When I came to Japan in 2005 I quickly got involved with the local music scene and Jonny were the band that encapsulates that time for me. I wrote this piece for Metropolis just before Jonny played a huge showcase gig there. Sadly the band broke up not long after and I lost touch with the members. However last year I reconnected with Mio who has reformed Jonny with all new members. My band, Red Flag Waltz, will play a show with them in Nagoya on April 2 fulfilling a dream of sharing a stage with them, so I thought it was a good time to dig out this old interview.
The Japanese indie scene is alive and kicking with cutting edge bands like Nhhmbase, Mothercoat, Yucca and the magnificently named Ogre You Asshole. Another band to add to that list is Nagoya’s Jonny. This three-and-a-half-piece (they have bass player issues the way Spinal Tap has drummer issues) has been around since 2005 and is making the kind of bouncy, pop-punk that sets indie clubs alight. The band is Mio, punk woman with Patti Smith lungs, and a liberated attitude to hairstyles. Shinoda, guitarist extraordinaire, the creator of the scratchy riffs that Jonny is built around, cool and intense, and drummer Nono, who looks like a nice boy but harbours a true drummer’s soul and is the engine of the band. Together they sound like Domestiques-era Delgados with the melodies of Weezer. Here’s Jonny.
I first encountered them through a friend of Nono’s. The lights dimmed, Mio walked to the centre of the stage and screamed, at ear splitting levels, “We’re motherfucking Jonny!” By the end of the song I was at the heart of the mosh pit, and had become a true convert. Evangelical you may say. They love music so much it’s impossible not to get caught up in it. Each song is packed with ideas, dwelling on a theme long enough to embed it in your head before moving on to something new.
I recently met Mio and Nono and asked them about the bands origins. “About five years ago, Nono and I met on a website for people looking for bands. A friend of mine introduced Shinoda to us. Funahashi is the bassist of Hukanzen Misshitsu Satuzin, he has been helping us for a year. He’s almost a regular member.”
One thing that marks Jonny out from their peers is that Mio sings entirely in English. “It’s because I always listen to English songs,” she says. “I can’t write lyrics in Japanese. I think rock is not a part of Japanese culture.”
“We’re mostly inspired by foreign bands like Radiohead,” adds Nono. “We love a lot of UK artists.”
Why do you say rock isn’t a part of Japanese culture?
“Some musical events in Japan are kind of like piano concerts; they’re very stiff and boring. I just want to have a party with good music and good drinks with funny people, like a foreign house party.”
It’s in the live houses that Jonny really stands out. They clearly love what they’re doing, and are having the time of their lives, but their main concern is that the crowd are enjoying it. Rather than performing to us, they want to rock with us. It’s infectious, energising, and whole-room mosh pits aren’t uncommon.
I asked who they listen to.
“We listen to Ragan, Hello Works, 6eyes, Super USA, Discaphorics, Pelorins, bibibibi, Short Film No.9. My friend’s bands are really good. Please come to our gigs so we can tell you all about it.”
“Because Nagoya’s really small – I mean it has less places to play than Tokyo and Osaka – there’s a really unique scene. Many bands from different genres can play together. Genre isn’t important here. “Nagoya” is a genre itself.”
Jonny are making waves outside of Nagoya as well, regularly playing across the country and receiving wide radio coverage, including on the BBC in the UK. Their albums, Jonny, the first full-length CD and Cake Album are available in shops, as well as online. December 23rd saw the release of a new EP Get Some Lack To Be Punky done in conjunction with Tower Records
So what else does the future hold?
“We have no plans, kind of. We only want to have fun for a long time. We’re recording a new album at the moment, which should be out next year. We want many people to listen to our music and to see our gigs.”
“And play Glastonbury Festival,” says Nono. “I’d love to play Glastonbury or to open for Weezer.”
Weezer remains a touchstone for the band, but their sound has changed over the years, matured. They quickly outgrew their influences and beat a path all their own, unafraid to experiment. The Cranberry / Pop Star EP marked a turning point, moving away from pop-punk and into new territory. Cranberry itself is one of their stand out songs, a seven-and-a-half minute slow, sexy groove that builds to an explosive climax. The punk attitude is never far from the surface though. As Mio screams in Pop Star “I need, I need your electric guitar”. This is rock and roll as it was meant to be – fun, loud and exciting, strutting music with a worrying grin and nuts like cannonballs. If that’s your bag, then go see.