Ichiko Aoba Announces 2026 Royal Albert Hall Show and releases new album ‘Luminescent Creatures’
Ichiko Aoba | Photo credit: Michael Leviton
Select press for Luminescent Creatures so far:
“extraordinarily talented” – The Line Of Best Fit
“her river-clear coo arrives intertwined with chirruping electronics and ambient synth washes that evoke celestial activity” – Crack
“Quietly astonishing” – The Guardian
“Aoba’s minimalism carries an unspeakable, near-surreal gravity.” – NME
“one of folk music’s most consistently beguiling artists” – Record Collector
"rises like a pearl diver heading for the surface, then darts away like a shoal of tiny fish." – The Financial Times
“it’s watery, dreamlike soundscapes are totally immersive on one of those records that – temporarily at least – can make the cares of the world seem to melt away” – Uncut
“sweeping and grandiose” – The Skinny
“perpetually filled with wonderment.” – The New York Times
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Ahead of the release of her highly anticipated new album Luminescent Creatures (out tomorrow via her label hermine), Ichiko Aoba has shared details of a landmark UK headline date at London’s Royal Albert Hall on 31st March 2026, her biggest UK headline show to date. The date will take place a year on from her exclusive, long sold-out headline London date at The Barbican, which will see Ichiko perform the album in full together with producer and co-writer Taro Umebayashi for the first time ever out of Japan, joined by the London based 12 Ensemble.
Alongside today’s news, Ichiko has also shared details of her biggest ever shows in her home territory, plus her first ever tour of South America later this year. Full routing is below.
Ichiko’s arresting solo performances are unassuming yet utterly transfixing. Her largely sold-out 2025 world tour in support of Luminescent Creatures demonstrates a truly global appetite for her unique brand of music that spans 4 continents, with more dates in iconic, world class venues to be announced.
Thu. Feb 26/27 - Seoul, KR @ Sky Arts Hall (SOLD OUT)
Thu. March 6 - Taipei, TW @ Zhongshan Hall (SOLD OUT)
Mon. March 10 - Barcelona, ES @ Paral.lel 62 (SOLD OUT)
Tue. March 11 - Valencia, ES @ Teatro Rambleta
Thu. March 13 - Milan, IT @ Auditorium San Fedele (SOLD OUT)
Sat. March 15 - Zurich, CH @ Mascotte (SOLD OUT)
Tue. March 18 - Hamburg, DE @ Laiszhalle
Wed. March 19 - Berlin, DE @ Urania (Humboldtsaal) (SOLD OUT)
Fri. March 21 - Utrecht, NL @ TivoliVredenburg (Grote Zaal) (SOLD OUT)
Sun. March 23 - Groningen, NL @ Oosterpoort (SOLD OUT)
Tue. March 25 - Antwerp, BE @ De Roma
Thu. March 27 - Paris, FR @ La Trianon (SOLD OUT)
Mon. March 31 - London, UK @ Barbican [with 12 Ensemble] (SOLD OUT)
Wed. April 2 - Manchester, UK @ Albert Hall (SOLD OUT)
Fri. April 4 - Gateshead, UK @ The Glasshouse
Sat. April 5 - Glasgow, UK @ City Halls
Thu. April 17 - Honolulu, HI @ Hawaii Theatre
Sat. April 19 - Vancouver, BC @ Chan Centre (SOLD OUT)
Sun. April 20 - Portland, OR @ Revolution Hall
Mon. April 21 - Seattle, WA @ The Moore
Wed. April 23 - Oakland, CA @ Fox Oakland
Sat. April 26 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Wiltern [with Wordless Music Quintet]
Sun. April 27 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Wiltern [with Wordless Music Quintet]
Tue. April 29 - Scottsdale, AZ @ Scottsdale Center
Thu. May 1 - Denver, CO @ Paramount Theatre
Sat. May 3 - St. Paul, MN @ Fitzgerald Theatre (SOLD OUT)
Sun. May 4- St Paul, MN @ Fitzgerald Theatre
Tue. May 6 - Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall
Wed. May 7 - Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall
Fri. May 9 - Detroit, MI @ Masonic Cathedral Theatre
Sat. May 10 - Cleveland, OH @ Agora Theatre
Mon. May 12 - Boston, MA @ Berklee Performance Center
Wed. May 14 - New York, NY @ Kings Theatre [with Wordless Music Quintet]
Sat. May 17 - Philadelphia, PA @ Miller Theatre
Sun. May 18 - Washington, DC @ Warner Theatre
Thu. May 22 - Mexico City, MX @ Teatro Metropolitan
Fri. Jul 04 - Vida Festival, Vilanova i la geltrú, Spain
Sun. Jul 06 - Down The Rabbit Hole Festival, Ewijk, Netherlands
Japan - 2025
Wed. Aug 13 - Tokyo, JP @ Suntory Hall
Mon. Aug 18 - Yokohama, JP @ Minato Mirai Hall
Wed. Aug 20 - Tokyo, JP @ Sumida Triphony Hall
Fri/Sat 22/23 Aug - Osaka, JP @ NHK Osaka Hall
South America - 2025
Tue. Nov 25 - Sao Paulo, BR @ Teatro Liberdade
Thu. Nov 26 - Buenos Aires, AR @Teatro El Nacional
Sat. Nov 29 - Santiago, CL @ Teatro Teleton
New London date 2026
Tue. Mar 31 - London, UK @ Royal Albert Hall
Fans can sign up for presale tickets here. Presales for the Royal Albert Hall will start at 10am local time March 5th and general sales will be available from Friday 7th March.
In recent years, Ichiko Aoba has tapped into the full breadth of her ability, marrying the classical guitar of her earlier work with lofty orchestral sweeps. Her previous album, 2020’s stunning Windswept Adan, was praised by the likes of Pitchfork, The Guardian, The Needle Drop, and beyond, becoming a word-of-mouth breakthrough and earning the adoration of fellow musicians abroad, including Japanese Breakfast, Mac DeMarco, Laufey, Owen Pallett, Caroline Polachek, Weyes Blood, and Black Country, New Road.
Luminescent Creatures opens an even wider portal into her mind, exploring the origin of life with dreamy musical vistas. Her compositions have become more grand, her songwriting more refined, yet her ability to make listeners feel like they’re in a private cosmos alongside her remains as strong as ever. The result is an album that has been on the receiving end of rapturous praise from both fans and the media alike, with support from the likes of The Guardian, Crack, The New York Times, The Line Of Best Fit, NME, The Financial Times, The FADER, Songlines, Record Collector, and many more. This morning, at the turn of midnight GMT, Ichiko presented her Freak Zone Playlist on BBC Radio 6 Music, having also recently recorded a live session for NTS at the turn of the year.
While visiting Japan’s Ryukyu Archipelago and conducting field research, Ichiko was enamored by the boundless beauty—and occasional terror—of the ocean. The sea is immense and ancient, mirroring the harsh conditions that life sprang forth from—but it is also reminiscent, housing a deep record of fossils that once swam through its waters. She’d go diving with only the breath in her lungs, submitting herself to the whims of the tides. “I feel unable to resist the pull of the ocean,” Ichiko says, “but know how easy it would be for my small body to be swallowed by the sea.” That contradiction, gentleness and power, instilled a sense of awe that is expressed in the soundscapes of Luminescent Creatures.
