Courtesy of P-Vine

With some bands, a large part of the appeal is the sheer guileless simplicity of their songs—the everyman feeling that makes you think, hey, I could do this! In the case of Shonen Knife, the question is not, have they gotten better, but do we want them to? The answer is, of course, no. Much as their heroes The Ramones would have confused a whole lot of people if Johnny had suddenly pulled off an Eric Clapton solo, Naoko Shibata’s Shonen Knife wisely keep things simple.

Over 25 years, this has been the key to the band’s remarkable durability. “It’s not something I’ve really thought about,” says Naoko (pictured, right) at her label P-Vine’s offices, in response to a question about their continued appeal. “Basically as long as we’re having fun and our audiences are having fun, then it’s cool. I’m surprised how many teenagers and even school kids come to our shows.”

One such former school kid is now sitting across the coffee table from us. Etsuko, or E-chan as she’s affectionately known, is now the official drummer after years of a rotating cast of support percussionists. How did E-chan first learn about Shonen Knife? “One of my old band mates recommended them, so I checked out one of their CDs,” she recalls. “It wasn’t like anything I’d heard before. At the time, I was into alt-rockers like Rage Against The Machine and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.”

With the departure of Naoko’s sister, bassist Atsuko, Etsuko’s entry means that Shonen Knife are still officially a duo. Founded by Naoko, Atsuko and Michie Nakatani—three self-described office ladies—the band had, since Nakatani’s 1999 retirement, been the sisters working with a support cast. But “LA Knife” Atsuko recently dropped out after finding it too difficult to keep up with Shonen Knife from her home in Los Angeles, where she is married to an American.

How does E-chan feel about joining an institution like Shonen Knife? “When Naoko asked me, I doubted whether I had what it takes to join a band that’s been together for 25 years,” she says. “But it’s gone very smoothly and I’ve had a lot of fun.” Looking comfortable in a funky tracksuit that matches Naoko’s, E-chan certainly seems to have settled into life as a Knife.

As a full member, she’s joined Naoko on US tours, and also participated in the recent recording of their new album, the aptly titled Fun! fun! fun! Bass on the album is credited to Roman Yumeno, whom it turns out is Naoko’s husband, Atsushi. Will he play bass with them on their upcoming tour? “For live shows, it’s got to be a woman,” says Naoko, ever the astute bandleader. “Shonen Knife has the image of three women only—that’s a fun image that has to be maintained.”

The group have endeared themselves to generations of fans with this approach, so why fix what ain’t broke? Their 13th album, Fun! fun! fun! doesn’t mess with the formula. Songs about food, a trip to Las Vegas and two (“Birthday” and “Oyasumi”) that seem to have been penned for Naoko’s daughter Emma are joined by one about a barnacle entitled, unsurprisingly, “Barnacle.” “Barnacle (Hey!), barnacle (Hey!)/This is a song for a barnacle,” sings Naoko. “Sticking on a crab shell/Easy way to live...” Unfortunately the barnacle’s dream of finally moving on its own power is dashed when a fisherman picks up the crab it’s stuck to, cooks it, and then throws away the shell. “It was a sad story about the barnacle,” Naoko concludes the song. “Its hope didn’t turn into reality.”

Naoko’s own hopes, it could be argued, have materialized beyond her wildest dreams. Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain, entranced amid his self-loathing by their carefree joie de vivre, invited Shonen Knife to tour with them. The group also got a chance to play with punk soulmates The Ramones, whom Naoko salutes as the inspiration for forming Shonen Knife in the new song “Ramones Forever.” “One day I heard music from the radio/It was so fun! An amazing discovery/Next day I bought the album and listened again/Then I started my own punk rock band... At last we got the chance to be their opening band/Like a dream on the same stage as my rock stars/It was their last tour of Japan.”

It seems likely that, while there may have been some difficulties between the Amano sisters over Atsuko’s move to the US, Shonen Knife have never really been dysfunctional. They’ve outlasted most bands half their age, and are currently reinvigorated with a full summer of touring and festival appearances on the slate.

One can only bow down before the Knife’s brightly colored miniskirts and pay homage, as many Japanese bands did on last summer’s Shonen Knife tribute album Fork and Spoon. What do they tell young Japanese bands that approach them for advice? Do you need to ask? “Don’t think about trying to last a long time—just have fun,” Naoko says. “If it’s no longer fun, then stop!”

Shibuya Club Quattro, July 14. See concert listings (popular) for details.

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