Shonen Knife

Formed in Osaka in 1981 around Naoko Yamano, Shonen Knife has for more than four decades developed a direct and melodic rock, where pop-punk, alternative rock and the 1960s garage heritage cross paths. The band, long structured as a trio and now consisting of Naoko Yamano, Atsuko Yamano and Risa Kawano, first became known in Japan with the albums Burning Farm (1983) and Yama-no Attchan (1984), before reaching an international audience thanks to American independent circuits. Shonen Knife then imposes a seemingly simple songwriting, carried by fast guitars, catchy choruses, and lyrics in Japanese as well as English that readily cling to everyday objects, food, or animals. In the early 1990s, the band widened its audience with 712 (1991), Let's Knife (1992) and Rock Animals (1993), and notably toured with Nirvana and then at the Lollapalooza festival in 1994. Despite several lineup changes over the years, Shonen Knife has preserved a stable sonic identity, between punk energy, pop sensibility and offbeat tone. The rest of the discography, from Brand New Knife (1997) to Adventure (2016), Sweet Candy Power (2019) and Our Best Place (2023), shows a band that remained active on stage as in the studio, faithful to its roots while adjusting its lineup.