Meet the OG Japanese pop-punk beloved by Kurt Cobain

Here’s a quick word association exercise: What bands come to mind when you hear or read the term “pop-punk?” We know elder emos are shouting out the likes of Blink-182, Green Day or My Chemical Romance right now.  

But long before those world-beaters were even Warped Tour warm-ups, there was Japan’s Shonen Knife, considered the original pop-punk band in many alt circles throughout the 1980s and 90s. Even Kurt Cobain couldn’t contain his excitement the first time he saw the sister-led trio.   

“We saw Shonen Knife, and they were so cool. I turned into a nine-year-old girl at a Beatles concert,” the grunge god once said. “I was crying and jumping up and down and tearing my hair out – it was amazing. I’ve never been so thrilled in my whole life. They play pop music – pop, pop, pop music.” 

The Nirvana frontman personally requested Shonen Knife open for the group on its 1991 UK tour and brought them stateside again in 1993.  

So, yeah, Shonen Knife has some serious street cred. Formed in 1981 by sisters Naoko and Atsuko Yamano, the band is best-known for mixing early American punk with the 1960s bop of UK pop.  

“I love the Beatles a lot, and the music of the 60s and 70s,” Naoka says. “I still love classical rock music. I’m very inspired by such music.”  

The band’s 1994 cover of Carpenters classic “Top of the World” is an ode to that. As a young teenager in Osaka, Naoka can still remember the first time she heard the Ramones on the radio. “I was so surprised,” she recalls of the moment

“I Wanna Be Sedated” blared through the speakers and altered her brain chemistry forever. “What a fun band the Ramones is. I went to buy the records immediately. 

“Their melody line is also pop,” she continues. “I love Joey’s vocals. His voice is very sweet to me.”  

Naoko’s been a punk-rocker ever since. Shonen Knife’s had the chance to open for the Ramones twice before in Japan, too.  

“We talked about, like, how do you wash your clothes during the tour, or stupid things,” Naoka says with a laugh. “It was a wonderful time for me.” 

Shonen Knife’s love and admiration of the Ramones is well-known at this point, as the Osaka Ramones, a term coined and championed by none other than Joey Ramone, first performed in 1995, before putting out an official covers album in 2011 under the same name. The three, including drummer Risa Kawano, have been playing select Ramones sets during Shonen Knife’s current U.S. run.  

And Denver is one of those spots. The two-shows-in-one will be held on Tuesday, Aug. 11, at HQ on South Broadway; local openers Bricheros and Flight Kamikaze are also on the bill.

The tour has been a hit so far, including in the Ramones’ stomping grounds. 

“Our audience sang along with the Ramones songs throughout the set,” Naoka says of the NYC show earlier this month.  

Other than rolling out the Osaka Ramones again, Shonen Knife recently released a re-recording of its 1992 hit album, “Let’s Knife,” another one Cobain raved about at the time. The sessions proved to be a much different experience this time around, for several reasons.  

“I decided to go to Buffalo in February. It was so cold outside. It was minus-50 Centigrade (-58 Fahrenheit). It was my first experience with it being so cold,” Naoko shares.

Naoko says that Robby Takac, head of Good Charamel Records and Goo Goo Dolls bassist, deserves credit for suggesting the current lineup revisit the classic.  

“The first time was a learning experience. But we play those songs at most every show, so I think we’ve improved a lot since that time,” she continues.  

Updating it for a fresh audience is not only a testament to the timelessness of the material, but a reminder of how innovative and fresh Shone Knife still is.  

“I think ‘Let’s Knife’ and Shonen Knife is DIY. It means punk, but our music is more pop, pop, pop-rock,” Naoko concludes. “I would like people to enjoy such a kind of feeling.” 

Shonen Knife, with Bricheros and Flight Kamikaze, 7 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 11, HQ, 60 South Broadway. Tickets are $30.