King Gnu are returning to the United States for their first headline shows in the country, with concerts in Los Angeles and New York announced as part of King Gnu US TOUR ’27.
Known for their self-described ‘Tokyo New Mixture’ sound, the four-piece will perform at The Wiltern in Los Angeles on March 26th, before heading to Brooklyn Paramount in New York on April 2nd.
Although these will be King Gnu’s first US headline shows, the band previously toured the country in March 2017. Before adopting their current name, they performed at South by Southwest (SXSW) in Austin, Texas, as Tokyo Chaotic!!!, having previously been known as Srv.Vinci. They then joined fellow Japanese acts CHAI and Walkings for the Japan Nite US Tour 2017, playing seven cities across the country.
The tour included stops at Knitting Factory in Brooklyn on March 19th and The Hi Hat in Los Angeles on March 25th, before concluding at The Independent in San Francisco on March 26th. That final performance took place exactly ten years before their upcoming Los Angeles concert.
Footage from the 2017 tour later featured in the music video for ‘McDonald Romance’, a track from their debut album under the King Gnu name, ‘Tokyo Rendez-Vous’, released that October.
Since then, King Gnu have become one of Japan’s leading contemporary rock bands, reaching international audiences through songs such as ‘SPECIALZ’, the opening theme for the Shibuya Incident arc of Jujutsu Kaisen, and ‘AIZO’, the opening theme for the anime’s third season.
Their first major overseas headline tour, King Gnu Asia Tour “THE GREATEST UNKNOWN”, took place in April 2024, with all 35,000 tickets selling out across seven concerts in Taipei, Singapore, Shanghai, and Seoul. The band followed with King Gnu CEN+RAL Tour 2026, spanning 29 concerts across 15 cities in Japan and Asia.
The US dates also fall during a milestone year for King Gnu, who will celebrate ten years under their current name on April 27th 2027. Ahead of the American shows, they will play four concerts as part of King Gnu 10th Anniversary Opening Live “KICKOFF”, appearing at Tokyo Dome on February 17th and 18th, followed by Kyocera Dome Osaka on March 13th and 14th.
Tickets for King Gnu US TOUR ’27 go on general sale on November 6th 2026 at 10am local time. A Citi cardmember presale begins on November 4th at 10am, followed by a Live Nation presale on November 5th at 10am. Both presales close at 10pm local time on November 5th.
King Gnu US TOUR ’27
| Date | Location | Show & tickets |
|---|---|---|
| 26 Mar 2027 | The Wiltern, Los Angeles, California, US | Scheduled |
| 2 Apr 2027 | Brooklyn Paramount, Brooklyn, New York, US | Scheduled |
About King Gnu
King Gnu (キング・ヌー) are a four-piece Japanese band from Tokyo whose self-described 'Tokyo new mixture' sound combines alternative rock, J-pop, jazz, hip-hop, electronic production, and classical influences. The band consists of Daiki Tsuneta (常田大希; guitar, vocals), Satoru Iguchi (井口理; vocals, keyboards), Kazuki Arai (新井和輝; bass), and Yu Seki (勢喜遊; drums, sampler). Tsuneta is the group's principal songwriter and also leads the creative music project MILLENNIUM PARADE. The contrast between his rough-edged delivery and Iguchi's soaring vocals is a defining feature of King Gnu's music. King Gnu developed from Tsuneta's experimental project Srv.Vinci, which began in 2015. Following several personnel changes, the current four-member line-up performed at South by Southwest (SXSW) in Austin in March 2017, appearing under the billing Tokyo Chaotic!!! (Srv.Vinci) before joining CHAI and Walkings for the Japan Nite US Tour 2017. The band adopted the name King Gnu in April 2017, inspired by the way wildebeest gather into increasingly large herds, reflecting Tsuneta's ambition to bring a growing community together through their music. After appearing at Fuji Rock Festival that summer, they released their first album under the new name, 'Tokyo Rendez-Vous', in October 2017. King Gnu made their major-label debut through Ariola Japan with their second album, 'Sympa', in January 2019. The following month, the single 'Hakujitsu' became their breakout hit, bringing their distinctive vocal interplay and ambitious arrangements to a much wider audience. Their third album, 'CEREMONY', followed in January 2020 and sold more than 500,000 copies. Alongside their music, the band's collaboration with the creative collective PERIMETRON on music videos, artwork, and visual direction has helped establish their recognisable aesthetic. The band have also reached international audiences through their contributions to anime soundtracks. 'Prayer X' served as an ending theme for Banana Fish, while 'BOY' was used as an opening theme for Ranking of Kings. The singles 'Ichizu' and 'Sakayume' were written for the animated film Jujutsu Kaisen 0, followed by 'SPECIALZ' for the Shibuya Incident arc of Jujutsu Kaisen. Their fourth studio album, 'THE GREATEST UNKNOWN', arrived in November 2023 and was followed by a five-dome tour of Japan. Their first Asia tour in 2024 also sold out all seven performances across Taipei, Singapore, Shanghai, and Seoul, representing 35,000 tickets. In 2026, King Gnu released 'AIZO' as the opening theme for the third season of Jujutsu Kaisen, followed by 'GO GHOST' for the television anime The Ghost in the Shell. They also completed King Gnu CEN+RAL Tour 2026, their most extensive tour by number of cities and performances, with 29 shows across 15 cities in Japan and Asia. Ahead of the 10th anniversary of the King Gnu name in April 2027, the band announced celebratory dome concerts in Tokyo and Osaka, alongside their first headline performances in the United States.
