Ichiko Aoba @ The Queen's Hall, Edinburgh, 19 Aug

Ichiko Aoba’s music has a distinct magnetism to it. Straddling the worlds of the real and unreal, much of her musical output draws influence from fictional realms – Studio Ghibli and Disney soundtracks some of her earliest childhood loves – blending these with real, felt experience. “By unleashing the ultimate personal experience in the fountain of creation,” she previously stated in an interview with Fifteen Questions, “that can be transformed into an open place that everyone can access.”

Tonight, the stage is set up like a living room: a rug is outstretched on the floor, a wooden chair sitting centre stage next to a coffee table with a lit table lamp. Arranged in a semicircle behind this are five chairs. It feels like an almost humorous contrast to the cavernous venue of Edinburgh’s Queen’s Hall – a juxtaposition of intimacy and performance. Chatter from the seated audience blurs into a constant murmur of sound as the show begins, but as Aoba takes the stage, adorned in white, and begins to sing, you could hear a pin drop.

Sitting on the chair, accompanied only with guitar in hand, she launches into a rendition of 2020’s bouquet. Hypnotic is the only way to describe it: Aoba’s vocals swoop and pierce flawlessly as she holds piercing high notes with a technique that makes it seem effortless, strumming the acoustic guitar across her lap with ease. Her vocal and guitar skill alone are all she needs to hold this whole auditorium in the palm of her hand.

Image: Ichiko Aoba @ Edinburgh International Festival, The Queen's Hall, Edinburgh, 19 Aug by Jess Shurte

As the next song begins, Aoba is joined by five members of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra on violin and cello, who take the seats behind her. This elevates the performance to another level as the gig progresses, acoustics reverberating around the hall. Violins melt and complement Aoba’s coaxing vocal, plucked cello adding a new kind of depth and accentuation. Aoba’s technical prowess on acoustic guitar is especially worthy of note: at times gently plucking, others her hands dancing across at speed faultlessly. Together, they cast a beautiful, synchronous spell.

Tonight’s set draws from all ends of Aoba’s varied back catalogue – stylings from folk to Japanese city pop, chamber music to imagined film soundtracks are worked in to create a world uniquely her own, which tonight we are invited to bear witness and be a part of too. Aoba has an unassuming presence, allowing the artistry and mastery of her craft to speak for itself. When she does engage with the audience, though, it’s with a sly, lighthearted charm. She tells us she’s happy to be in Edinburgh, and mentions sounds of the bagpipes. She then, after seeming like taking a tiny pause to think about it, breaks into an impression of bagpipes with her voice that elicits warm laughter from the crowd and Aoba herself.

Closing tonight’s set is Space Orphans, Aoba’s latest track. It’s a peaceful, lullaby-like track to round out the night. Translated from Japanese, the chorus repeats: 'With you beside me / I'll always be just fine'. It perfectly encapsulates the warmth, intimacy and quiet magnetism that we’ve witnessed tonight: a spellbinding reprieve from the bustling streets outside.