Palace Bowl Presents, an open-air festival spanning 12 days across July and August, kicked off this summer in South London’s leafy Crystal Palace Park. Its major draw is a genre-spanning lineup of live performances including rock, soul, gospel, Afrobeats, electronic, and even Japanese city pop.
The three Japanese artists who graced the stage for City Pop Waves, the U.K.’s first-ever city pop concert, were Masayoshi Takanaka, Junko Yagami and Himiko Kikuchi. Under the blazing sun, Kikuchi appeared in round-lensed sunglasses and took her seat at the Hammond organ, opening the show with “Ducky Ducky.” As she…
