22 March 2007 (gig)
26 March 2007
In a small intimate venue on London’s Tin Pan Alley, the guitarists haven which slides to the east of Charing Cross Road, we gathered to see the 18 year old from Toronto.
Of Japanese origin and Canadian upbringing, the young Nozuka perched on a stool with an acoustic guitar and strummed a handful of tracks. Like his heritage, he’s a fascinating blend of musical influences. He’s not in the same finger-plucking ilk as many of his peers, much more of a rhythmical strummer, singing self-penned songs from a variety of experiences. From tales of love to throwing bottles in the street he sings with enthusiasm and polish which defy his years.
'Save Him’ tells a dark and disturbing tale from the depths of a story about domestic abuse. Parts of the song chilled the spine, and musically it represented a fearless approach to recounting tales with a guitar. 'After tonight’ and 'Golden Train’ are much more his staples, showing some unspectacular guitar play, but entertaining with lyrical nouse and displaying his range of vocal talent which will surely see he improves as both a showman and a musician in the future.
On the downside, Nozuka seems to rely heavily on repetitive chorus lines and a few too many vocal wanderings, but these notions belie a talented young man with the ability to write his own songs and dive confidently into pushing his voice across the spectrum.
I couldn’t help but have the feeling that in the not too distant future the 'yeah yeah yeahs’ and various duplications will be replaced with pangs of individuality which will see him sell some records, but in the meantime he’s an artist with potential who’s good enough to sound better live than he does recorded. His album 'Holly’ is out soon.
