Japanese Breakfast played the O2 Academy in Brixton on 3 July in support of their latest album For Melancholy Brunettes (& sad women). Led by Michelle Zauner, the Philadelphia indie pop band’s members include Craig Hendrix, Deven Craige, Peter Bradley, Lauren Baba and Adam Schatz. The 2025 Dead Oceans album is arguably their best yet so, while I like their older tracks, I was particularly looking forward to hearing it performed.
The energy in the room palpably changed when Japanese Breakfast entered. Bathed in warm amber light and wearing a white lace dress, Michelle Zauner began the set with ‘Here Is Someone’, the opening track on For Melancholy Brunettes (& sad women). Combined with the lighting of an antiquated lamp and the feeling of suspense, the twinkling first notes cast a spell over the room. ‘Orlando in Love’ quickly followed with its repetitive strumming, beautiful violin and lyrical reflection on desire and temptation.
Part of the joy of Japanese Breakfast is that they look like they’re having as much fun as their audience. Michelle Zauner is enigmatic and mesmerising to watch; she dances with wild abandon, skipping and twirling across the stage with radiant charm. Zauner belts out more earnest songs like ‘Till Death’, a tour debut for the Soft Sounds from Another Planet track that she says is “about marriage”. It seems as if Zauner’s songs take over her entire being and we’re entranced.
It’s been a busy decade for Michelle Zauner. In addition to Japanese Breakfast’s four albums the artist has written for the 2025 film ‘Materialists’ soundtrack, composed the soundtrack to videogame ‘Sable’, and published Crying in H Mart, a memoir that stayed on The New York Times Bestseller List for 55 weeks. She’s also played Glastonbury for the first time.
If their brilliant onstage energy is anything to go by they won’t be stopping for a while and I expect there’s lots more to come from Japanese Breakfast.
Minwhi Lee opened the night, dressed all in black and swamped in blue lighting. With ethereal organ emanating from the keyboard, plucked guitar accompaniment and clouds behind, Minwhi Lee created a dreamy melancholy. Lee started her set with ‘Blue Flower’ before moving onto ‘Returning’, both tracks taken from her 2024 album Hometown To Come. The Korean folk singer played mournfully but with humour, thanking the audience for coming to listen to “my depressing songs”. At the end of her set Lee announced it was her first time in London. Hopefully we’ll see her back again soon with her own slot.
Japanese Breakfast’s tour now moves on to the US.
You can keep up with Japanese Breakfast on Bandcamp | Instagram | YouTube | Facebook