Japanese Breakfast @ The Fonda Theatre 10/2/18
A simple, if slightly underwhelming, performance, Japanese Breakfast plays and sings exactly like their records. It sounds great, but it’s not always clear or engaging.
In her defense, Michelle Zauner, the brains behind JB, never presented her music as something with a ton of polish. Instead, she sounds just a tuning away from sharp or flat, conjuring noises and lines that blend together with her instrumentals rather than stand apart. For songs like “Road Head” and “Boyish”, this wispiness feels appropriate for an evening of ambient enjoyment. Towards the concert’s mid-section, the lo-fi sound felt a little too low energy to keep me invested at times. Zauner plays and sings just like her records, and unfortunately, some of these records don’t exude a ton of personality in a live setting.
But upon returning for the encore, Zauner kicked it into high gear. She roared through “Jane Cum” and then ditched her guitar for “Machinist”, freeing herself up to move across the stage while letting loose her android-warble. This last-minute burst of energy felt sorely missed at parts during Zauner’s show, but its appearance in the finale solidified what she’s capable of.
On a final note, this is one of the more fun setlists I’ve collected over the years.
