Shonen Knife: The Japanese band that reduced Kurt Cobain to tears
Kurt Cobain once said that women were the future of rock music. Of the many bands that helped the Nirvana frontman come to that prescient conclusion, one of the most loveable was a certain all-female punk outfit from Osaka, Japan. The latter’s music had such a strong effect on Cobain that he reportedly wept while listening to their second album. It was, of course, Shonen Knife.
Formed in 1981, Shonen Knife developed a riotous blend of punk-pop that Cobain fell for instantly. The original lineup featured Naoko Yamano on guitar and vocals, Atsuko Yamano on drums and Mickie Nakatani on bass and were veavily influenced by 1960s pop, girl groups, and 1970s punk rock, especially bands like the Ramones and The Beach Boys.
Writing about everything from cats and catnip to sushi bars and Barbie dolls, Shonen Knife’s joyous bubblegum punk quickly caught the attention of Sub Pop. In 1986, the trio was featured on the label’s compilation release, which helped introduce the band to Thurston Moore, John Peel, and Kurt Cobain. Cobain didn’t get the chance to see Shonen Knife live until 1991 when they supported Nirvana ahead of the release of Nevermind. Recalling the transformational concert, Cobain said: “We saw Shonen Knife and they were so cool. I turned into a nine-year-old girl at a Beatles concert. I was crying and jumping up and down and tearing my hair out – it was amazing. I’ve never been so thrilled in my whole life. They play pop music – pop, pop, pop music.”
Throughout their career, Shonen Knife has been a pioneering force in bringing Japanese alternative music to international audiences. Their breakthrough into the Western market was helped significantly by their inclusion on tribute albums, such as a cover of The Carpenters’ Top of the World for the If I Were a Carpenter compilation in 1994, which introduced them to an even wider audience.
Cobain also revealed that he was fairly addicted to Shonen Knife’s sophomore album Burning Farm: “Eventually, after a week of listening to it every day, I just started crying,” he told Melody Maker: “I just couldn’t believe that three people from a totally different culture could write songs as good as those. Because I’d never heard any other Japanese music or artist who ever came up with anything good. Everything about them is just so fucking endearing I’m sure that I was twice as nervous to meet them as they were to meet us.”
During their joint tour, Kurt asked Naoko to teach him the guitar chords to their track ‘Twist Barbie’. Speaking to Metroactive, the singer recalled: “So I told the chords to him. Then I heard that he played the song at Nirvana’s secret gig. I’m very proud of it because he is a great rock artist. Dave Grohl was just as taken with Shonen Knife as Kurt”.
The Nirvana drummer acted as the trio’s unofficial roadie during the tour, helping them set up each night. The band rejoined Nirvana for the Midwestern leg of their North American tour in 1992. “They went into their first song and everyone seemed sort of baffled,” Dave told MTV. “They won over the audience by the end of the night. Every show, people were like almost in tears.”
Despite the ups and downs of the music industry, Shonen Knife remains a touring powerhouse, continuing to release albums and perform live to loyal fans across the world. Their longevity, coupled with their ability to stay true to their unique blend of punk rock and bubblegum pop, has earned them a cult-like status—and who else can say they reduced the great Kurt Cobain to tears?
