TRAMHAUS JAPAN LIVE! A Weekend in Osaka
- Sayaka Sugita
- Nov 30, 2023
- 6 min read
Review and Photos by Sayaka Sugita
Edited by Miyuki Wang
TRAMHAUS is a band from Rotterdam, Netherlands. Formed in 2020 mid-pandemic, they have been playing not only in Netherlands but also across Europe in the past few years, filling up spots at big festivals including The Great Escape in Brighton this year. You can take a glimpse of their great energy live in this video recorded in Paris in March. Naturally, just playing around Europe is never enough for a band like Tramhaus. Naturally, the next destination was to be Japan, and they played four dates in total in Tokyo and Osaka in November. My friend Sayaka was at Club Circus in Osaka on the 11th to see them.
“WHAT IS THE DEFINITION OF POST-PUNK BAND? Are they all just about being loud and political? What am I even supposed to do during the show?” There are certain things in the world you can figure out only by stepping out of your comfort zone, not by thinking about them in your head. Then, when you finally jump into the unknown world, you meet not only what had been waiting to be found on the outside but also within you; you discover the part of yourself you had never known before.
DISCOVERING TRAMHAUS, a post-punk band formed in 2020 in Rotterdam, Netherlands, has made a big difference in my mid-twentieth. I hope this is a relatable experience but I've become more and more self-conscious as I grew older. It happens everywhere - when I'm walking on the streets, cycling in my neighbourhood, on trains, sitting at work - imaginary or not, I can't stop feeling stares falling on me like a shower, and I second-guess my every move. However, listening to Tramhaus has erased that habit. And since seeing their show, my mindset has switched to questioning why I should care about others.
GOING TO SHOWS is a pure one-to-one experience of the music and you. You’re focused on connecting with what’s happening in front of you at that moment, forgetting about other things. There’s no room for thinking about what was bugging you a second ago. Ears, eyes, and hands on your phone trying to capture the moments, all of your senses attend to absorb the nature that's being made by the band and the audience.
EVERY SHOW IS UNIQUE for its audience and its diversity. For example, the age of the audience can be very different for each. The crowd I encountered at the Tramhaus show was nothing like what I'm used to seeing at other shows I've enjoyed. This scene left me a strong impression: each person was swaying their bodies and throwing limbs as if controlled by the music from the speakers. At first, it made me feel uncomfortable as I thought that was what everyone in the crowd was expected to do. But then, when I looked around the room, I saw others making completely different moves. Everyone was taking in the same music but expressing it differently, individually. That was when I finally realised that there is no rule or whatsoever for ways to enjoy music.
MY SISTER AND I being music-buddies for years, she joined me to see the unknown band Tramhaus. The venue in America-Mura called Circus Osaka was as small as to hold only 150 people which thankfully enabled us to talk to the band members who were walking around and enjoying the music with other audience before the show. As soon as I got to the merch desk, I immediately recognized the bassist Julia. I didn’t expect to be buying their merch directly from the hands of the very music makers of the band, so it was a special moment. She told me that it was actually their first trip outside of Europe coming to Japan and about how jet-lagged she was. Micha, the guitarist, also told me the time difference was making him sleep-deprived. However, I did not see any signs of tiredness from any of them during the show.
LUKAS, THE FRONTMAN, was especially the most powerful individual on stage. Making fists and banging them to the fast-paced drum beats, he was singing out of his soul. 'I Don’t Sweat' is one of my favourite songs. listening to it, the lyrics make me think that I can, and should, chill under any circumstances or even when facing disasters. Oddly, in the middle of the song, Lukas noticed something was off and stepped back to the drum set and kneeled down, seeming to be fixing whatever was wrong. When he stood up, he was holding one of the parts, the beater, and came back to the front. Instead of beating the drum, Lukas used it as if it were his new accessory to play with. The audience was worried for a second but seeing him acting naturally, we all felt relieved and rather moved by how calmly and fast he turned the scene upside down. This incident reminded me to stay as calm as not to “sweat” which made me love the song more.
Moreover, during 'Minus Twenty,' Lukas with a can of lemon Chuhai (fruit juice mixed with vodka) in his hand and a big smile on his face came into the crowd and watched over the band jamming together. It was as if Lukas wanted to take a moment to appreciate the band members and their instruments, which the audience all seemed to follow. The outro of the song felt much different from the recorded version I had been listening to since I hadn't noticed the screaming in the song! I couldn’t help myself from screaming and had real fun doing it together.
AFTER THE SHOW, to remember how fun that night was, I bought one of the Japan tour t-shirts with the band name written in Japanese. They only had 60 of them. Then, I could get pictures with everyone and felt the happiest and grateful for them putting on such a great show in my hometown. I said "good night" and "see you tomorrow” since i was going to their after-party at my favourite record shop nearby the next day.
THE NEXT DAY, with my sister who also completely fell in love with Tramhaus’ music, I headed to Alffo Records in Shinsaibashi, Osaka. As I opened the red door, I found the familiar faces from the night before and was happy seeing them again and excited knowing there would be their DJ sets! Since this was my first ever DJ set to attend, I was a bit nervous, but after Jim, the drummer, told me that it was also his first time doing the DJ, I felt relieved that there were no rules on how to enjoy. When I was standing near the DJ booth, I smelled something yum. I turned around and saw one of their tour crews bringing chicken nuggets and burgers from Mos Burger (a Japanese burger chain). My heart warmed seeing him delivering food to the hungry members, and also because it felt like a record shop had turned into someone's home. It was as if I was invited to someone’s house party, with some enjoying meals and drinks and others playing music for all of us to have a good time.
THE DJ SET was split into two different groups with 3 members each, and each group played very different genres of music which was surprising to me. With each member playing their favourite songs, the room had the air of a school after classes. It makes sense that there's a strong feeling of community. Before the set, when I asked Lukas what he was going to play for his part, he told met they were going to play songs they listen to on tour bus. Having different taste in music and coming from different projects - Lukas from Pig Frenzy, Nadya from Vulva, Micha from Pig Frenzy/Goodnight Moonlight, Jim from Nagasaki Swim/Goodnight Moonlight, and Julia formerly a photographer - when they get together, they make the most amazing music like a chemical reaction. They are all such lovely people to talk to and I hope they will come back to Japan soon.
Becoming more interested in the Dutch music scene, I found a band called Goodnight Moonlight with Jim and Micha from Tramhaus. Although they have unfortunately disbanded, I have been listening to them constantly these days. When I heard “Osaka” in one of their songs 'Letters to Japan,' as an Osaka native, my heart skipped a beat. It's a shame they’re no longer working on this band but I'm still glad that I've discovered this band, and I’m excited to see Tramhaus flourish and for the release of their first album next year. Tramhaus, thank you for coming to Japan and giving me a new perspective on life and memories which I can never forget and will cherish forever. I hope to see you again soon!!
SETLIST at Osaka Circus
Once Again (new, unreleased)
Powerrr (new, unreleased)
Check Out TRAMHAUS on their Spotify, Instagram, YouTube Channel and Official Website. Especially check out their website for the dates for upcoming shows in 2024. Especially UK folks, they're playing at Windmill Brixton on Feb 22nd.
We would like to thank Sayaka for making a GRAND RETURN to ALD with another great piece. It's always a pleasure having you. Thank you Sayaka, and also to those of you for reading our articles. We would love to have more of you joining us on ALD. Please never hesitate to reach out to us with your ideas! It can be anything about the gigs you've been to, albums you like, up to you, really. You can email us via notaluciddream@gmail.com or DM us on Instagram @notaluciddream.
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