I Got Hypnotized By Tokyo Tea Room 

Emma Paff 

Rap/Hip-Hop Director 

On Monday, Oct. 5, photographer Cash Arenas and I journeyed from San Marcos to Austin to watch the band, Tokyo Tea Room, perform at 29th Street Ballroom. As we walked in, disco lights illuminated the walls and spun past the faces of the early crowd. The stage extended into the audience, and people were already claiming their spots from the three different sides an hour before the show started. As more people entered, the smaller venue became close-knit, with everyone standing shoulder to shoulder as close to the stage as we all could get. 

The indie/dream pop band, Beach Vacation, from Seattle, Washington, kicked off the night with the first song of their newest album, Delayed Affection. Drummer Ian Victor tapped his hi-hat as Tabor Rupp’s electric guitar and Andres Garcia’s bass filled the room. Red lights mixed with purple and blue, and Rupp’s and Garcia’s vocals created a hazy texture. It was almost like the audience was melting into the sound. 

By the time their third song, “Lost in Sight,” played, I was addicted to the feeling of the kick drum vibrating through my body. They played more songs off their new album, such as “Heal Again” and “No Contact.” But their track, “Time Alone,” really loosened up the crowd. Heads were nodding along, and hips were moving side to side. 

The most satisfying part of their performance was watching Garcia and Rupp move in sync. During their second-to-last song, “Lay Low,” they would lean forward, singing into the mics, and lean back while strumming their guitars. The drums carried the beat while the guitars and vocals moved the audience. 

The crowd roared as UK band Tokyo Tea Room took the stage, disrupting the trance Beach Vacation put me in. As soon as the band began their first song, “Forever out of Time,” the crowd began dancing alongside lead singer Beth Dunn. I remember thinking to myself that their sound was liquid-like. Every note from guitar/vocalist Daniel James Elliott, drummer Sam Teather, Bass guitarist Ben Marshall, and keys/guitar/synth instrumentalist Sam Ewens mixed and dissolved and blended into their dreamy pop sound. 

The crowd swayed and nodded their heads during their next two track, “It’s Me & You” and “Hypnotized.” Beth Dunn’s airy vocals carried through the audience, and they moved in a trance-like state. In between songs, the audience would project their love for the band, and the group would blush. They were a bit soft-spoken when they talked to us; it was hard to hear their words, but when an audience member yelled at the UK band to “try Whataburger,” they all laughed. 

The audience’s energy increased as each song passed. They played a few songs off their new album, Feel Forever, such as “You’re Mine” and my personal favorite, “Leave You.”  Dunn’s vocals, backed by Elliot’s, shone during “Leave You,” and each hit from the drums carried me deeper into their sound. 

They also took us back to their first EP, Dream Room, with the track “Things Are Changing.” You could tell the audience was excited to hear their throwback songs by the way they moved. Some closed their eyes and just swayed to take it all in, while others sang softly back to them with peaceful looks on their faces. When they announced their last song, “Feel Forever,” the crowd basked in the lyrics, and after it was over, they begged for more. 

Tokyo Tea Room ended the night with two encore songs, “Eyes Off You” from Feel Forever and “Always Tomorrow” from Dream Room. Their show left a sense of appreciation for dream pop and all the soothing visuals that were floating through my head. I left the venue feeling calm, almost in a meditative state, which is not how I normally feel after a show. If you’re ever feeling like you need a break, take a chance and get hypnotized by Tokyo Tea Room.