Beirut

Tickets sold out quickly for the first Tokyo date by Zachary Francis Condon's magpie indie-folk ensemble, who have taken three albums to make it as far as Japan. 2011's The Rip Tide was Beirut's most accessible effort to date, shedding the Balkan influences of Gulag Orkestar and The Flying Club Cup in favour of more direct – even poppy – songwriting. Live, Condon switches between ukulele, trumpet and flugelhorn, while the other members of his group harness accordions, cellos and tubas with consummate ease. It's all a bit like the instrument-swapping shenanigans you might expect during a set by Japanese indie wunderkind Shugo Tokumaru – who, not coincidentally, is the support act for this show. Beirut also play at Shibuya O-West, Jan 23.