Cult Japanese singer/songwriter Kaneko Ayano is coming to Cluny 2 in Newcastle this May and bringing her lauded band with her. Gonna be good!

First up: Kaneko Ayano is the woman pictured, laughing at the world in all its absurdities. But kanekoayano (one word, lower-case) is her band. Together they are dynamite. Ayano has done plenty in her life so far – musician, singer, actor and model. She’s also released four studio albums with her band (and four acoustic albums) and is something of a wow in her native Japan, selling out the 10,000 capacity Tokyo Budokan many times over. She’s also headlined festivals all across Japan and South East Asia. What makes her so enticing is the quality of her output, her songs glowing with a real pop sensibility, hooks tumbling forth in the most pleasing of manners. But she also likes to mix things up with bluesy licks, gently fried psych, Daft Punky synth lines and summer-breeze-folk all finding room to shine in her stuff. And now she’s gaining recognition far beyond South East Asia. Indeed, for the past couple of years, she’s played sold-out headline shows in London. And now she’s north-east bound. As the above byline kinda hints at: gonna be good. DP

kanekoayano, Saturday 17 May, Cluny 2, Newcastle, 7.30pm, £17.50, thecluny.com