Toe’s Precision and Passion Illuminate a Stunning Night at Troxy
- Dave Broome
- Apr 12
- 4 min read
Troxy, London - 11th April 2026
IMAGES / WORDS DAVE BROOME
Toe Deliver A Masterclass In Musicianship At London's Troxy.
Just when you think you know of all the venues around London, you find out about another one. Tonight I’m at Troxy, in East London. And my goodness, how did I not know about this? It has a history and heritage to rival any building in the world. Built in the 1930’s it has been a cinema, a dance hall, a bingo hall and now a state-of-the-art music and entertainment venue. It’s a grade 2 listed building and both inside and out look magnificent. The art-deco touches on the interior are exquisite and provide a perfect backdrop for this evening’s show.
Tonight, hugely influential, Japanese alt rock band, Toe, make a much-awaited return to the capital and here at Troxy follow in the footsteps of previous performers such as The Cure, Nick Cave and Patti smith. Toe (stylized as toe) has impressively maintained the same line-up since they formed in 2000 in Tokyo, Kashikura Takashi on drums, Yamane Satoshi and Yamazaki Hirokazu on guitar. This is only their third ever show in the UK, so it’s hardly a surprise that even after upgrading the size of venue to Troxy, it still sold out.
To warm up the crowd, we have two support acts, Pennines and Tangled Hair.
Pennines are an indie guitar band from Norwich. They have a Libertines feel about them with wistful melodies and jangly guitar riffs. Henry Tremain (Hank to his friends) is guitar and vocals and a charismatic frontman. I spoke to him before the show and discussed their on-off career. He said he was both pleased and a little surprised that they found themselves here tonight supporting toe. Only recently have they started playing together as a band again, sparked mainly by their track, “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot? Lima Oscar Lima!” going viral on Tik-Tok.
Tangled Hair are an intense three-piece Alt-Rock band from South London and there’s more than a hint of influence from toe. Intricate music with clever and challenging guitar riffs blended with, at times, heavier drums and bass. Even in their opening song, they swing from soft harmonic moments to outright noise. The band introduce their last three songs with an apology. “These songs are seven minutes each and we’ve never performed the first one live”. Such honesty gets the crowd on side and they manage just fine
The support act’s gear is cleared, and everything is rearranged into a stage-within-a stage. Equipment is moved to the front, the drums centred and both guitar rigs forming a ring for the guitarists to inhabit for the next ninety minutes. When Toe stepped out at 8:15, the room shifted.
There’s a particular electricity that comes from a band whose reputation is built on rhythmic intricacy and emotional subtlety. The stage setup allowed for an interplay between guitarists Mino Takaaki and Yamazaki Hirokazu that felt like a conversation spoken in overlapping phrases, while bassist Yamane Satoshi and drummer Kashikura Takashi grounded the entire structure with precision engineered timing and understated elegance. A few songs in and I realised what I was witnessing, this was a masterclass in musicianship.
The set took in all eras of their twenty-five-year career. Tracks from For Long Tomorrow brought an emotional reaction from the crowd. “Long Tomorrow” was early in the set and literally brought the band off their seats. For a band so energised, it seems unusual, but they do play the odd track sat down. Without a doubt though, the muscle group getting the biggest workout was the face. Facial expressions reflecting the energy and the passion felt by the band were extreme and frequent.
There’s little conversation from the band to the crowd; they create a connection with the audience through the music. Remember many of the songs don’t have lyrics so it is JUST the music. For a band that has spent twenty-five years quietly shaping the landscape of post‑rock and math‑rock, this London return felt less like nostalgia and more like affirmation. Toe didn’t just revisit their legacy; they illuminated it.
We were treated to two encores, the first featuring “Two Moons” and “After Image” were energetic. The second encore and final track was emotional as it was the aptly named “Goodbye”. A fan base like few other bands have is the good fortune of toe. I can imagine if it’s another decade or so before they return to the UK then people will wait patiently, as they have done this time and attend a future gig as if it’s the only thing that matters, as they have done this time.
SET LIST
1. Loneliness Will Shine
2. Long Tomorrow
3. Wind Memories (English Translation)
4. The Invention of Loneliness (English Translation)
5. Chiaroscuro (English Translation)
6. Latest Number (English Translation)
7. Because I Hear You
8. Esoteric (English Translation)
9. Sunny Boy Rhapsody (English Translation)
10. Now I See The Light
11. F.A.R.
12. Two Moons
13. After Image
14. Goodbye (English Translation)
FOLLOW TOE
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