Next Music from Tokyo vol 17 – Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto – 20 September 2025

Since 2010, Next Music from Tokyo has been one of the most consistent curated Japanese music events outside Japan, bringing independent artists to Canadian stages. For its 17th edition, the tour returns with four bands, from mathy screamo to indie pop.

Lineup:

Haku.
Tokyo-based four-piece Haku. formed in high school and have grown steadily through DIY releases, viral covers, and small venue shows around Japan. Their sound is shaped by US/UK indie rock, but what sets them apart is their chemistry, unfiltered emotion, and a catalogue that spans raw youth anthems and refined pop arrangements.

Tattletale
From Sapporo, Tattletale combines elements of emo, math rock, post-rock and hardcore. Their songs alternate between ferocity and restraint, with a technical sharpness that carries emotional weight. Their latest single ‘Katachi no nai kotoba no you ni’, accompanied by a performance-driven video shot by Nobuhisa Yagi (octo), continues their streak of unpredictable releases.

Carpenter’sBlue
Self-described as “heartcore”, Carpenter’sBlue come out of Machida, Tokyo with a sound that blends shoegaze, Scandinavian indie, hardcore and hip hop. The strength of their music lies in its deeply personal lyrics and a vocal delivery that cuts through layers of melody with both clarity and force.

Banshimoku (板歯目)
Formed in 2019, Banshimoku are a punk duo that describe themselves as a “reptilian rock band”. Their songs take inspiration from crocodiles, turtles, and other reptiles, pairing hard-edged rock with offbeat narratives. Despite the concept-heavy material, what stands out is the power of their lead vocalist, whose voice has earned a reputation for being impossible to ignore.