LIVE REVIEW | 22nd TIMM Showcase Brings Plenty of Pop Flavors

When autumn hits, the sounds of Japan ring loud thanks to the Tokyo International Music Market. This year marks the 22nd time the event has been held, which aids in bringing Japanese music to a bigger international audience. While it’s all about making connections at the main event, the real fun is saved for the evening festivities. Taking place all three days at Shibuya’s Spotify O-East, TIMM’s Showcase Live 2025 brought together artists from all over Japan to show those in the upper wings what they’re made of.

DAY ONE:

TIMM’s Showcase Live started things off on a funk note, thanks to the jazz rock group Tokyo Groove Jyoushi. Accompanied by guest saxophonist Harumo, the band put their foot down on the right note thanks to the lively opener “Funk Spirit”. Keyboardist Emi Kanazashi took over for the vocals for “Hot Summer”, a delightful song that captured the fun and free vibes of the beach season. “Funk No1” continued with the party trend, before the city-pop infused “Love Salt” brought a bit of heartache and emotion via the talented drummer/vocalist MiMi Kawakami. “Rise Up”, the final song in their set, allowed bassist Rina Hoshina to show why she puts the groove in her band’s namesake. With their smooth sound and playful stage presence, Tokyo Groove Jyoushi showed why haters of jazz should kindly funk off if they can’t get down with their bad selves!

Donned in matching dark blue and plaid outfits, the four-piece idol group CYNHN delivered a short-but-fun set filled with peppy vocals and finely synced choreography. Opener “Amedama” demonstrated the range in vocals from the members, while “Nominee” amplified the carefree vibes of the girls. After announcing their first-ever show in Shanghai for December, CYNHN dove into “Suisei”, which featured terrific dancing in front of a beautiful watery backdrop. Ending the set was “Send a Message”, and while the message itself may be hard to understand to non-Japanese listeners, CYNHN found a way to make their mission statement clear in a way that was both heartfelt and joyful.

On the opposite end of the spectrum was REIRIE, who blasted onto the stage with the delightfully twisted “BaD=DoLL”. Rocking Harajuku vibes and looks, the duo made the audience scream with glee as they ripped through “Ruler×Ruler”. Perhaps it was wise that their next number was a medley, as “PUI”, “Mero Choko”, and “Marionette” gave both ladies the chance to showcase their own separate talents both vocally and dance-wise. The audience sang loudly and proudly to “Butterfly Kiss”, as they waved their bunny-eared glowsticks to the delight of the REIRIE. “Doggy Girls” ended their set with a bang, as their kakkoii (cool) sound and kawaii (cute) personality mixed together to make that perfect balance. (Perhaps we should dub REIRIE as a “kawakkoii” duo?)

BanG Dream! invaded TIMM thanks to Mugendai Mewtype. Dressed in animal ears and multi-colored dresses, the five-piece pop rock band brought a fiery energy with their opening song “Comm ignites the heart”. “Midnight Wonderland” gelled with more of an anisong style, but the instrumental work of the members was certainly impressive. After the band introduced themselves properly, they dove into “Tuning” with plenty of spunk and positivity. They ended their short set with “Mugen My World”, which brimmed with the fun vibes Mugendai Mewtype were pushing with all of their hearts. Considering they have their own anime series coming out next year in the BanG Dream! franchise, it’s safe to say that we’ll be hearing a lot about Mugendai Mewtype for a good amount of time. Thankfully, they’ve got the talent to back that impending popularity.

Concluding the first night of TIMM Showcase Live 2025 was TAKANE NO NADESHIKO, whose eight members (one member couldn’t make it that night) delivered an endearing four-song set. Their style felt akin to many other idol groups, but their size and personalities helped to make songs like “Kawaikute Gomen” and “Kono Sekai wa Uso de Dekiteiru” beam with the right amount of sweetness. Although not exactly the strongest act to end the first night of TIMM, TAKANE NO NADESHIKO was fun and cute enough to help conclude Day One on a nice relaxing sigh.

DAY TWO:

Armed with an acoustic guitar and backed by a bassist and percussionist, Lana Melyssa started off the second night of music with a fiery four-song set. Fairly new to the music world, Melyssa demonstrated a tenacity that felt similar to a street performer looking for an audience. Thankfully, the audience seemed to respond well to Melyssa’s set, as she belted out her lyrics with gusto and strummed her guitar in a soulful manner. Although her set was short, Lana Melyssa accomplished what she wanted: she found her crowd, and maybe with the help of the event, she’ll find many more eager ears and eyes that will fall in love with her sound.

Just as Tokyo Groove Jyoushi did on Night One, the five-piece luv brought a funkadelic attitude that filled the crowd with electricity. Opening with “Magical Spell On Brain” and quickly transitioning into “Send to You”, luv had a mission to fill the audience’s heart with plenty of groovy soul. And with “meguri”, the band managed to do just that. However, the real highlight was the lively rendition of “Lee Un Vile”, which brought the funk band completely in sync with one another. Closing with “Rear”, luv proved to the TIMM audience that the spirit of 1970s funk was alive, well, and still destroying dance floors!

Unlike Lana Melyssa, Ai Tomioka took on an acoustic set completely solo. Wearing the fluffiest pants these eyes have ever seen, Tomoka delivered a beautiful four-song performance that melted the hearts of many. From opener “MAYBE” and the catchy “Good bye-bye (eye to eye)” to “delulu”, Tomioka brought the crowd on their feet with emotional power. The best was saved for last, as “Koi suru wakusei ‘Anata’” truly demonstrated Tomioka’s acoustic prowess, as visuals of a young child playing astronaut gave way to an extra layer of character to the final song.

With hair as red as the Japanese flag, Ako took the stage for one of the most exciting performances of the three-day event. Starting off with “Twilight”, Ako serenaded the crowd with a vibrant pop rock mentality on hand. After getting artistic with “Mona Lisa”, Ako strapped on an electric guitar and wowed the crowd with her skills. “Ai wa Itsumo (Love is Always)” and “Atashi no Zenbu wo Aisenai” brought lively rock paired with Ako’s soft voice, but it was the final song “LAZY” that oddly showed why the J-POP artist has a mountain of energy stored within her.

However, nothing could come close to what CiON had to offer. Closing off Night Two with CiON was smart, as there was probably nobody on the bill that could’ve topped what they had to offer. Synchronized dancing with saxophones, trumpets, and euphoniums, the five-piece jazz group was the most unique and wildest act of the three-day TIMM event. By their second song “Addiction”, even the most serious of media guests had no choice but to be hypnotized by their amazing sound, killer dance moves, and beautiful style. Trust me when I say that big things are coming from CiON, and may be on the verge of exploding into popularity here in Japan.

DAY THREE:

It wasn’t just Japanese acts that showed their stuff on the third and final day of the 22nd TIMM Showcase. This time, it was a good chunk of Asia hitting the stage for the grand finale. Alongside two Japanese acts, representatives of Indonesia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, and Singapore had arrived to give the Shibuya audience a taste of their homelands. And the first to come up to bat: Taiwan’s Kaki Acrylic.

The four-song set brought forth a mostly 90s indie rock vibe through the loudspeakers. Opening with “I Just Want to Sing Deng Lijun With You”, the band performed a beautifully romantic animated music video that called back to anime from the turn of the century. For “Windmill”, the volume and intensity went upwards, as the band ripped through the song with terminal velocity. However, it was the closing song “Beauty Ugly Make Believe” where Kaki Acrylic injected a blues flavor into their musical concoction. Overall, a solid start to YouTube’s Asia Day contribution to TIMM.

Rol3ert, the first of the two Japanese acts of the night, arrived on stage to demonstrate his slick keyboard skills on opener “say my name”. Backed by a three-person band — the second time he’s actually performed with them — Rol3ert delivered a beautiful indie pop rock set that brimmed with deep emotion. The final two tracks of the performance gave the audience a plethora of gorgeous vibes, with “meaning” giving a fast-paced ride towards the heart and “Hope” concluding the set with musical satisfaction.

Representing Hong Kong, singer Celine Wanyi gifted the crowd with a wonderful six-song set. Akin to 2000s R&B, Wanyi was all about love and emotion in such songs as “who am i without you” and the ex-boyfriend-themed “shadow of you”. “history” continued that trend of uncertain love, whereas “Oxygen” and “Cosmic” made that love feel more like a true happening. Wanyi’s final song, an unreleased track called “Flowers in June”, was a nice slow way to end the performance, and while the crowd took a bit to warm up to her, they were certainly behind Wanyi by the time she uttered the final lyric.

Regina Song from Singapore has already got an impressive amount of songs under her belt. While she seemed a bit nervous during her opener “venus”, that coyness was shaken off by the song’s first chorus. An online blind date-inspired “love…at first sight?”, which captured that feeling of instant romance perfectly. Since she was in Japan, Song tried her hand at the NewJeans song “Supernatural”, which she managed to hit a home run with. A quick Boston romance was the subject of “Before i leave”, as it did a good job turning a messy breakup into a heartfelt ballad. “the cutest pair” ended Regina Song’s set, and while this was her first time in Japan, one hopes that it won’t be her last!

Accompanied by guitarist/backing vocalist Afan, Indonesia’s Bernadya brought a coffeehouse vibe to her five-song set. “Lama-Lama”, “Kini Mereka Tahu”, and “Satu Bulan” easily pulled on the heartstrings, while her debut song “Apa Mungkin” demonstrated just how talented Bernadya already was at the early age of seventeen. She ended the set with “Untungnya Hidup Harus Tetap Berjalan”, a song Bernadya claimed was a big hit in her home country. With Indonesians sitting in the crowd below clapping along with glee, I will certainly take her word for it!

Representing EXILE TRIBE, Japan’s Wolf Howl Harmony got the crowd on their feet and the glow-sticks in the air. Treating the crowd to six songs (including their new single “Marmalade”), the four members danced, sang, and rapped whilst the ladies in the audience went crazy. But a highlight in their set came from their hit “Frozen Butterfly”, which began as an a cappella before the bass boomed through the speakers. Ending their set with “Bossa Bosa”, Wolf Howl Harmony strutted and slow-motion danced their way into the hearts of their fans with ease.

K-POP ended the final night of TIMM’s 22nd year via KISS OF LIFE, who are setting up for their first Japan tour next month. The four-song set served as a nice warm-up for their tour, with “Midas Touch” and the playful “Shhh” demonstrating their fun and sexy style. Just launching their first Japan mini-album, KISS OF LIFE did a live premiere of “Lucky” and the Japanese version of “Sticky”. With that, the 22nd TIMM came to an end, and with a plethora of stellar acts from Japan and Asia on display, it once again showed that there’s no end to the amazing amount of talent that can be discovered during this three-day event.

Special thanks to the Tokyo International Music Market for their aid and cooperation!

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