{"id":94720,"date":"2025-08-10T09:15:51","date_gmt":"2025-08-10T08:15:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/avo-magazine.com\/?p=94720"},"modified":"2025-08-10T09:16:16","modified_gmt":"2025-08-10T08:16:16","slug":"live-report-cuts-like-a-shonen-knife","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/avo-magazine.com\/en\/2025\/08\/live-report-cuts-like-a-shonen-knife\/","title":{"rendered":"Live Report: Cuts like a (Shonen) Knife"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>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\u2019ve sustained a four-and-a-half-decade career with sheer belief and determination, brightening the world with a joyful effervescence. Following 2023\u2019s anniversary tour (delayed by the pandemic), the band make a welcome return to the United Kingdom for another extensive jaunt.<!--more--><\/p>\n<p>Shonen Knife haven\u2019t 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\u2019re a bunch who deliver a sound that\u2019s 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\u2019d fall into the alt-rock genre, and tonight they turn in an energetic performance that marks them as ones to watch.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<div class=\"rgg-container\" data-rgg-id=\"10135\">    <div class=\"rgg-imagegrid captions-title captions-effect-none \" data-rgg-id=\"10135\">\n                    <a href=\"https:\/\/avo-magazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Shonen-Knife-Hare-and-Hounds-Birmingham-wonderlens04.jpg\" data-rel=\"rgg\" rel=\"rgg\" title=\"Shonen Knife in action at Hare &amp; Hounds in Birmingham | Photography by JJ Grant (wonderlens)\" class=\"rgg-simplelightbox size-full rgg-img\" data-src=\"https:\/\/avo-magazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Shonen-Knife-Hare-and-Hounds-Birmingham-wonderlens04.jpg\" data-ratio=\"1.4883720930233\" data-height=\"1075\" data-width=\"1600\" aria-label=\"\">\n                            <\/a>\n                    <a href=\"https:\/\/avo-magazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Shonen-Knife-Hare-and-Hounds-Birmingham-wonderlens05.jpg\" data-rel=\"rgg\" rel=\"rgg\" title=\"Shonen Knife in action at Hare &amp; Hounds in Birmingham | Photography by JJ Grant (wonderlens)\" class=\"rgg-simplelightbox size-full rgg-img\" data-src=\"https:\/\/avo-magazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Shonen-Knife-Hare-and-Hounds-Birmingham-wonderlens05.jpg\" data-ratio=\"1.4883720930233\" data-height=\"1075\" data-width=\"1600\" aria-label=\"\">\n                            <\/a>\n                    <a href=\"https:\/\/avo-magazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Shonen-Knife-Hare-and-Hounds-Birmingham-wonderlens03.jpg\" data-rel=\"rgg\" rel=\"rgg\" title=\"Shonen Knife in action at Hare &amp; Hounds in Birmingham | Photography by JJ Grant (wonderlens)\" class=\"rgg-simplelightbox size-full rgg-img\" data-src=\"https:\/\/avo-magazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Shonen-Knife-Hare-and-Hounds-Birmingham-wonderlens03.jpg\" data-ratio=\"1.4883720930233\" data-height=\"1075\" data-width=\"1600\" aria-label=\"\">\n                            <\/a>\n                    <a href=\"https:\/\/avo-magazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Shonen-Knife-Hare-and-Hounds-Birmingham-wonderlens06.jpg\" data-rel=\"rgg\" rel=\"rgg\" title=\"Shonen Knife in action at Hare &amp; Hounds in Birmingham | Photography by JJ Grant (wonderlens)\" class=\"rgg-simplelightbox size-full rgg-img\" data-src=\"https:\/\/avo-magazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Shonen-Knife-Hare-and-Hounds-Birmingham-wonderlens06.jpg\" data-ratio=\"1.4883720930233\" data-height=\"1075\" data-width=\"1600\" aria-label=\"\">\n                            <\/a>\n                    <a href=\"https:\/\/avo-magazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Shonen-Knife-Hare-and-Hounds-Birmingham-wonderlens12.jpg\" data-rel=\"rgg\" rel=\"rgg\" title=\"Shonen Knife in action at Hare &amp; Hounds in Birmingham | Photography by JJ Grant (wonderlens)\" class=\"rgg-simplelightbox size-full rgg-img\" data-src=\"https:\/\/avo-magazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Shonen-Knife-Hare-and-Hounds-Birmingham-wonderlens12.jpg\" data-ratio=\"1.4883720930233\" data-height=\"1075\" data-width=\"1600\" aria-label=\"\">\n                            <\/a>\n                    <a href=\"https:\/\/avo-magazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Shonen-Knife-Hare-and-Hounds-Birmingham-wonderlens10.jpg\" data-rel=\"rgg\" rel=\"rgg\" title=\"Shonen Knife in action at Hare &amp; Hounds in Birmingham | Photography by JJ Grant (wonderlens)\" class=\"rgg-simplelightbox size-full rgg-img\" data-src=\"https:\/\/avo-magazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Shonen-Knife-Hare-and-Hounds-Birmingham-wonderlens10.jpg\" data-ratio=\"1.4883720930233\" data-height=\"1075\" data-width=\"1600\" aria-label=\"\">\n                            <\/a>\n            <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h6>Shonen Knife in action at Hare &amp; Hounds in Birmingham | Photography by JJ Grant (wonderlens)<\/h6>\n<hr \/>\n<p>The type of crowd that Shonen Knife attract is a microcosm of society; amongst the older, original fans are fresh-faced youngsters who weren\u2019t 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\u2019s partly due to the nature of the band\u2019s 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\u2019s opening song, <em>Buttercup (I\u2019m A Super Girl)<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>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\u2019s wonderful to see muscular, angry-looking, tattooed men miraculously turned into the sweetest beings. It\u2019s what Nirvana\u2019s Kurt Cobain termed the \u201cBeatlemania effect\u201d 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.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<div class=\"rgg-container\" data-rgg-id=\"10136\">    <div class=\"rgg-imagegrid captions-title captions-effect-none \" data-rgg-id=\"10136\">\n                    <a href=\"https:\/\/avo-magazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Shonen-Knife-Hare-and-Hounds-Birmingham-wonderlens01.jpg\" data-rel=\"rgg\" rel=\"rgg\" title=\"Shonen Knife in action at Hare &amp; Hounds in Birmingham | Photography by JJ Grant (wonderlens)\" class=\"rgg-simplelightbox size-full rgg-img\" data-src=\"https:\/\/avo-magazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Shonen-Knife-Hare-and-Hounds-Birmingham-wonderlens01.jpg\" data-ratio=\"1.4883720930233\" data-height=\"1075\" data-width=\"1600\" aria-label=\"\">\n                            <\/a>\n            <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h6>Shonen Knife in action at Hare &amp; Hounds in Birmingham | Photography by JJ Grant (wonderlens)<\/h6>\n<hr \/>\n<p>While there are a few old favourites dotted throughout tonight\u2019s setlist, the majority of the show is culled from the band\u2019s post-1990 work and that gives things a decidedly hard rock feel. I don\u2019t know what the band have been listening to on the tour bus, but my guess is Thin Lizzy because songs such as <em>Jump Into The New World<\/em> and <em>Bad Luck Song<\/em> 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\u2019ve heard <em>Tomato Head<\/em> and <em>Cookie Day<\/em> in concert, but they are, nevertheless, welcomed like old friends. However, there are plenty of old favourites with bassist Atsuko taking lead vocals on <em>Ice Cream City<\/em>\u00a0and drummer Risa singing on a spirited version of <em>Green Tea.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>With twenty songs performed in 70 minutes, Shonen Knife\u2019s set is (Just like their heroes The Ramones) fast and furious, a blink-and-you\u2019ll-miss-it affair, but the truth is they\u2019ve packed more into this show than many bands put into an entire career. It\u2019s <em>Riding On The Rocket<\/em> that brings the gig to a supersonic conclusion, but not before two well-deserved encores, the second of which, a cover of The Carpenters\u2019 <em>Top Of The World<\/em>, puts smiles on every face&#8230;which is exactly how the band arrived.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<div class=\"rgg-container\" data-rgg-id=\"10137\">    <div class=\"rgg-imagegrid captions-title captions-effect-none \" data-rgg-id=\"10137\">\n                    <a href=\"https:\/\/avo-magazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Shonen-Knife-Hare-and-Hounds-Birmingham-wonderlens07.jpg\" data-rel=\"rgg\" rel=\"rgg\" title=\"Shonen Knife in action at Hare &amp; Hounds in Birmingham | Photography by JJ Grant (wonderlens)\" class=\"rgg-simplelightbox size-full rgg-img\" data-src=\"https:\/\/avo-magazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Shonen-Knife-Hare-and-Hounds-Birmingham-wonderlens07.jpg\" data-ratio=\"1.4883720930233\" data-height=\"1075\" data-width=\"1600\" aria-label=\"\">\n                            <\/a>\n                    <a href=\"https:\/\/avo-magazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Shonen-Knife-Hare-and-Hounds-Birmingham-wonderlens09.jpg\" data-rel=\"rgg\" rel=\"rgg\" title=\"Shonen Knife in action at Hare &amp; Hounds in Birmingham | Photography by JJ Grant (wonderlens)\" class=\"rgg-simplelightbox size-full rgg-img\" data-src=\"https:\/\/avo-magazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Shonen-Knife-Hare-and-Hounds-Birmingham-wonderlens09.jpg\" data-ratio=\"0.7525\" data-height=\"1600\" data-width=\"1204\" aria-label=\"\">\n                            <\/a>\n                    <a href=\"https:\/\/avo-magazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Shonen-Knife-Hare-and-Hounds-Birmingham-wonderlens08.jpg\" data-rel=\"rgg\" rel=\"rgg\" title=\"Shonen Knife in action at Hare &amp; Hounds in Birmingham | Photography by JJ Grant (wonderlens)\" class=\"rgg-simplelightbox size-full rgg-img\" data-src=\"https:\/\/avo-magazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Shonen-Knife-Hare-and-Hounds-Birmingham-wonderlens08.jpg\" data-ratio=\"1.5252621544328\" data-height=\"1049\" data-width=\"1600\" aria-label=\"\">\n                            <\/a>\n                    <a href=\"https:\/\/avo-magazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Shonen-Knife-Hare-and-Hounds-Birmingham-wonderlens11.jpg\" data-rel=\"rgg\" rel=\"rgg\" title=\"Shonen Knife in action at Hare &amp; Hounds in Birmingham | Photography by JJ Grant (wonderlens)\" class=\"rgg-simplelightbox size-full rgg-img\" data-src=\"https:\/\/avo-magazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Shonen-Knife-Hare-and-Hounds-Birmingham-wonderlens11.jpg\" data-ratio=\"1.4883720930233\" data-height=\"1075\" data-width=\"1600\" aria-label=\"\">\n                            <\/a>\n            <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h6>Shonen Knife in action at Hare &amp; Hounds in Birmingham | Photography by JJ Grant (wonderlens)<\/h6>\n<hr \/>\n<blockquote><p><strong>Shone Knife Setlist:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>1. Mango Juice (Intro)<br \/>\n2. Buttercup (I\u2019m A Super Girl)<br \/>\n3. Jump Into The New World<br \/>\n4. MUJINTO Rock<br \/>\n5. Vamos Taquitos<br \/>\n6. Afternoon Tea<br \/>\n7. Ice Cream City<br \/>\n8. Ghost Train<br \/>\n9. Bad Luck Song<br \/>\n10. I Am A Cat<br \/>\n11. Cookie Day<br \/>\n12. Wasabi<br \/>\n13. Green Tea<br \/>\n14. Tomato Head<br \/>\n15. Party<br \/>\n16. Sweet Candy Power<br \/>\n17. Banana Chips<br \/>\n18. Riding On The Rocket<\/p>\n<p><em>Encores:<\/em><br \/>\n19. Sushi Bar Song<br \/>\n20. Top Of The World<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Photography by: JJ Grant (<a href=\"https:\/\/avo-magazine.com\/en\/author\/wonderlensmusic\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">wonderlens<\/a>), taken at the show at Hare &amp; Hounds in Birmingham<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>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\u2019ve sustained a four-and-a-half-decade career with sheer belief and determination, brightening the world with [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":67,"featured_media":94737,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":{"format":"standard","override":[{"template":"2","parallax":"1","fullscreen":"1","layout":"right-sidebar","sidebar":"default-sidebar","second_sidebar":"default-sidebar","sticky_sidebar":"1","share_position":"floatbottom","share_float_style":"share-monocrhome","show_featured":"1","show_post_meta":"1","show_post_author":"1","show_post_author_image":"1","show_post_date":"1","post_date_format":"default","post_date_format_custom":"Y\/m\/d","show_post_category":"1","show_post_reading_time":"1","post_reading_time_wpm":"300","post_calculate_word_method":"str_word_count","show_zoom_button":"1","zoom_button_out_step":"2","zoom_button_in_step":"3","show_post_tag":"1","show_prev_next_post":"1","show_popup_post":"1","number_popup_post":"1","show_author_box":"1","show_post_related":"1","show_inline_post_related":"0"}],"image_override":[{"single_post_thumbnail_size":"no-crop","single_post_gallery_size":"crop-715"}],"trending_post_position":"meta","trending_post_label":"Trending","sponsored_post_label":"Sponsored by","disable_ad":"0","subtitle":"Shonen Knife + Luna And The Lime Slices at The Rescue Rooms, Nottingham on 03.06.2025"},"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"jnews_override_counter":{"view_counter_number":"0","share_counter_number":"0","like_counter_number":"0","dislike_counter_number":"0"},"footnotes":""},"categories":[3088],"tags":[6505,6207],"class_list":["post-94720","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-jpn-music-events","tag-pop-punk","tag-shonen-knife"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/avo-magazine.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94720","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/avo-magazine.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/avo-magazine.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/avo-magazine.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/67"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/avo-magazine.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=94720"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/avo-magazine.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94720\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":94782,"href":"https:\/\/avo-magazine.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94720\/revisions\/94782"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/avo-magazine.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/94737"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/avo-magazine.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=94720"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/avo-magazine.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=94720"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/avo-magazine.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=94720"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}