J-pop legends Far East Mention Mannequins, known to their agents as FEMM, made a welcomed return to the city of London for an explosive headline show.

Hot off the back of their new identity, FEMM 2.0, and album release, RiRi and LuLa brought their unique style of pop and rap fusion to a wild crowd at The Boston Music Room as part of their FEMM-ISATION Tour.

This is FEMM’S first international tour after appearances at conventions and events, and their fans, collectively known as agents, were ready for a headline set list of fan favourites which has been long overdue.

Fans, friends and agents gathered early in the day to catch up and enjoy drinks after a long break in live shows. There was a buzz in the air, it had been a long time since a headline J-pop show had come to London. And as the night drew closer, we knew we were in for something special.

---

Supporting FEMM on tour was up and coming J-pop singer-songwriter MIKUROMIKA, whose debut album MIKUROPOP was a summer hit in 2021.

Following a fun and personable VIP meet and greet with fans, the crowd gathered with excitement for what was to be a jam packed set. As the dance floor filled, we were not ready for the explosive opening from MIKUROMIKA.

With her dance and house inspired beats, it didn’t take long for the crowd to get going as Mika entered the stage. There were a handful of fans at the edge of the stage whose infectious spirit encouraged everyone to dance freely.

And dance, we did.

Opener Product Boy blasted out to cheers from the crowd, a big hit for Mika last summer, and just what we needed to bring the energy for the first J-pop night in London in over 3 years.

The club beats continued to build as house anthem Sekairyoko- World Traveler belted out (a personal favourite of mine) and as I looked around the mass of dancing bodies, everyone was buzzing with joyous smiles on their faces.

As summer smash Ocean began, Mika was clearly having an incredible night. Her passionate performance and infectious smile shone through on stage. She owned it.

With 3 costume changes during the set of 9 tracks, Mika’s stage presence and incredible vocal range captured the crowd with vivid splendour. Nostalgic beats and harmonies brought all of us back to long summer nights of our youth, Mika made many new fans tonight.

This was the best possible start to what was going to be an unforgettable night.

---

Enter FEMM.

A beat busting, techno fuelled opener with laser show peaked the crowd to a frenzy as we awaited RiRi and LuLa on stage.

The opening bars of We Flood The Night was met with huge roars and applause as we erupted during the chorus. RiRi and LuLa in mannequin mode, wore layers of coloured organza fashioned with Dr Marten boots. They kept the crowd right on the edge as fan favourite Astroboy belted out. I could feel the dance energy build and the heat from those around me grew as FEMM teased us with more hypnotic dance moves.

Long time fans of the pop rap duo were treated to some classic tracks, Plastic rang out and the swarm of people moved as one to the music. Tokyo Girls Anthem resulted in a mass singalong during the chorus, followed by J-pop favourite Sugar Rush which brought a rise in J-pop energy as the trance beats filled the room and our hearts.

New tracks such as Peach didn’t slow the energy, with RiRi and LuLa slowly entering 2.0 mode. Moving freely on stage they whipped up the crowd with fresh dance moves and eye contact.

It was, of course, viral smash Fxxk Boyz Get Money that the fans had waited for. As the beat dropped the crowd exploded into the chorus chant, the air was hot and electric!

As the last track began, We Got Each Other, friends old and new embraced as we danced our hearts out. After 2 years this felt like a proper live show, and we enjoyed every second if it.

As FEMM exited the stage, the chanting began for one more song. The lights went down and we were treated to a double encore of Crawl and Wannabe.

The tour finale for FEMM-ISATION did not disappoint. A full on club extravaganza, the fans were full of energy and excitement as we left the venue. For a number of fans, this was their first J-pop live, and they all had the same reaction, what a night! The fans needed this, we needed the energy and the brightness brought by this live after the darkness of the paat few years. We hope that it won’t be too long before we can J-pop party the night away again.

A special thanks to Dino Costi and Just Panda for allowing us to use their photos in this article.

To support FEMM

Official Website: www.femms.jp
Official Twitter: www.twitter.com/FEMM____
Official Instagram: www.instagram.com/femm____/

To support MIKUROMIKA

Official Website: www.mikuromika.com
Official Twitter: www.twitter.com/3cro_mika
Official Instagram: www.instagram.com/mikuromika/

Other Links

Orion Live: https://orionlive.co.uk
Setsuzoku Records: www.setsuzokurecords.com/
JPU Records : www.jpurecords.com/

Article Written by: Just Panda / Amanda
Editing and Proof-Read by: Kelly