Shonen Knife’s Naoko On Kurt Cobain, Men at Work, Regurgitator And Why Adelaide Still Feels Like Home

Shonen Knife, ever glowing. Ever sharp. As they continue to ride their all out rocking planet with their ever-vescent neon popping punk fun, from Japan forty five years going strong. With the release of their Re-Cut seminal 1992 album Let’s Knife in Australia/NZ via Valve/MGM, Naoko, Atsuko and Risa cut into the sugar lines of their current world touring to chop it all up in their favourite wonderland of Oz.

Shonen Knife’s Naoko is preparing for yet another Australian tour, and even after decades of visiting the country, her enthusiasm hasn’t dimmed. “Yeah, of course, I’m very excited to come back to Australia,” she says, reflecting on a touring history that stretches back to the late ’90s. When asked how many tours this now makes, she laughs. “How many? I cannot count, but our Australian tour, the first one was 1997.”

That debut run was part of the Big Day Out festival, a formative experience for the band. “I think it was included Big Day Out tour. It’s a festival tour, and we visited some big cities,” she recalls. The connection forged then has lasted decades, and Australia remains one of the band’s favourite places to return to. “I like the people in Australia. They are very friendly and very cheerful, especially at our shows and I’m looking forward to eat delicious food in Australia.”

Shonen Knife’s recent tour with Men at Work has also left a strong impression. Naoko describes the experience with unmistakable joy. “Yeah, it was incredible, wonderful, and I really love their music. Their music is very pop and very melody driven, yes, melody, good melody, I love that.” The hospitality was equally memorable. “Every day, we could eat from the delicious catering.”

The tour also introduced Shonen Knife to a new wave of fans. After each show, the band held meet‑and‑greets at their merch booth. “So many people came to our merch booth, and we talked with them,” Naoko says. “They are Men at Work fans, but when they saw us, they enjoyed our set a lot. I was very happy about that.”

International touring has long been part of Shonen Knife’s rhythm, particularly in the United States. “We basically tour America once every two years,” Naoko explains. But COVID created a long break. “Last year, we went to the United States after six years, so we had a bit break because of COVID. Our record company and booking agent in America were great in making it happen again so we could get back there..” The band restarted their American touring last year and returned again this year with Men at Work. “We’re looking forward to getting back there next year and make up for lost time,” she adds.

Their relationship with Regurgitator remains one of their strongest Australian connections. “Regurgitator and Shonen Knife, the same record company, same agent,” Naoko says. The bands toured Australia together in 2019, and the friendship continued. “After that, Regurgitator wanted to come to Japan. We started talking about it and so we invited Regurgitator to Japan in July just gone, and we had very good time touring in Japan together.” She hopes to catch up with them again during the upcoming Australian dates. “We have a great friendship with Quan, Ben and Peter.”

With a catalogue as large as Shonen Knife’s, building a setlist is no easy task. “I think we have two hundred or so original songs and many more… twenty to thirty cover songs,” Naoko says. The band has even covered AC/DC. Fans often request material from Let’s Knife and Osaka Ramones, including Riding on the Rocket and Twist Barbie. Naoko notes that Kurt Cobain once covered Twist Barbie at a secret gig. The Nirvana connection remains one of the band’s most cherished memories. “I’m very honoured about that,” she says. “In early 90s, 1991, we were invited to go Nirvana’s UK tour and when they came to Japan, we took them to a restaurant and went out together, we had a very good relationship.”

This year’s tour centres on Let’s Knife Re-Cut, a re‑recording of their classic album. The original version is no longer available for sale or streaming, prompting the band to revisit it with the current line-up. “The original Let’s Knife is no longer on sale now, and not available for streaming services, so we decided to re‑record original Let’s Knife with the present members,” Naoko explains. The new version includes many fan favourites that remain staples of their live show. “It includes many songs that are popular to our fans, and we frequently play songs at our live shows. So I’m very content with the recordings for Let’s Knife Recut.”

Revisiting the material also allowed the band to bring a fresh energy to the songs. “I think the original versions, particularly with our producers at that time, their opinions changed it a lot,” she says. “We really like the newer versions, which are more rock, and our playing and singing is very tight, because we’ve been playing songs from Let’s Knife for a long time on stage. Looking at it now it is tight and more rock and I like it vibe of it.”

While this year’s focus remains on Let’s Knife Recut, Naoko hints that the band may mix in other surprises on tour. “On this tour, we will play some songs from Let’s Knife Recut, and we may play some other fun songs, too. Can’t say to much on that just yet, surprise!”

As the conversation turns to Adelaide, Naoko’s affection is unmistakable. “I like Adelaide a lot,” she says. The band first visited in 1997, and the city has remained a favourite stop ever since. “Since then, we visited many times, and we always have good experience, and good people, and good food in Adelaide. Awesome.”

With decades of touring behind them, Shonen Knife’s bond with Australian audiences remains strong. Whether it’s Big Day Out memories, Men at Work fans discovering them for the first time, or long friendships with bands like Regurgitator, Naoko’s stories paint a picture of a band that has built genuine connections across continents and as they prepare to return once again, her excitement is as bright as ever.

Interview By Rob Lyon

Catch Shonen Knife on the following dates, tickets HERE…