In what surely ranks as one of the most enjoyable and entertaining shows I’ve ever attended, the simple yet incredibly fun visit by Japanese female three-piece band Shonen Knife at Ybor City’s Orpheum last night is one that I surely won’t forget anytime soon.
On a rare full-fledged tour throughout the U.S., the band who has amassed a loyal cult following since their inception in the early 1980s, seemingly made a point to perform in areas on this trek that they hadn’t hit before. Outside the major markets and cities they normally visit on U.S. tours, the band finally made its way to our home state to play an impressive four cities throughout and we were lucky to be included on this schedule.
Celebrating the release of their 20th studio album Adventure and their 35 years of making music, the ladies in Shonen Knife still exude sheer exuberance and unparalleled joy when rocking out on stage for a crowd. Lead singer Naoko Yamano, with her cranked up, glitter-splattered guitar, handled the majority of the vocals and turned in some pretty crisp licks as well. Greeting the crowd and conversing between songs throughout the energetic 65-minute set, Naoko recounted the band’s visit earlier in the day to local eatery Ichicoro Ramen and bragged about how tasty the dishes were. Seemed fitting as the band is calling this the “Ramen Adventure” tour where part of their goal is to sample different recipes of the traditional noodle dish throughout the country.
But the clearer motivation was to expose those who hadn’t had the opportunity to experience a Shonen Knife rock adventure in person before (like me) to the fun and the magic they create on stage.
Wearing matching Mondrian-inspired tops (or were they more of a nod to the legendary Partridge Family tour bus?) the ladies took the stage sporting ear to ear grins that never left their faces for the duration of the set. Instantly breaking into rock poses, raising their arms and shooting rock horns finger gestures, they wasted no time getting down to the delicious pop/punk/bubblegum sound that made legendary indie rock heavyweights Sonic Youth and Redd Kross some of their earliest supporters and fans.
Plowing through their snappy, sharp set, bassist and costume designer Atsuko Yamano (sister of Naoko) danced around, bopped and swayed to the music while never missing a note on her custom bright pink and white guitar while taking over lead vocals for a few numbers.
Admittedly, it was hard to not focus on drummer Risa Kawano though. Bashing on her small but sturdy kit, jumping in on harmony vocals from time to time and playing while standing up for a bit, Risa seemed to be having more fun than those of us in the crowd at times. Her constant smile lit up the room brighter than the stage lights and her joy to be playing rock and roll was evident.
Leading the crowd through songs “Loop Di Loop” and “Rock ‘n’ Roll T-Shirt”, the band’s crunchy Ramones-inspired pop tunes benefitted from the raw, unfiltered live treatment they received. We were even prompted to join in on a very Ramones-like chant at the beginning of “Sushi Bar Song” which the majority of the enthusiastic crowd gladly joined in on.
A hard-rocking but melodic version of the Monkees classic “Daydream Believer” was featured in the encore and, again, the crowd gleefully sang along. The vibe in the room at the set’s end was sheer positivity and elation. I can’t remember the last time I’ve witnessed and been part of as happy and fulfilled a crowd as I was on Saturday night. To add to the good vibes, as Naoko had promised near the end of the set, the ladies jetted over to the merch table at the close of their set to sign autographs and pose for photos with fans making this even more of a memorable night with a band that’s been long overdue for a local visit.
Rock ‘n’ roll doesn’t have to be about big, over the top antics in massive arenas; some of the best and most memorable raw, up-close and significant experiences take place in small clubs on small stages where all the elements appear, the planets align and the true spirit, the joy and the release rock music can bring are all present …and this Shonen Knife experience was bona fide proof of that.
