“More fun and powerful than ever before” Shonen Knife return to Australia with new album Our Best Place

Iconic Japanese pop-punk group Shonen Knife are on their way down under for the first time in years, touring in support of their 20th album, Our Best Place. Spanning nine dates across the country, the trio, made up of Naoko, Atsuko and Risa, will perform at The River, Margaret River, on Friday, March 1, and Milk Bar, Inglewood, on Saturday, March 2, with tickets on sale now. BRAYDEN EDWARDS caught up with founding member Naoko to chat about food, tennis, wine and why they can’t wait to bring their new music to our shores.

It’s great to have you heading back to Australia for this tour! What are you looking forward to doing when you arrive here?

I’m looking forward to seeing our audience in Australia. My impression of the audience is cheerful and friendly.

You are regular visitors here, but it’s been a while since we last saw you here. What’s the biggest change in the world of Shonen Knife since you last hit our stages?

We got more fun and powerful than before with our new album Our Best Place! 

What have been some of your favourite memories of touring Australia?

When we had a show in Melbourne, a friend of our agent took us to a tennis court in Melbourne Park, where the Australian Open Tennis is held and we played tennis. It was off season of the tournament and we could use a court. I love tennis a lot, and it became my best memory.

You will be touring your most recent album Our Best Place. How was this album different from those that came before?

It is our best album ever! It includes various style songs which coloured by Shonen Knife, like early Shonen Knife style songs, power pop songs, punk songs, a hard rock song and a cover of Pilot. It’s a fun album.

I noticed there are a lot of songs about food on the album! Can you tell us about a tasty meal you had that inspired a song?

I think delicious food is the universal topic of human beings. For the song Vamos Taquitos, our bassist Atsuko, who is my younger sister, loves Mexican food and she made it for me. It was delicious and I made that song. The song The Story of Baumkuchen is about a tasty sweet and it’s popular in Japan. Baumkuchen is originally from Germany but it is not popular there. I wanted to introduce it to people all over the world.

You will be playing two WA shows, in both Perth and Margaret River. Is there anything else you are looking forward to doing on the west coast?

I love wine. I hope I would like to enjoy delicious wine in WA. I also would like to enjoy beautiful scenery.

What is next for you after this tour? Do you have plans for any more new music, tours, or delicious meals you are looking forward to?

We are planning some projects. It is secret now. After this tour, I would like to enjoy a delicious meal and play tennis for my health. I can’t wait to play in Perth and Margaret River!