Culture Club's first Tokyo appearance in more than a decade on Tuesday seemed immaculately planned and slightly surreal. It was almost as if the popular English band had never left the live scene at all, only briefly disappearing before reappearing with upgrades.

Drummer Jon Moss mounted the stage at Zepp Tokyo first, sitting in a plexiglass cage that encased his drum kit and launching into the trademark beat of "Church of the Poison Mind" to thunderous applause.

As the intoxicating beat drove on, other band members filed on stage one by one: three brass players, three black female backing vocalists, a percussionist, a keyboardist and, finally, guitarist Roy Hay and bassist Mikey Craig.