A Night of Nostalgia for Fans of Silent Hill and Anime
Written by Shelby Shulz | March 23, 2026
It was obvious from the line that stretched around the venue and down past several other buildings that there would be a full house at Emo’s for Akira Yamaoka and Raj Ramayya. The building was absolutely packed all the way from the massive stage in front to the merch tables in back. The room was a sea of video game themed shirts depicting scenes and characters from Silent Hill, Kirby, Pokemon, and various other well-known Japanese franchises.
Opening for Akira was Raj Ramayya who walked onstage in a pink suit. He stated that this was the last stop on his tour, and he always wears his pink suit at the end of his tours. Accompanying him was Ariane Cap on bass, Eric Barnett on lead guitar, and Alec Wheatley on drums.
Photos by Shelby Shulz
Photos by Shelby Shulz
Ramayya’s set was well received by the audience. Cheers filled the room with each song he announced and he was constantly interacting with the crowd. Ramayya used the entire length of the stage during his set. At one point he asked his drummer for a beat then leaned over the edge of the stage and started tossing numerous stickers into the crowd. Hundreds of hands thrust skyward, reaching out for the free merchandise.
The music Ramayya’s band performed contained qualities of various genres such as jazz, electronic and rock. For most of the set all four members were onstage, but during “Underground River” from Made in Abyss, Ramayya had the stage to himself and was accompanied only by his guitar and an orchestra on an electronic track. They performed songs from many popular shows such as Cowboy Bebop, Power Rangers, Dragon Ball and Pokemon. Each member was quite skilled with their respective instruments. Barnett had multiple chances to solo throughout the night and shouted ,“GO ERIC!” occasionally erupted from the crowd.
After a quick soundcheck and short intermission, the crowd roared to life as the stage lights flickered and unsettling sounds began to play over the speakers. Everyone started pulling their phones out to record the empty stage. The screaming from the audience reached a whole new level when Yamaoka finally appeared on stage ferociously strumming his electric guitar.
Yamaoka and his band had great energy on stage. Both Yamaoka and his bassist, Kello Gonzalez, were constantly headbanging along to the beat and the singer, Esther Ortega Cantó, often propped a foot up on a monitor and leaned over the crowd to hype them up even more. It seemed like every time a song started there were deafening screams from the audience.
Photos by Shelby Shulz
The vibe of Yamaoka’s set was heavier and darker than Ramayya’s, which was fitting as he is the composer of the soundtracks for the Silent Hill video game series. Oftentimes the songs were loud, driving, and intense, much like metal. However at times the music would become quieter and take on a more dreamy sound, with haunting vocals and high-pitched piano.
The talent onstage during the show was exceptional. Both sets featured music from well-known and loved media. Both Ramayya and Cantó sang in English as well as other languages, such as Japanese and Spanish. It was obvious from this sold-out show that Austin is a place where you can easily find people who highly appreciate Japanese culture and are ecstatic to show it.
