KYAS Ukulele Solo Concert - Love of My Uke! Tour in THUMBS UP

Friday, April 25, 2025
On this day, I had the pleasure of attending a solo live performance by ukulele player KYAS in Yokohama!

KYAS has also kindly done some demo playing for PLAYTECH ukuleles♪

PLAYTECH / PUK405

PLAYTECH / PUK350 BAMBOO

The venue was at THUMBS UP, a live bar and restaurant within walking distance from Yokohama Station.
It had that classic American vibe that really fits in with Yokohama, and I hear the hamburgers are a must-try! (*´ρ`*)

I thought I had arrived a little early, but the venue was already buzzing with many guests enjoying their meals while waiting for the show to start.

As showtime arrived, KYAS took the stage along with two guest musicians: bassist Teppei Taniguchi and pianist/accordionist Kotaro Hata. Tonight’s show was an acoustic live performance featuring this trio!

Taniguchi-san is a fellow musician from Kochi Prefecture, where KYAS is based. Hata-san reunited with KYAS for the first time after a long hiatus. The audience welcomed him back with a warm round of applause, as if to say, “Welcome back!”

KYAS said how happy they were, as they were clearly moved by the chance to perform together again.

The first set kicked off energetically with the upbeat original tune “SUNNYSHA” and continued with more original songs. A mix of soothing instrumental numbers and lighthearted, humorous MC moments made the mood feel easygoing and warm.

That night also featured the debut of a brand-new baritone ukulele that had just arrived the day before! It was a specially crafted instrument made by the ukulele maker aNueNue that they made just for KYAS.
The sound that flowed from its large body was soft, rich, and full of depth. It was a perfect match for the mellow tune “Blue night”.

“You’re all so good at clapping along! Not too loud, not too quiet, just the right tempo—it all makes me so happy!”

With the audience’s expert handclaps to rely on, KYAS launched into the lively Latin-flavored “TICO TICO” to close out the first set♪

KYAS performed plenty of tracks from their latest 6th album, HummingBird, throughout the evening!

The second set began with the whimsical piece “Kobito no Okashiya”—named after a sweets shop in Kochi.

From there, the energy surged with crowd-pleasing covers like “SPAIN,” “Ghengis Khan,” and “Coffee Rumba”.
The audience clapped along in perfect sync, raising the excitement even higher♪

“They always say it sounds more like tequila than coffee (lol),”
KYAS joked—

And honestly, with that kind of passion, tequila did seem like the better fit!

KYAS’s performances are so diverse, you almost forget you’re at a ukulele concert.
They make you think, “Wow, you can play this kind of music with a ukulele too?”—and that sense of wonder keeps growing throughout the show.

“As I travel and perform in different places, I start wanting to know more about the people I meet and how they live. I think life is dramatic.”

With that heartfelt MC, he introduced a new original song called “Passage,” inspired by everyone’s personal stories and the paths they’ve walked.
The song was filled with a gentle kind of affirmation, like it was quietly telling each of us that we matter.
I’m sure I wasn’t the only one who felt a bit uplifted after hearing that…

When the final number wrapped up, the audience responded with generous applause, calling for an encore.

“For everyone heading home, I hope you don’t get caught in the rain,”

he said with a smile as he started launching into the stylish and feel-good classic,
“On the Sunny Side of the Street”.

So refreshing, full of warmth, and at times bursting with passion—
Watching KYAS perform makes you realize just how emotionally expressive the ukulele can truly be.

It was a night in Yokohama filled with pure healing.
If you ever get the chance, you have to experience KYAS’s live performance for yourself♪

A clip of the concert is also available!