All the stars aligned and wrapped around the corner in Jersey City, New Jersey on Friday night. As fans stood in the queue, a local resident walked by and questioned who was performing because she had never seen a line so long at this venue. 

The Japanese House brought the North American Tour to White Eagle Hall on November 5. This was the third stop on the tour, shortly after wrapping up the UK 2023 Tour in late October. It follows the release of the sophomore album, In the End It Always Does. 

The sold out White Eagle Hall began filling up as soon as the doors opened, with fans making sure to get there early enough for a good view. The New Jersey native, Quinnie, opened the show bringing a warm energy to the crowd. Her light vocals and honest lyrics were the perfect precursor for the show ahead. 

The anticipation in the room only grew stronger as the dim, blue lights lit the stage and fog gradually dusted the room from the floor to the balcony. As soon as the band members took to the stage, the crowd was locked in and erupted when Amber Bain, who goes by the moniker “The Japanese House,” took the stage. 

She opened the show with “Sad to Breathe” which started out slow but built up gradually, which had everyone around the room bopping along with her to the song. It was very clear from the beginning that Bain and the crowd were there to have a good night. The room would go from almost complete silence, being truly absorbed in the music, to dancing around when the songs picked up. 

There wasn’t a moment during the show where the focus was anywhere else but the stage. “You Seemed So Happy” got the crowd going, along with other favorites like “Follow My Girl” and “Worms”. My personal favorite of the night was “Friends” where Bain seemed to be having the most fun. She almost missed the beginning of the song because she was so engaged in speaking to fans in the front row. With the vibrance of the ever changing, colorful lights, it felt like she was just another friend in the crowd having as much fun as the rest of us.

“I’ve really loved this show!” - The Japanese House

Bain was fully in her element on stage, having a genuinely good time performing and interacting with the crowd. During her performance she was giving out guitar picks, waving to what seemed like every fan in attendance, and joking around with fans – who she claimed knew the words better than she did. When you go to a concert, there is nothing you want to see more than the artist having as much fun as you are, and Bain delivered.

The show felt nearly perfect with an intimate crowd holding on to Bain’s every word. It felt like you were listening to the songs at home with Bain's voice shining crystal clear. Especially on the songs “Morning Pages” and the stripped down “One for sorrow, two for Joni Jones”, which she dedicated to a fan’s dog, Mascarpone, after finding out it was their birthday. 

The set ended with the crowd screaming the lyrics to “Sunshine Baby” right back at the stage. As I looked around the room to try to capture the moment, it left me in awe of the way music can truly unite a group of complete strangers. It’s easy to understand why Bain kept smiling and looking to the people who connect so dearly to her and her music, if only for just a brief moment in time. 

The Japanese House left the stage for the final time only leaving everyone wanting more. There wasn’t that typical mad dash out of the venue. Instead people found themselves lingering where they’d stood, as if hoping to stay in the magic of the room for just a little bit longer. 

If you have the chance, get tickets to see The Japanese House when the tour stops by your city. Chances are you’ll walk out of the show a bigger fan than you were before you walked in.

Setlist:

“Sad to Breathe”

“Touching Yourself”

“Something Has to Change”

“Morning Pages”

“Follow My Girl”

“Saw You in a Dream”

“Boyhood”

“You Seemed so Happy”

“Baby goes again”

“Over There”

“Friends”

“Worms”

“Chewing Cotton Wool”

“Maybe You’re the Reason”

“Dionne”

Encore:

“One for sorrow, two for Joni Jones”

“Sunshine Baby”