With only a handful of shows under her belt, the first time I saw The Japanese House play Bristol was to a small gathering of eager fans, all who had braved the freezing temperatures to head to the Exchange for what was a stunning and intimate performance. Eight months later and she was back, this time to a much larger audience and with a growing catalogue of songs in tow. Having seen her perform on both sides of the spectrum, from small and intimate venues to ones of much greater size when supporting The 1975 on their recent UK tour, Amber Bain holds her own, the adaptability of her music a true feat to be witnessed.

Opening with Clean, a track that can so systematically grab your attention, its vocoded delivery comes atop of haunting basslines and accentuated percussion to great effect - Bain quickly settling in to her surroundings. The first night of a new tour can always bring with it some nerves but the crowd reacted none the wiser from the band's flawless delivery throughout.

It's been a delight to watch her confidence grow over the months, along with her expanding range of songs, the crowd being treated to a number of new ones this evening including Leon, Good Side In and her latest single Face Like Thunder making its way in to the set list. Openly giving prominence to her first two EP's playing through each and every track, Bain jokingly makes a remark to her constant guitar changing as she swapped between instruments on stage before announcing her "least depressing song", 'Cool Blue'. It's evident too as the amicable crowd finally began to warm up as limbs became looser as they swayed and nodded along.

Rounding up with Still, a track that holds great significance, it's undoubtedly clear that The Japanese House is an artist of true importance, one that's on the cusp of much greater things to come. With an impending EP on the horizon talk will soon turn to a debut LP I'm sure. Either way, as the crowd spilled off of the boat in to the car park outside that evening, there's no doubt they would all be taking home memories of a very special performance.

The Japanese House will release her latest EP 'Swim Against the Tide' on 11 November through Dirty Hit. She continues her tour at the following dates below:

OCTOBER
31 – BIRMINGHAM – O2 INSTITUTE 3

NOVEMBER
1 – NOTTINGHAM – RESCUE ROOMS
2 – MANCHESTER – CLUB ACADEMY
3 – GLASGOW – ORAN MOR
4 – LEEDS – WARDROBE
5 – NORWICH – ARTS CENTRE
7 – LONDON – HEAVEN
10 – PARIS – POP UP DU LABEL
12 – AMSTERDAM – PARADISO (UPSTAIRS)
14 – BERLIN – AUSTER CLUB
16 – VIENNA – B72
18 – BRUSSELS – ROTONDE
21 – BOSTON – GREAT SCOTT
22 – BROOKLYN – BABY’S ALL RIGHT
25 – WASHINGTON – DC9
26 – PHILADELPHIA – THE FOUNDRY
28 – TORONTO – HORSESHOE TAVERN
30 – SEATTLE – THE SUNSET TAVERN

DECEMBER
1 – VANCOUVER – THE COBALT
3 – SAN FRANCISCO – RICKSHAW STOP
5 – SAN DIEGO – HOUSE OF BLUES VOODOO ROOM
7 – LOS ANGELES – THE ECHO

Tickets - http://thejapanesehouse.co.uk/live

f: www.facebook.com/Japanesehouse