Concert Review: Shonen Knife – Whammy Bar, November 14, 2019

Shonen Knife brought their sweet, bubblegum-punk-rock sound to Whammy Bar last night, effortlessly showing that after almost 38 years and 22 albums, they’re still as gorgeously irresistible and enjoyable as ever.

Supported by high-energy, hard-hitting punk band, Contenders, last night saw Japanese alt-rock legends, Shonen Knife, pack Whammy Bar tighter than an overflowing ice-cream sandwich, the crowd exhibiting an almost perfect level of respect and appreciation that made the performance an extreme joy to witness.

Contenders are rapidly becoming one of my favourite bands, showing a consistency in their performance every time I see them that guarantees the crowd is in for a high-energy treat of punk brutality. Dialling in from the heavy distortion of One Flew Over, the front-row crowd of Whammy Bar instantly began thrashing their bodies and arms around, before Attract / Repel saw vocalist, Cilla Kinnaird, burst upward with her trademark hand-pressed-against-the-ceiling vocal delivery against the dual guitars of Alex Kinnaird and Justin Lewis.

I never get tired of seeing this group perform; each gig brings a refined clarity to their sound and a cohesion as complementary musicians that I find absolutely irresistible. The heavy distortion in Dead Brain Rot fell into the stunning drums of Cam Reid as Kinnaird jumped into the centre of the forming crowd amidst heavy, sharp guitar riffs and a beautiful control of tempo by bassist Liam Clancy.

Good To Be You is one of my favourite Contenders numbers, and always reminds me of hybrid one-two combo of The Lillingtons’ Black Hole In My Mind and I Saw the Apeman (On the Moon), filled with brilliant drum rolls and slightly restrained vocals by Kinnaird that dove headfirst into her stunning guttural growl. It’s rare that slight microphone feedback not only doesn’t distract from a performance, but somehow enhances it. It’s the kind of musical subversion that made me fall in love with the fractured guitar solo in David Bowie’s Sweet Thing (Reprise).

The Heat, Skate, and Bad Advice showed Kinnaird’s love of vocal power while thrashing and contorting her body on stage, before Teenage Crybaby saw the crowd and band grooving along from the opening drum rolls to its perfectly paced ending. Regular closing number, 122 Hours of Fear, is undeniably one of the best songs to end a set with, as Kinnaird and the band poured every last drop of energy into their sound, dialling the joyful intensity of the crowd and the sweltering heat of the room to a peak.

With the crowd suitably warmed up – quite literally – it wasn’t long before a dreamy electronic bass beat delivered Shonen Knife to the stage, crashing into opener, Konnichiwa, with the sugar-sweet intensity you’d expect from the trio. It’s impossible not to be dragged into the dreamy fantasy Shonen Knife present in their lyrics, with the ‘I don’t want to get up early in the morning, I want to sleep all day’ of Lazybone showing the trio are masters of that Ramones simplicity across every track.

Restrained guitar riffs in Twist Barbie followed, before the crowd were treated to Party, the opening number of Shonen Knife’s new album, Sweet Candy Power, drenched in electric guitar and solid, wall-of-sound drumming by Risa Kawano. Dizzy saw the crowd display an almost-unheard-of level of synchronicity, clapping their hands as instructed by bassist, Atsuko Yamano, throughout the beginning and end of the number. It was beautiful to see the crowd join in so completely, with the sweetness of the atmosphere balancing out the viscous, sticky heat that began to pour itself throughout the venue.

 Every song by Shonen Knife is just undeniably catchy, whether through the easy lyrics or the perfectly pared-down guitar of Naoko Yamano, and this was reinforced by Ice Cream Cookie Sandwiches – “Our favourite food!” – and Public Bath which followed. It was kind of adorable to hear the band address the crowd and refer to our city as Auckland Rock City, but this is clearly the nature of Shonen Knife – you can’t help but fall in love with their delicate balance of pure-hearted joy against a heavy, thrashing setlist.

This feeling was distilled in the how-can-rock-guitar-and-heavy-drums-sound-so-damn-playful number, Capybara, followed a few tracks later by Green Tea – with a tearing opening guitar riff that brought to mind Black Sabbath’s Iron Man – before diving right back into those sweet lyrics with ‘I like green tea, green tea, cookie cookie cookie cookie!’, all underpinned by that same driving, perfectly executed guitar that you can’t help but shake your head and tap your feet to.

Sweet Candy Power saw another crowd participation moment – the sweltering fans asked to scream ‘CANDY!’ when the band sang ‘Amai’, the Japanese word for ‘Sweet’ – and I was staggered by how unified and completely engaged the entire crowd were, hanging on every beat and moment in the remaining set with a commitment I’ve never seen at Whammy before.

An encore of Sushi Bar and Antonio Baka Guy closed out the show, following one of many addresses to the crowd filled with the ‘Arigato! We love you!’ moments which flowed throughout the set. After nearly 38 years performing, Shonen Knife are just perfect in what they do – they bring catchy-as-hell tunes filled with singalong lyrics and uncomplicated riffs, and in keeping that style as simple as possible, take a crowd to a completely unexpected place, one filled with banana chips, endless ice-cream sandwiches, and cute animals, where you can sleep all day and listen to 70s hard-rock all evening.

It’s in this simplicity that Shonen Knife stand out from other bands, and it’s no surprise they’ve carved out an enamoured fan base around the world. There’s just nothing not to like about this group – they give you music that is endlessly enjoyable, and a stage presence and performance that makes you feel like you’re a kid again, just happy to wake up before sunrise and watch cartoons in bed with a bowl of ice-cream. The fantasy world of Shonen Knife is one I felt gloriously privileged to be transported to for an evening, and left a sweet, lingering taste in my mouth that is unlikely to fade for a long time to come.

~Oxford Lamoureaux

Shonen Knife Setlist
Konnichiwa
Lazybone
Twist Barbie
Party
Dizzy
Ice Cream Cookie Sandwiches
Public Bath
Ice Cream City
Capybara
Jump into the New World
Green Tea
My Independent Country
California Lemon Trees
Sweet Candy Power
Banana Chips
Riding On The Rocket
Buttercup (I’m A Super Girl)
Encore
Sushi Bar
Antonio Baka Guy

Contenders Setlist
One Flew Over
Attract / Repel
Dead Brain Rot
Good To Be You
The Heat
Skate Assault
Strange Routine
Bad Advice
Teenage Crybaby
122 Hours of Fear

Click any image to view a gallery from both Shonen Knife and openers, Contenders. Photography by Todd Buchanan

Shonen Knife

Contenders