Press play on a Masayoshi Takanaka track and you’ll instantly start floating in the sky, with dream-laden guitars that levitate you right away to the height of summer. And when that season comes around for real, you can head to see the man himself when the Tokyo icon headlines a London day festival on Friday, August 7.
It’s the latest bill to be announced for the brand new Palace Bowl Presents gigs in Crystal Palace Park, with this bill presenting the iconic Japanese guitarist as part of the London edition of the global City Pop Waves series.
It follows Masayoshi Takanaka announcing his first-ever London shows as a solo artist this summer, with the 72-year-old guitarist swiftly selling out two nights at Brixton Academy next month.
The show at Crystal Palace will be an extended two-hour set, marking a European exclusive and celebrating Japanese music and city pop – a loose genre which formed in Japan in the mid-70s, and is known for its gorgeous jazz-inflected pop style – in the capital.
Joining Masayoshi Takanaka on the bill will be fellow icon Himiko Kikuchi, with the keyboardist set to perform her 1987 record Flying Beagle in its entirety, with city pop Californian DJ, Ginger Root, also set to play.
When do tickets to see Masayoshi Takanaka at Crystal Palace Park go on sale?
Tickets to the City Pop Waves edition of Palace Bowl Presents go on general sale on Friday, February 27 at 10am. A pre-sale for those who signed up also started running this morning (February 26).
Who else is playing at Palace Bowl Presents this summer?
Palace Bowl Presents announced itself to the world by revealing the Bastille & The Wombats co-headline, which is due to take place on Thursday, August 13. Following this, they have gone on to confirm Grace Jones (July 31), Gospel Garden presents Kirk Franklin (August 2), and Gary Numan (August 9). Plus, there’s still more lineups to be announced, so be sure to keep an eye out for new gigs over at the Crystal Palace Bowl this summer.
The Palace Bowl Presents gigs make their debut this summer, taking place between July 31 and August 16, 2026. You can find out more information about the events on their website.