20 year old Amber Bain aka The Japanese House is gearing up for her first ever Australian show tonight when I’m put through to her. Flying in from the UK in time to witness Sydney’s manic storm yesterday, any signs of jet lag or nerves surrounding her upcoming gig aren’t evident at all.
“The first half [of the plane trip], I got quite drunk with my bandmate Will,” she laughs. “I think we were quite annoying to everyone on the plane. The other half was great, I just slept!”
A great method to employ for sure, and a good way to kick off what stands to be quite the run of live shows in a country you’ve never been before, as well. The Japanese House will be heading on tour with The 1975 this weekend, bringing her music to thousands of new faces around the country. Releasing her debut EP earlier in the year, The Japanese House brings a cool, fresh vibe out of London that we’re keen to be further introduced to on tour. Having worked on the material with both Matty Healy and George Daniel from the band, the Londoner describes her dynamic with the musicians and how the EP came together.
“To be honest, I’ve never really thought about it as working with George and Matty from The 1975,” she admits. “I knew them before they were really famous. I met them just after they played The Barfly, which was my first London show. They’re just my friends and it was really fun working with them; we both have very similar tastes in what we like and so we all understand how each other works. It really came naturally and we never argue. I mean, obviously, there are times where it gets stressful; last time we were in this little studio and there weren’t really any windows, so we were like, ‘We just want this to be done!’. I think we worked together really well and it’s always a really positive experience.”
She’s not bothered by the comparisons or the associations to the band she’s been copping from press and other music fans who are switching on to her now growing body of work, rather, she’s grateful and happy about it.
“Everyone has a certain thing,” she surmises. “In interviews, it will be brought up, whether it’s about your family or something, everyone has a thing. I guess it’s really good that my thing is a really positive thing, that I happen to know these guys and we happen to work really well together and they’ve happened to become super famous.”
In terms of developing her own musical style in a music scene that fosters so many different types of musical artistry, Bain comments on growing up in and around London while trying to find her own style and sound.
“There are so many different genres,” she says. “I feel like, when I was at school, there were three main things. You had emo/punk and then chav/R&B and whatever, then there’d just be pop. Now, there are so many different specific genres, like ‘surf-pop’ or whatever, you know? What [artists] always stand out to me are the ones that don’t really have a genre, they just make music just because they’re having these thoughts in their head, rather than trying to conform to a specific genre. That’s what stands out for me when I’m trying to find music.”
“There are so many artists coming from the UK and in London alone, you can’t really keep track of everyone. For example, Shura, I think she’s more in the same kind of genre and group as me; I might know who she is and then I might be speaking to someone and they’ll have absolutely no idea. There are so many bands now, that even someone I regard as quite famous and think, ‘Well everyone knows who they are,’ could be another person who, if I’m talking to someone, they’ll have no idea about. It’s like putting your hand into a lucky dip, in terms of which artists you’ll happen to come across.”
Turning our attention back to her Sydney debut, only hours away, Bain is excited about the concept of performing her own headline date here for the first time. The idea of performing on the other side of the world hasn’t been lost on her, as she remembers her first lot of full band shows last year having a similar effect.
“When I did my first tour,” she says. “I went to Oxford and it was my first date and I was thinking, ‘Oh my God, nobody is going to be here, why would they?’ – it’s [upcoming tour] going to be like that, times a million! When I actually turned up and there were people there, watching, it was a really amazing experience. Even if there are 20 people who show up, I’ll be thinking that’s insane. I think there is a lot of crossover between my fan base and The 1975’s fan base, just because obviously Matty and George worked with me and post about me, so I’m really excited! I haven’t even really thought about it yet.”
“At the end of the year when I had my first ever tour, they were basically the first proper shows I’d ever played. I’d played some acoustic shows before, but never with a full band and a crowd! That was the first time where I was like, ‘Wow, this is a thing‘. Last year was full of moments where I was realising that it was becoming something more than it was when I was just writing in my bedroom. I’m so excited for these dates because obviously, the venues I’ve been playing are like 100, 200 capacity types and to now to play in front of thousands with The 1975, it’s mental.”
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The Japanese House performs at PLAN B (formerly Goodgod Small Club) tonight from 8pm. Catch her on the road with The 1975 nationally:
January 17th | The Tivoli, BRISBANE | SOLD OUT
January 19th | Hordern Pavilion, SYDNEY | SOLD OUT
January 20th | Festival Hall, MELBOURNE | SOLD OUT
January 21st | Thebarton Theatre, ADELAIDE | SOLD OUT
January 23rd | HBF Stadium, PERTH | SELLING FAST
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