commitment to entertaining the audience from start to finish, even demonstrating their "sushi pose" and pulling off a sudden skit about how "delivery arrived during a live performance!" Their performance, as they call themselves, truly resembled an "attraction." However, once they began their performance, they completely captured the audience's attention with their unique song themes, stylish tracks that contradicted their lyrics, and cool rap. After performing popular vehicle-related songs like "Damborghini" and "Mamachari," they said, "Whenever we mess up, we always chant a certain spell," encouraging a call-and-response with the audience during "OMG," which drew a huge sing-along. During the memorable anthemic track "Mondai Nee," the band said, "Since so many of you are here from all directions, let's give it our all at the end," creating a sense of unity with the entire venue, including the audience, and creating the most exciting atmosphere of the day.

In response to the applause that continued even after the band members left the stage, they quickly called for an encore. They delivered an energetic performance that seemed to reach a new peak with the solid and upbeat number "Catch ur dream" from their first CD, "NIGIRI," released last year. The lingering afterglow of the performance continued to fill the venue even after the curtain had fallen.