TK from Ling Tosite Sigure has embarked on a new tour entitled Bi-Phase Brain “L side”. His first show took place at Shinkiba STUDIO COAST in Tokyo. He was joined by guest act österreich who, like TK, has performed music for the Tokyo Ghoul anime series. österreich is the solo project by Japanese musician Kunimitsu Takahashi and this marked his first live performance since his band “the cabs” broke up in 2013.

österreich was supported on stage by Mizuki Iida (cinema staff) and Ai Kamano on vocals, Katsuaki Sato (Gecko&Tokage Parade) on piano, Sohei Mishima (cinema staff/peelingwards) on bass, GOTO (DALLJUB STEP CLUBのGOTO) on drums, and Anzu Suhara on violin.

All the members stepped onto stage, with Takahashi at the front who began the set on guitar with Zeitaku no Hone. The members displayed their instrumental mastery to flurries of applause. Takahashi himself was most into it of all, and his moved his whole body to song.  They followed this up with Munou, the opening theme for season two of the anime series Tokyo Ghoul by österreich. At the end of every song, Takahashi expressed his gratitude to fans with a heartfelt, “Thank you.”

Iida joined the fray once more in the second half of the performance, announcing the debut of a new song. He sang it together with Kamano. It was an upbeat, complex track, with the latter half of the song having a more straightforward rhythm and rising melody. It was different from anything we’ve heard from Takahashi in recent years.

Takahashi said: “Thank you to TK for inviting us here today. And thank you to Ishida, who has given us all of these opportunities.” The Ishida he refers to is Sui Ishida, the author of the Tokyo Ghoul manga. It was only fitting, then, that he perform Rakuen no Kimi, the ending theme to the last series of the Tokyo Ghoul anime. Thus marked the conclusion of österreich’s first ever live performance.

It was then time for TK from Ling Tosite Sigure’s set. He opened with kalei de scope, with a powerful ensemble beside him formed of BOBO on drums, Ichiro Yoshida on bass, Oko Haruna on piano, and Honoka Sato on violin. This was followed by an acoustic performance of haze, the ballad memento, Fantastic Magic which garnered huge cries and applause when they started playing it, the chaotic Shandy with its incredible piano loop, and more.

“This is my first time performing this one. I can’t do it alone, so I’m going to borrow some help,” TK announced, and was joined by Ai Kamano who also performed with österreich earlier that night. Kamano performed the vocal section which is normally sung by salyu. She accelerated the high tones of the chorus which was laced with TK’s iconic trance-like musical performance.

Kamano also joined him for his new song melt, which was released digitally last Tuesday, taking the place of suis from Yorushika who is the original singer on this track. The music was hard-hitting apart from the beautiful lull of the guitar. It was a dramatic performance, coupled with the CG and live-action-combined music video.

The last song of the set was a complete turnaround from melt. TK performed his early progressive hit film a moment.

TK expressed his thanks to the crowd, and performed unravel for the encore, the iconic season one opening theme for Tokyo Ghoul, sending the crowd into the stratosphere. This was followed by P.S. RED I, another climactic hit with the crowd and a fitting end to the night.

TK has two more shows left on this tour: DIAMOND HALL in Nagoya tomorrow, and Namba Hatch in Osaka the following day. Cö shu Nie will join him as the guest act.

Photography Credits:

TK from Ling Tosite Sigure→ Takayuki Okada

österreich→ Kana Tarumi

TK from Ling Tosite Sigure is about to head on tour from October 3 where he will  hit up Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya.

Before he hits the road, TK just dropped his new single melt (with suis from Yorushika) digitally on October 2. Check out the music video below.

The video is directed by Kentaro Saisho and features gorgeous live-action visuals with lyrics woven together with CG. The song has the kind of distinct and unique melody that TK is known for, while suis adds a new layer to the track.

TK from Ling Tosite Sigure is readying himself for his tour to Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya this October. But before he hits the road, he has just announced that his new single melt (with suis from Yorushika) will be released digitally on October 2, right before the tour begins.

As the title reveals, the track features suis from Japanese music group Yorushika, who was invited on board with a direct offer from TK. The song will be released in just under a month, but TK has given fans a tease over on his official Instagram and his band his band Ling Tosite Sigure’s Twitter page. The song draws a silhouette of ephemeral forbidden love, woven together with the unmatched beauty of TK’s melodies and suis’s vocals.

Speaking about working on the song with TK, suis commented: “I am deeply honoured to have been invited on board a song so sensational I have no idea why I was chosen. I’m the type of person whose soul is touched when it comes to songs, so my chest felt tight the entire time when recording began. Every time I listened to the track it felt like I was doing something wrong. I felt really troubled. I hope the people who listen to the song feel the same way.”

TK also commented: “I wrote this song on the fly. Every element of it came to me at once: the visuals of the music video, the words, the melody. In that time I wanted something that wasn’t me, something that sounded different from my usual image. I called it melt, and suis’s vocals elevated that transience that much more, like it’s close to you and melts and then heads off far away. I’m looking forward to the people who usually listen to Yorushika getting to hear suis in a different light. And the video is wonderful, it’s something completely new. I hope it reaches faraway [people].”

Aimer finally dropped her highly-anticipated two new albums Sun Dance and Penny Rain simultaneously on April 10.

On April 8 it was announced that the singer would release three music videos from the new records on her official YouTube channel three days in a row. The final video to be released is for Stand By You from the album Penny Rain.

The song was written and produced by TK from Ling Tosite Sigure. This is TK’s third collaboration with Aimer following us and Kowairo in 2016. The video was directed by Japanese film director Kyotaro Hayashi. The powerful visuals perfectly match the emotional music written by TK.

Be sure to check out the new video alongside the already-released We Two and Monochrome Syndrome.

Aimer will release two new albums simultaneously on April 10: Sun Dance and Penny Rain. These will be the newest albums from the artist since daydream which dropped back in September 2019. The full-track list had already been unveiled except for one song, but details on that song have now been released.

It is titled Stand By You and was written and produced by TK from Ling Tosite Sigure. This is his third song written for Aimer following us and Kowairo from 2016.

A video was posted on Aimer’s official YouTube channel which plays a track-by-track preview of each song on both albums including Stand By You.

With March almost at an end, the number of Japanese artists announcing performances overseas continues to rise. This is a list of 7 Japanese artists performing outside Japan in the first half of 2019.

・TK from Ling Tosite Sigure

TK from Ling Tosite Sigure has received huge international attention for his collaborations with Tokyo Ghoul which have been enjoyed by countless non-Japanese fans on music streaming services. This includes unravel which was used as Tokyo Ghoul’s first opening theme, and katharsis, the second opening theme for season two of Tokyo Ghoul:re. The singer is set to take his ‘katharsis Tour’ to Asia this April.

More Details: https://www.moshimoshi-nippon.jp/183546

・Kana Hanazawa

Kana Hanazawa is lauded for her immense work in voice acting. She is also hugely successful as an artist and singer.

Hanazawa is set to become the first Japanese female solo artist to perform at the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Shanghai on April 14, 2019. She boasts overwhelming popularity in China for her work in anime as well as her hit songs. Her Chinese fans’ dreams are about to be realised as she performs for them a long-awaited show.

・Radwimps

RADWIMPS dropped their recent album ANTI ANTI GENERATION in December last year and recently announced a live tour which includes their first ever solo stadium show. The band are also set to perform two dates at the 2019 Strawberry Music Festival in China.

・ONE OK ROCK

ONE OK ROCK has become one of the most popular Japanese rock bands overseas. They recently released their first album in nearly two years Eye of the Storm on February 13, 2019 and have announced a 10-date UK & European tour set to take place throughout May.

More Details: https://www.moshimoshi-nippon.jp/171983

・Aimer

Aimer recently announced that she will head to Asia in June on a 5-date tour entitled Aimer “soleil et pluie” Asia Tour. She previously performed in Asia last year alongside amazarashi, but this marks her first ever solo tour thhere. The theme of the tour is “sun and rain” which ties in with the concepts behind her forthcoming albums Sun Dance and Penny Rain.

More Details: https://www.moshimoshi-nippon.jp/185602

・suchmos

Suchmos will release their 3^rd studio album THE ANYMAL on March 27, 2019. The rock group are currently knee deep in their 2019 arena tour and are set to perform alongside HYUKOH in Seoul, South Korea in June. Tickets go on sale on April 2 at 12:00 (South Korea time).

・Wednesday Campanella

It has been announced that Wednesday Campanella will perform at the Second Sky Music Festival at Middle Harbor Shoreline Park in Oakland, California on June 15. This marks Wednesday Campanella’s second time performing at a festival in the US following her appearance at Camp Flog Gnaw in October 2017.

More Details: https://www.moshimoshi-nippon.jp/184064

TK from Ling Tosite Sigure held the finale of katharsis Tour 2019 at TOKYO DOME CITY HALL on March 9. The tour was themed on his single katharsis, the second opening theme for season two of Tokyo Ghoul:re―his follow up track to unravel which was used as Tokyo Ghoul’s first opening theme, a song which received huge international attention.

The tour began in February 9 and took him to 5 locations across Japan together with a live band. This is a look at his tour finale in Tokyo.

When the scheduled performance time clocked in, the room faded to black, and out came the members of the support band: bobo on drums, Ichiro Yoshida on bass, Haruna Oogo on piano, and Honoka Sato on violin, followed shortly by the main man himself, TK, donning a bright red t-shirt. The night began with his signature track unravel.

After the members finished playing Wonder Palette, the curtains were raised in an instant. The band then performed Abnormal trick, Crazy Tampern and other upbeat numbers all supported by the band’s dynamism.

The curtains at the backstage fell once more during the middle of the set onto which visuals shone and during which TK performed songs with an acoustic tone. Holding an acoustic guitar, he warped the aggressive parts of several songs: subliminal which he played like electricity, phase to phrase with thrilling phases from the fast piano, haze which featured classical sounds from the violin, and copy light, an unreleased ballad which began with vocals and the piano. This string of songs was a moving experience.

TK turned up the gear once more in the second half of the set which began with contrast. The vivid juxtaposition of floaty visuals and a punkish rhythm adorned invalid phrase before the band shredded a chaotic and energetic Shandy. The visuals and lights changed once again for the ballad memento before the final song of the main set and the theme song of the tour, katharsis. It began with the dramatic intro, and just as the lyrics state, a sense of catharsis seemed to release from the audience who watched, overwhelmed, at the hit number.

The other band members reappeared for the encore to huge cheers from the audience.

“We’ve got just 2 more songs to bust out for you, so don’t miss a single note, and please enjoy until the end,” said TK as he started to play Fantastic Magic.

He then proclaimed, “Congratulations, Spider-Man, on your Academy Award!” This only meant one thing for fans―that he was about to play his newest single P.S. RED I which was used for the Japanese dub of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Web-like visuals projected onto the back curtains. bobo beat the drums without hesitation with a tribal beat. The crowd’s excitement reached its apex of the night during the catchy chorus which made it feel like a brand new live anthem had been born. TK shouted until the end, playing his guitar, and left the stage with a look of satisfied completion on his face, leaving the other four members to say goodbye to the crowd once more. The night ended with a warm, close atmosphere.

Text: Atsutake Kaneko

Photography: Hirohisa Nakano

Translation: Joshua Kitosi-Isanga

TK is set to take his katharsis Tour to Asia next month, beginning at CLAPPER STUDIO in Taipei on April 5, 2019.

After being released in America, Spiderman: Into the Spider-Verse became a number one film and received outstanding reviews by the press such as “the best Spiderman film in history ー a masterpiece!” 

The film received awards from seven divisions including an Academy Award®, multiple Annie awards and the Golden Globes Award for Best Animated Motion Picture. This hugely famous masterpiece is finally going to be released! The theme song for the Japanese dubbed version of the film will be “P.S RED I”, which was released on 6th March by TK from Japanese indie rock band Ling Tosite Sigure. A special Spider-Verse version has been adapted for use in the film, and to celebrate the release of the film, a full-sized collaboration music video has been created and will be viewable for a limited period of 24 hours only!

“P.S RED I” by Ling Tosite Sigure ー music video (Spider-Verse version)

The theme of the music video is “freeing ourselves from the shackles of the world we created ourselves”, which perfectly matches the movie’s theme. For Spiderman alone, there is the concept of living like a spider where the web he spins is his home and also a trap to catch prey. If he has no luck in catching food, he can throw this life away, leaving the web behind to catch prey in a different lifestyle. This music video was derived from the two concepts of freeing oneself from the shackles of the small world we have created, and the theme of gaining courage to leave our comfort zones. The music video involves a dancer freeing themselves from chains to move freely and the stoic figure of TK.

To pay homage to the Japanese dubbed version of the film, you can also catch glimpses of Tokyo in the movie, even though the film is set in New York! This makes the music video even more fitting for its purpose! The music video original version will be released in the future, however the collaboration music video “Spiderman: Into the Spider-Verse will only be viewable until 23:59 on 8th March so please check it out asap!

Also, don’t miss out on the Japan and Asia tour “TK from Ling Tosite Sigure Katharsis Tour 2019 in Asia”! The details of this tour are now out. Whether you’re a fan or just curious, please join in the fun!

TK from Ling Tosite Sigure will release his new single P.S. RED I on March 6, 2019. The song is used as the main theme for the Japanese dub of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse which earned itself an Academy Award, Annie Award and Golden Globe for Best Animated Feature.

In the run up to the release of his new record, TK has posted a video on his YouTube channel of footage taken from his live performance at Landmark Studio in Yokohama.

TK from Ling Tosite Sigure – Studio Live Session & Documentary at LANDMARK / Digest Trailer

His live band line-up includes the familiar faces BOBO (Drums) and Sato Honoka (Violin) as well as Yoshida Ichiro Untouchable World (Bass) who was a support member for TK last year, Hiroko Sebu (Piano) who provided her piano playing on TK’s single katharsis from last year, and Masao Watanabe (Cello).

This video is taken from the DVD on First Press Limited Edition copies of P.S. RED I. It includes performance footage of Fantastic Magic, Signal, film A moment and katharsis as well as a documentary and interview. There’s also a small peak at his performance of moving on which was recorded with Salyu.

Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse will hit Japanese theatres on March 8. Although the film was released in the US on December 14 last year, the Japanese dub trailer has enjoyed much popularity within anime communities outside the country.

TK is currently on his “katharsis Tour.” The Japanese leg will end on at TOKYO DOME CITY HALL on March 9 before he heads to Taipei, Hong Kong and Shanghai.

TK from Ling Tosite Sigure’s new single P.S. RED I is heading to CD on March 6, 2019 but the song has been made available for early digital download on February 15 and can be pre-ordered on the iTunes Store.

The song is used as the main theme for the Japanese dub of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. A teaser for its music video was released last week.

Coupled on the single is the already-announced moving on, but it has been revealed that TK is teaming up with Japanese singer Salyu on the song. With such an esteemed artist on board it wouldn’t be wrong to now all this a double A-side single.

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse recently won the 76th Golden Globes for Best Animated Motion Picture. The film is set to be released in Japanese cinemas on March 8.

It was recently revealed that TK from Ling Tosite Sigure would perform the main theme song P.S. RED I for the Japanese dub. The song earned praise on the Japanese adaptation’s movie trailer in countless comments from people not just in Japan but worldwide. It has now been revealed that this new single from TK will drop on March 6.

Limited edition copies of the single will include a DVD featuring TK’s performance at LANDMARK STUDIO as well as a documentary and interview from that day. Those who purchase the single at Tower Records on Amazon in Japan will also receive bonuses. Details below.

Three new dates for Asia have been added TK’s upcoming tour including Beijing, Hong Kong and Shanghai. Details for these dates have yet to be announced but will be posted on his official website in the near future.

TK is the nickname of Toru Kitajima, who is not only the primary songwriter for the band Ling tosite sigure but also performs as a solo project called “TK from Ling tosite sigure” under which it was recently revealed his new song P.S. RED I will be used as the main theme song for the upcoming Japanese release of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.

Under his solo name he recently performed a special acoustic concert entitled “Acoustic fake shoe vol.1” at Meguro Persimmon Hall in Tokyo on December 14. This is the official report translated.

As the title of the show states TK was not backed by a normal band on this night but instead performed entirely acoustically. He was backed by Mari of Japanese band Gesu no Kiwami Otome on piano, Mamiko Amemiya on violin and Toshiyuki Muranaka on cello. This special one-night-only show saw the four musicians perform both TK’s solo material as well as songs from Ling tosite sigure.

It began with a dimmed stage and from a beam of light appeared the three guest musicians who were followed shortly by TK. The first song of the set was contrast. TK’s acoustic guitar and singing, the piano and the strings blended together to create a classical sound which in turn evoked a lyrical atmosphere. Seacret Cm began with noise from the violin and cello followed by delayed sounds from the acoustic guitar whose echoes reinforced the spaciousness in the venue.

It was then that TK showed off his technical phrasing for showcase reflection just as he does when performing with a full band. His shredded some aggressive chord strokes for re:automation too which Chan Mari joined in with on piano. A dramatic ensemble unfolded for Signal and an artist for which the focus was on TK’s singing.

After a quick hello to the crowd and a performance of fourth which wrapped the room in its warm and melancholic melody, TK announced, “We’re going to play a nostalgic song.” TK took to the piano and played alongside Mari for make up syndrome. Mari subsequently left the stage with Amemiya leaving TK and Muranaka together to perform a thrilling session of Kankaku UFO comprised of acoustic guitar and the cello. TK was then left by himself on stage and delivered a brand new song. It’s only with an acoustic set that you can appreciate the singer’s facial expressions.

“Singing to your own accompaniment for me is the toughest thing. Please enjoy that tingling sensation with me,” said TK. The other three members then joined him back on stage to perform dead end complex with tight additions put into the performance as a band would do. After the piano and vocal-centered unravel the final song was memento from TK from Ling sigure tosite’s latest single katharsis. It began peaceful with the piano and strings but TK changed it up by whipping out his telecaster, ending the main set with a thunderous roar.

For the encore TK sat in front of Mari’s piano and reiterated, “Singing to your own accompaniment really is tough (laughs)” before playing tokio. The strings and piano were added gracefully to TK’s delicate vocals to create a beautiful ensemble. The final track to wrap up the night was Missing ling. It began with TK singing and playing guitar which gradually became more and more chaotic as the piano, violin and cello kicked in one by one followed by TK’s screams echoing through the room. The song ended with TK singing to his own accompaniment once more, concluding the night on a majestic note.

TK from Ling tosite sigure will embark on his 2019 Katharsis tour in February next year.

text by 金子厚武

photo by 河本悠貴