the first concert as JAPAN occurred on 1st June 1974 as a 3 piece (prior to Richard joining the band)
the event was memorable in as much as it was Mick’s brother’s wedding reception
the set-list of 20 songs including Bowie & Lou Reed covers
for the next 3 years the band rehearsed almost daily after work (or school in Steve’s case)
they started to perform at random pubs, clubs, colleges and universities throughout London and occasionally further afield in the UK
from the local "Mercury" newspaper 1974
unpublished shots
in 1977 the band agreed to a 2 week residency at the PN Club in Munich
just prior the band's departure for Germany they auditioned for the German label Hansa Records who signed them up
later that year the band’s first UK tour commenced as the support for Jim Capaldi
1978 saw the release of the band’s debut album “Adolescent Sex” and an extensive UK tour as the opening act for Blue Oyster Cult in larger venues such as Hammersmith Odeon
during this period the band started to appear at more established concert venues such as The Rock Garden, The Marquee, Dingwalls, Barbarella’s and The Music Machine, which offered the band a short residency
photos by Günther Rakete
and the occasional festival
the band also performed in the US. Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, New York and Boston
by the end of the year the band were performing their own UK tour promoting the release of their 2nd album “Obscure Alternatives”
in early 1979, having attained a large following in Japan, the band visited the country for the first time, opening the tour with 2 nights at the Budokan with a seating capacity in excess of 12,000 which gives some idea of the leap in scale
the band continued with a European tour
including a headlining performance at London’s Rainbow Theatre
with the release of their 3rd studio album “Quiet Life” the band performed in Toronto, Canada
with guest musician Jane Shorter on saxophone
1980 saw 3 headliner shows at London’s The Venue
a 2nd tour of Japan
photos by Koh Hasebe
later in the year a show at the London Lyceum heralding the launch of JAPAN's 4th album “Gentlemen Take Polaroids”
this was to be the final tour with Rob Dean
photos by Nicola Tyson
1981 saw the band’s first headline show at London’s Hammersmith Odeon followed by their 3rd tour of Japan
in the summer the band toured the UK performing in larger theatres throughout
at the end of the year the band toured the UK a second time to promote the release of their 5th and final studio album “Tin Drum”
with 5 shows in London alone
the guitarist performing with the band was David Rhodes
1982 was the band’s final tour of 43 dates across Europe (28 dates were in the UK alone culminating in 6 nights at Hammersmith Odeon) Thailand, Hong Kong and Japan
the guitarist performing with the band was Masami Tsuchiya
the band’s final show took place at the Shi Kohkaido in Nagoya, Japan on 16.12.82
JAPAN tours have been fairly well documented in Steve Jansen’s photography book ‘Through A Quiet Window” with art prints available for purchase
some random clips shot on Steve's cam whilst on tour in 1982
