Events

SHONEN KNIFE (Pop Punk girls trio/JP)

“When I finally got to see them live, I was transformed into a hysterical nine-year-old girl at a Beatles concert.” Kurt Cobain

Shonen Knife are a ground-breaking all-female Japanese, pop-punk trio formed in Osaka in 1981, when Naoko first heard late ‘70’s punk-pop particularly The Ramones. Inspired, the band crafted their own idiosyncratic songs, fashioned brightly coloured outfits and DIY albums.

In 1985, K Records released ‘Burning Farm’ in the US. Deals with Sub Pop and various Majors followed. 1989 saw the crème of the alt. rock scene (including Sonic Youth, L7 and Redd Kross) covering their favourite Shonen Knife songs on the tribute album ‘Every Band Has A Shonen Knife Who Loves Them’. They toured with Nirvana (on the ‘Nevermind’ tour), The Breeders and as part of Lollapalooza. They recorded sessions for John Peel and appeared on MTV’s ‘Beavis and Butthead’ . Last year the band played Matt Groening’s curated ATP, extensively toured the UK/Europe/North America/China and Taiwan! 2011 marks the 30th year of the band Shonen Knife and Naoko said she is ready to ROCK!

We hope you will come see the band this year and soak up some magic from one of the greatest bands the world has ever seen!

Shonen Knife release ‘Free Time’ (their 15th album) on Damnably in June, available from Damnably via Shellshock/Ioda on CD and Digital Download in UK/Europe.

GELBART (Electronic May Ham/Berlin)

"Adi Gelbart is a genius mad scientist, a true musically-accomplished giant among hordes of laptop charlatans, blending all colours and shades of electronic pop into his test tubes (old analogue machines, guitars, rewired battery operated instruments, hand-built gadgets – did I already say mad?), to marvel at each resulting explosion of sound.
To call his music experimental would indeed bring to mind notions of science's modern utopianism – an adventurous, bold, and free search for new frontiers, based not on random amateurism, but on encyclopaedic knowledge of pop's traditions and secrets, and an everlasting passion to build exciting, unexpected structures on top of it.
The result ranges from sweet theme tunes to non-existent kiddie TV shows to hypnotic psychedelia to walls of blissed-out noise – all played hands-on and in jaw-dropping mastery. Pop is broken down and rebuilt with sensibilities that match krautrock and space-jazz.
With several stunning releases behind him (including splits with Frederik Schikowski, Dan Deacon and The Branflakes), Gelbart relocated from Tel-Aviv to Berlin, each of his live concerts converting new diehard fans who just can't wait to see what will happen next. " (Avi Pitchon / Vice magazine)