Hailing from Tokyo’s underground DIY scene, Torso are a music duo composed of Kenji (flute, sax) and Orie (cello, voice). Together they create the very best of indescribable music, melding the structures of outsider pop with wide-ranging instrumentation. Songs are composed with such care and precision that one can visualise the accompanying movements - from the bow of the cello to the gentle vibrations of the reed instruments. While this paired-back approach shares some similarities with modern classical, Torso are nothing of the sort. They push their instruments and structures beyond well-trodden ground, embracing the moments of discord that arise. This is no surprise when you learn that Kenji used to play in a hardcore band. Put simply, it is music to make Arthur Russell proud. 2025 has been a breakthrough year for the group with their second album, Faces (Ozato Records), receiving international praise. This is due to be followed by a split 7” with all-time-greats Eddie Marcon on the iconic Japanese label Em records, to be released this autumn.

We are delighted to welcome Torso to Bristol to play an intimate acoustic show at IC Visual Lab. They will be joined on the night by Sade Arellano who will be opening proceedings. With limited space, we expect this to sell out quickly - don't sleep on this.

FFO: Arthur Russell, Maher Shalal Hash Baz, M. Sage, Elori Saxl.

TORSO:

Torso are a duo formed by Kenji (other bands include Group and Slow Crimes) and Orie. In 2019, they launched their own label, Ozato Records, before releasing their debut album, Set Out (produced by Joe Talia). This was followed by their 2024 concept album, Water Curve, released on Tealightsound, a label run by the long-established Kyoto tea merchant Ujikoen. 2025 saw the release of Faces, which received glowing support from UK stalwarts including All Night Flight, World of Echo, and others.


SADE ARELLANO:

Rooted in oral tradition and communal DIY spirit, Sade’s music draws from deep wells of tradition and place; inspired by English, Scottish, and Irish folk, medieval ballads, Yiddish klezmer, and Appalachian mountain songs. Using their voice and instruments, their sound is raw, immediate and intimate — built on drone chords, simple melodies and stories to create a living, breathing folk practice shaped by spell casting and storytelling. They are known to sing in unconventional spaces: forest clearings, caves, empty car parks, echoing tunnels, abandoned buildings, and in the dark corners of pubs and smoking areas.

Entry requirements: no age restrictions — Read more — Read less