READING is turning Japanese next month when a musical act from the 80s prepares to return.
Shonen Knife will be performing at Sub89 as part of their 40th UK tour.
Hailing from Japan, they started out in 1981.
Heavily influenced by 1960s girl bands, The Beach Boys, and early punk bands, such as the Ramones, the trio crafts stripped-down songs with simple yet unconventional lyrics sung both in Japanese and English, going on to release 22 albums.
and came to the attention of Kurt Cobian and the rest of Nirvana in the late 80s.
Kurt said they were his favourite band: “When I finally got to see them live, I was transformed into a hysterical nine-year-old girl at a Beatles concert.”
Other bands that count among their fans include Sonic Youth, Fugazi, Red Kross and the Beastie Boys.
The trio maintains a distinctly garage rock sound rooted in DIY aesthetics, and they have
been credited with making “the international pop underground more international” by “opening it up to bands from Japan”.
The event is organised by Club Velocity, who say Shonen Knife are a must-see band.
Support for the event, on Thursday, April 13, comes from Reading Billy Punk legends The Go Go Cult.
Tickets are on sale via wegottickets.comor sub89.com
