Shonen Knife: “Playing in India is one of our biggest moments”

Shonen Knife. Photo: Courtesy of Tomato Head

It’s entirely commonplace to hear musicians visiting India for the first time talk about food. But it’s different when Japanese pop punk band Shonen Knife talks about it. When asked about what they’re looking forward to India, vocalist-guitarist and founding member Naoko Yamano says, “I’ve heard that foods are tasty in India. I like naan a lot and like to eat it. Chicken curry, too. I also want to get beautiful clothes.” The band’s lyrical themes have included everything from cats to their hometown Osaka and, more pre-dominantly, food. After singing about everything from Ramen noodles to fortune cookies and banana chips, Naoko says new Shonen Knife material might be influenced by their India trip. Says Naoko over an email interview, “I already wrote a song called ”˜Mango Juice’ but I’d like to write more about delicious Indian foods after eating them on this tour.”

For a band that gained fans from the likes of Nirvana and Sonic Youth, Shonen Knife have been striking the balance between an underground and pop influences ever since they formed in 1981. The all-female band, which currently comprises Naoko, bassist Ritsuko Taneda and drummer Emi Morimoto, released their 19th album Overdrive earlier this year and make their India debut at the New Wave Musicfest in Goa in November. When asked what the band’s biggest moment has been across three decades, Naoko happily replies, “Playing in India!”

Although Naoko admits that Shonen Knife probably wouldn’t have existed if it wasn’t for their access to bands like The Beatles and The Ramones. Says Naoko, “Without the influence of British and American bands, it’s impossible to make Shonen Knife music.” When they broke into the underground scene in Japan, Naoko says audiences were very open-minded about music, including their mix of singing in Japanese and English. Fast forward to today, and there’s Japanese pop/metal band Babymetal, who have gone from viral video sensations to gaining acceptance from the international metal community and playing their combination of J-pop-meets-metal across the world. Says Naoko, “Babymetal isn’t a rock band but a project which controlled by someone else. The girls are more like dancers and singers and the background band consist of professional players. I prefer to listen to real rock music performed by real rock bands.” Asked for her current favorites from the Japanese scene, Naoko says rock bands like Extruders and Papalion are the best of the lot from the underground scene. Says Naoko, “There are interesting bands in the Japanese underground scene but in [the] major [bigger] scene, there are not so many.”

More than 30 years since they performed in the US and Europe, Shonen Knife now remain regulars on the international circuit, but the band’s aim is to never stop and keep conquering newer territories. Says Naoko, I just [want to] keep on rocking.”

Shonen Knife performs at the New Wave Musicfest at Goa Karting Track, Verna, Goa between November 15th and 16th, 2014. Event details here.

Watch the video for “Like A Cat”