reviews
Yasuharu Takanashi at Dingwalls review 2/10/26
My head was banging like I was at a metal show but my legs were jigging as if I was at a folk show. The first thing that grabbed my attention was the incredibly high, fast paced energetic music that was making me want to dance my way into the night but also the colourful cosplays striked me, it was very clever timing as it made a great Friday warm up to the Anime con happening at Olympia over the weekend and Japan Matsuri in Trafalgar Square.
Yasuharu Takanashi is well known for his composition on anime and video games most famously for one of the big 3s Naruto accompanied by Fairytale and Sailor Moon Crystal. It was a geeks dream (which I say affectionately) as the audience were visibly excited jumping up and down and going what I would describe as 'nuts' over the music and noticed some people expressed a deep happiness at hearing their favourite anime song played, I suspect the meet and greet before the show was partly to do with that too. It was hard not to be excited along with the crowd as he performed with an entire band 'The Far East Groove' including a lead guitarist who was smashing endless solos, a bassist, drums, keyboard synthesizer and my personal favourites the violin and vocalist Juno with her heavy metal screamy vocals whilst playing an iconic Japansese shimasen, the high pitch sound of the violin and synth had the soul of video game music.
The combination of roaring guitars and synths combined with traditional violin and shimasen worked beautifully together and gave it more depth and energy, the collection of tradition and contemporary was truly a joy to the ears. I've attended Epic Anime on Valentines day at the Barbican and have to say despite both being anime themed it's very interesting how different it can feel live when performed compared to playing with an orchestra or a band, both venues being ideal for both. Dingwalls made a great setting for such a fun and powerfully charged show and was easy to enjoy the music and atmosphere without being hugely clued in on the Naruto or Fairytale soundtracks in fact it just made me more keen to purchase a vinyl at the end of the night and get a subscription to Crunchyroll. The audience engagement from the band really made the evening as vocalist Juno was translating Yasuharu Takanashi’s Japanse to English and at one point succesfully encouraged the whole audience to shout 'Kawaii' to them; it was clear the band loved cosplay and anime as much as the fans, asking the Naruto cosplayers to come to the front which made the experience feel authentic.
Dingwalls is considered a "legendary live music venue since 1973" I've walked past it plenty of times but am not a frequent show goer there but will say that it is a lively, easy to find and simple to enter. It's situated in Camden Town on the locks, close to the bridge with the food trucks. They have a bar inside the venue area with a merch table selling t-shirts and vinyls. As I was leaving the show I spied a DJ which looked like the party was ready to continue into the night but alas! It is Camden Town after all and you are spoilt for choice for some booze and food before your last train home.
After an hour playing and three encores the audience were still left wanting more but they were on their way to Europe. Let's hope they come back to the U.K again soon!