top of page

The Japanese House's Magical North America Tour!

Writer's picture: Sammy JeanSammy Jean

Allison Ponthier

Allison Ponthier SAMANTHA ECKENROD

Allison Ponthier brought a sound, personality, and vibe to the Roxian Theatre in Pittsburgh that was just as unique as her name.  Her sound matches the same dreamy, movie-like tones of the artist, The Japanese House, which is headlining their tour; however, the lyrics and style differentiate.  Ponthier brought humor, good energy, and fantastic music as the opener.  She had seamless introductions to her songs stating, “this is an acoustic song you could shake ass to” or “this is the lesbian serial killer song.”  Along with top-tier humor, Ponthier did not fail to share more intimate stories like the song that got her started.  Though she had funnier parts of her set, one of the most memorable parts was her talking about growing up in Texas.  Ponthier played an unreleased song about how she wished her home was safer for others.  Allison Ponthier is not only a performer, but an entertainer.  She is not one to miss considering  how much she gave being an opener.



The Japanese House

The Japanese House SAMANTHA ECKENROD

It has been almost two months since I saw the amazing Amber Bain, the face of The Japanese House, open for Maggie Rogers.  Now, headlining her own tour, she made her way to Pittsburgh to play at the Roxian Theatre.  The show was just as visually entertaining as it was vocally.  As soon as one entered the theater, they saw big, blow-up orbs lining the stage.  They looked like bubbles and the crowd started to speculate if they would light up.  Spoiler! They do.  This matched the intention of the music.  The Japanese House created a space one could get lost in.  For a few songs, I caught myself just looking around at how they set their stage and how it flowed with the music.  I would close my eyes, and still see the purple lights with the light up orbs and get utterly lost in the music.



The Japanese House brought a similar style of humor to some of her song introductions.  For example, when they played “Boyhood,” a song off of their 2023 album “In the End It Always Does,” Bain said “this goes out to the gays.”  She interacted with the crowd like she knew them.  The entertainment factor continued as her keyboardist, Cicely Cotton, would switch over to saxophone.  The attention brought to her made me notice that she was wearing Maggie Rogers merch, which I thought was a fun Easter egg.  One of their last songs, “:),” pronounced “smiley face,” was a crowd favorite.  This was a stark change from her performing it for one of the first times live opening at Michigan Lottery Amphitheater in early June. The song was officially released on June 18 and is now one of her most popular ones.  Bain seemed visibly happy at this progression and it was a great song to start finishing up her set with.  Seeing Amber Bain is a show that taps into a listener’s feelings and brings them to a space that is owned by The Japanese House.


Article by Sammy Jean

Instagram: @lemonwater.orgg


Recent Posts

See All

Comments


bottom of page