Formed as a way for the band members to circumnavigate the drudgery of office life, Shonen Knife has become a Japanese institution. In reality, their songs about cute animals and chocolate should have had a shelf life of four weeks, but they’ve sustained a four-and-a-half-decade career with sheer belief and determination, brightening the world with a joyful effervescence. Following 2023’s anniversary tour (delayed by the pandemic), the band make a welcome return to the United Kingdom for another extensive jaunt.
Shonen Knife haven’t brought a support band with them on this tour, preferring to pick up local acts at each town. That can be a risky move and could result in a mismatch that makes the event an uneven affair. Thankfully, the promoter has done a great job tonight in selecting Luna And The Lime Slices, a local act who are full of vim and vigour to deliver an enjoyable 30-minute set. They’re a bunch who deliver a sound that’s pleasantly hard to categorise, and it is to their eternal credit that they sound like no one but themselves. If you had to put a label on them, then I guess they’d fall into the alt-rock genre, and tonight they turn in an energetic performance that marks them as ones to watch.
Shonen Knife in action at Hare & Hounds in Birmingham | Photography by JJ Grant (wonderlens)
The type of crowd that Shonen Knife attract is a microcosm of society; amongst the older, original fans are fresh-faced youngsters who weren’t even born when the band released their first album. There are hardcore punks, metalheads, straights and grunge fans all united by a love of music, and at no other concert would you find such a disparate crowd rubbing shoulders in perfect harmony. That’s partly due to the nature of the band’s songs; there is an indefinable nature to their songwriting that immediately lifts the spirits, and if proof were ever needed, then just check out tonight’s opening song, Buttercup (I’m A Super Girl).
As soon as the first chord rings out (and I mean the very first chord), the venue is transformed into a sea of smiles and bobbing heads. It’s wonderful to see muscular, angry-looking, tattooed men miraculously turned into the sweetest beings. It’s what Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain termed the “Beatlemania effect” to describe the transmogrification that occurs when grown men hear these tunes; upon first witnessing Shonen Knife live, Kurt was magically turned into a five-year-old girl, and looking around me tonight, the band is having a similar effect.
Shonen Knife in action at Hare & Hounds in Birmingham | Photography by JJ Grant (wonderlens)
While there are a few old favourites dotted throughout tonight’s setlist, the majority of the show is culled from the band’s post-1990 work and that gives things a decidedly hard rock feel. I don’t know what the band have been listening to on the tour bus, but my guess is Thin Lizzy because songs such as Jump Into The New World and Bad Luck Song are delivered with a real punch. The band have delved deep into their discography to pull out a few surprises, and this is the first time I’ve heard Tomato Head and Cookie Day in concert, but they are, nevertheless, welcomed like old friends. However, there are plenty of old favourites with bassist Atsuko taking lead vocals on Ice Cream City and drummer Risa singing on a spirited version of Green Tea.
With twenty songs performed in 70 minutes, Shonen Knife’s set is (Just like their heroes The Ramones) fast and furious, a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it affair, but the truth is they’ve packed more into this show than many bands put into an entire career. It’s Riding On The Rocket that brings the gig to a supersonic conclusion, but not before two well-deserved encores, the second of which, a cover of The Carpenters’ Top Of The World, puts smiles on every face…which is exactly how the band arrived.
Shonen Knife in action at Hare & Hounds in Birmingham | Photography by JJ Grant (wonderlens)
Shone Knife Setlist:
1. Mango Juice (Intro)
2. Buttercup (I’m A Super Girl)
3. Jump Into The New World
4. MUJINTO Rock
5. Vamos Taquitos
6. Afternoon Tea
7. Ice Cream City
8. Ghost Train
9. Bad Luck Song
10. I Am A Cat
11. Cookie Day
12. Wasabi
13. Green Tea
14. Tomato Head
15. Party
16. Sweet Candy Power
17. Banana Chips
18. Riding On The RocketEncores:
19. Sushi Bar Song
20. Top Of The World
Photography by: JJ Grant (wonderlens), taken at the show at Hare & Hounds in Birmingham
