Cult bands come in floods and waves but Shonen Knife seem to have topped many punters’ list tonight as they celebrate their 35th anniversary at The Haunt. The venue is mixed with 70s style mohawks spread around, all this amongst peach-fuzz college faces and those who look like they have had their noses dragged through the mess of the 80s and still live to tell the punk rock’n’roll tale. Yes, Shonen Knife, the all-female garage punk band made the leap across the world from Osaka to come and showcase not only their new release, Adventure but also tick off all the hits they have collated over their twenty-one album lifespan.

There was something very prepossessing about the way Shonen Knife approached their hour and a half set, arriving onstage holding towels that presented the bands name alongside the huge ‘SK’ emblem, it was something new. It had that cheerleader sort of showmanship, a little like those ladies that waltz around boxing rings holding round cards just without the smut attached. Similarly, their onstage ad-libs and conversation with the crowd was new and refreshing. They didn’t just expect people to be there because they were an esteemed cult band so they showed gratitude and they were not afraid to demonstrate this. It was un-cool in the realms of British rock’n’roll but it was as near to honest as could be and that was nice, at least for a change.

Shonen Knife as a sound fall somewhere between The Beach Boys, The Ramones and The Vaselines. It’s raucous rock’n’roll played at a thunderous speed. Tonight they opened with ‘Konnichiwa’, a fitting song to start with, and from the off it was all the rock’n’roll cliched dance moves clinched effortlessly – hair spins, that surf-rock guitar lunge and epic solos on behalf of Naoko Yamano. It’s hard to make out what was good and what just worked for the band. It’s quite clear that the genre is out of date as it largely feels as if you have gone to some obscure, ironic pop-punk night but, they generated energy in the crowd despite the fact the sound was pretty dismal for the opening part of the set.

The sound and song titles in general play very much on Japanese pop-culture items, ‘Wasabi’ and ‘Green Tangerines’ being two examples. This kind of strings Shonen Knife along in an ironic fashion, you don’t know whether you can take them too seriously. It’s fun, though, it is music made to have fun to and not be taken too seriously. It’s quick fire, three chord pop-punk that holds rigorous choruses in it. ‘Wasabi’ gets the crowd thumping, seeing Atsuko Yamano wax lyrical about how hot wasabi is, a ridiculous concept that hits you like some post-modern thunderbolt but, it’s really bloody funny and gets the crowd moving. As mosh pits up open down at the front, the sound improves and all in all, it becomes a more immersive experience; Shonen Knife rip through the likes of ‘Giant Kitty’, ‘Rock’n’Roll T-Shirt’ and ‘Whatever’. They find their Ramones side of the set with the likes of ‘ESP’ that demonstrates they were perhaps a force to be reckoned with at some point earlier in the career.

Shonen Knife demonstrated a new way for cult bands to grow old. Somewhere that falls between graceful and embarrassing, it’s slightly self-mocking, whether this is intentional or not is unclear but when the sound clears, it becomes apparent that they really can still rock a crowd. This year has seen the return of a few bands already; Axl Rose decided the fun was so good that he would try it with two bands. On a 35th anniversary tour, the sound is outdated somewhat but the way that the band work with the crowd is beyond belief, it is fantastic, this really acting as a credit to the band and I think partly, this is what makes the set more enjoyable. The crowd want the band onstage to feel welcome and in turn, it becomes a set that is actually exceptionally solid. Early doubts are warned off and Shonen Knife pull through with their 90 minute set.
Tom Churchill

Website: shonenknife.net
Facebook: facebook.com/ShonenKnifeOfficial