The tension natori built up during his first solo show at the Nippon Budokan erupts as he rips into “Absolute Zero.”
After spending a little over 90 minutes tightroping between funkier rock cuts and more stripped down numbers, he went on a tear where guitar feedback increases and the 23-year-old artist constantly approaches a scream. As “Absolute Zero” rages on and the crowd roars along, fire shoots out from the stage to punctuate the
moment.
It was the cathartic climax to naotri’s first set of concerts at the historic Tokyo venue, which played out over two sold-out nights, Feb. 18 and 19. The shows weren’t just a major step forward for the young artist, who has established himself as a musical voice for a new generation of Japanese listeners, but also as a way to
spotlight his thematic sense to create a performance structured towards emotional release.
Before that though, natori showed off his songwriting variety. His Budokan set opened up with the high-energy skip of “Serenade,” a dance-dappled song appearing on just-released second album The Abyss and serving as the ending theme to the third season of the popular anime Oshi No Ko. That had the crowd bouncing up and down as natori himself stood on top of a large white pillar, the band below playing with force. From there natori offered chugging rockers (“EAT”), frantic Vocaloid-indebted electronic blasts (“SPEED”) and funky struts
peppered with darker lyrics (“Overdose”). He even included a dance corner — complete with a disco ball descending from the ceiling — for the limber dance-pop of “DRESSING ROOM.”
For all the sonic styles on display at Budokan, the thread tying natori’s music together are lyrics exploring the realities of now, often touching on the tougher aspects of modern life while also celebrating it. He excels at writing downcast words hidden under chipper melodies, as was the case with crowd favorite “Propose,” and often dips into sultry territory, adding an edge to his pop. Helping give all of this extra oomph was his band, including a nice saxophone touch.
All these different sounds built towards the one-two punch of “IN_MY_HEAD” and “Absolute Zero,” where natori rejected reserve in favor of just letting the guitars, horns and his shouting. The crowd had towels spinning for the prior, and hopping along to the latter. Streamers flew into the audience, driving everyone into a further tizzy in what was the night’s most dizzying segment.
He took time during the show to offer a peak at what was to come, announcing a nationwide tour, his second jaunt internationally with shows in Seoul, Singapore, Bangkok and Taipei, plus a year-end blowout at Tokyo Garden Theater. To end the Budokan show, though, he took time to look back even as an exciting future came
into view.
A string trio joined the band on stage to add a delicate touch to the hop of “Thread That Connects Us,” before letting guitar swirl back in for an impassioned rendition of recent song “Birthday Song.” Then natori took a moment to thank all those who helped him reach this point — with Budokan being a dream and motivating force for the young creator — before ending the night with the first song he ever wrote, the shuffling “Osmanthus.”
It was a sweet nod to where natori came from artistically, and a reminder of just how many musical directions he’s gone since penning that first song. He highlighted all of that at Budokan, while underlining that there’s plenty more to explore as he moves to his next climatic moment.
natori ONE-MAN LIVE TOUR “Koshin (March)” Overseas Dates
July 18, 2026 (Sat) Seoul / Olympic Hall
July 25, 2026 (Sat) Singapore / The Theatre at Mediacorp
July 28, 2026 (Tue) Bangkok / UOB LIVE
August 8, 2026 (Sat) Taipei / Taipei Music Center
Ticket details for overseas shows will be announced at a later date.
