Live Music in Nagoya

Nagoya kei, the darker, more compositionally complex offshoot of Japan's visual kei movement, grew out of Nagoya's underground scene in the early 1990s, with bands like Kuroyume helping define its gothic, punk-influenced sound. That instinct for countercultural depth runs through the city's music culture to this day, from the hip-hop label RCSLUM to an electronic underground shaped by figures like Yoichi Kikunaga, who ran key experimental spaces for nearly two decades. The live infrastructure matches the ambition: Zepp Nagoya draws major domestic and international touring acts, CLUB QUATTRO in Sakae anchors the indie and alternative circuit, and veterans like Nanbanya and Live House HUCK FINN have been sustaining grassroots rock scenes since 1980 and beyond. Jazz has deep roots here too, with Higashisakura known locally as Jazz Town for its concentration of clubs and longstanding live culture.