Retro Man Blog & Retrosonic Podcast's Favourite Gigs of 2023

Here are some of our favourite gigs from 2023 - another great year for superb live music which included the long-awaited reunion of The Soundtrack of Our Lives and an emotional return to Japan for former Shack and Pale Fountains Mick Head with his new band, The Red Elastic Band. Please check out and subscribe to our Retromanblog65 YouTube channel for lots more original live videos from the featured shows below.

1. The Soundtrack of Our Lives - Way Out West Festival, Gothenburg, Sweden - August 10th

2. Michael Head & The Red Elastic Band - Shangri-La Shimokitazawa, Tokyo, Japan - May 30th

3. Gaye Su Akyol - King's Place, London - May 20th

4. Iggy Pop, Blondie, Generation Sex & Stiff Little Fingers - Crystal Palace Park, London - July 1st

5. Indochine - The Roundhouse, London - June 11th

6. Black Angels - Shepherd's Bush Empire, London - March 3rd

7. Lalalar - The Jazz Cafe, London - September 9th

8. Viagra Boys - Troxy, London - January 25th

9. The Undertones - Electric Ballroom, London - October 5th

10. The Courettes, Oh! Gunquit, Paul Groovy Pop Art Experience - Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth 

- April 6th

11. Wingmen - Islington Academy, London - January 21st 

12. Killing Joke - Royal Albert Hall, London - March 12th

13. The Blue Aeroplanes - Electric Ballroom, London - September 29th

14. Ruts DC - SUB89, Reading - May 17th

15. The Brian Jonestown Massacre - Koko, London - February 15th 

16. Shonen Knife - SUB89, Reading - April 13th

17. WitchDoktors & Seeds of 77 - The Half Moon Putney, London - March 5th

18. Duncan Reid & The Big Heads - The Lexington, London - October 7th

19. Thee Moot - High Tide Festival, Twickenham - July 30th

All Photos & Videos Copyright Retro Man Blog. Please support live music and venues.

Shonen Knife & The Go-Go Cult - Photos and Videos from Reading Sub89, April 13th

It's hard to believe that it's 30 years since I first saw Shonen Knife play live, that was at the Reading Festival in 1992 when the band were special guests of headliners Nirvana on what turned out to be a memorable event and certainly one of the best festival line-ups ever I've ever seen. It's even harder to believe that tonight's show at Sub89 in Reading is part of their COVID-postponed 40th Anniversary tour, although the band are actually 42 years old, forming in Japan's second city Osaka in 1981. The set-list spanned the band's long career from all the familiar classics such as "Twist Barbie" and "Riding On The Rocket" to two tracks from their excellent new album "Our Best Place". Of course, it's their gleeful lyrical obsession with food on songs such as "Wasabi" and "Jelly Bean Attack" that always raises a smile and you find yourself shouting out the words to "Banana Chips" at the top of your voice without a care in the world. I think I mentioned last time I saw them that it was going to be tough to follow the previous line-up after bassist Ritsuko and drummer Emi left - but getting back co-founder Atsuko on bass was a stroke of genius. Atsuko, the sister of vocalist and guitarist Naoko was actually the drummer when I first saw them in '92 but she excels up front, head banging and shaking her hair next to her sister and taking lead vocals on a few songs including the superb "I Am A Cat". 

Naoko has barely changed over the years, she looks and sounds amazing, pointing her guitar out over the crowd, blasting out those immediately catchy riffs. Then there is Risa on drums, a blur of flailing limbs and hair behind her kit, she's an immensely powerful drummer but still manages a huge smile on her face throughout the show. When you turn on the news and see how bleak things seem to be at the moment, you can always guarantee that Shonen Knife will cheer you up and put a smile on your face, and that's one reason why I would never miss a show when they are in town. For more information on Shonen Knife, please check out their official Facebook page here. You can see more videos from the show by subscribing to the Retro Man Blog YouTube channel here.

Special mention must go to the local support band The Go-Go Cult, who I'd seen once before supporting The Fuzztones in London and their swampy, voodoo-infused dark Blues went down really well with the crowd. You can investigate them further at their Facebook page here.

Subscribe to Retro Man Blog's YouTube channel here for more videos from the show. 

Shonen Knife - Feature & Photos from the Legendary Japanese Band's Gig at Sub89 Reading April 17th

Shonen Knife at Sub89 Reading - Photo Copyright Retro Man Blog

I first saw Shonen Knife at the Reading Festival in 1992 where they appeared as part of an excellent line-up as special guests of Nirvana. Although BBC DJ John Peel had picked up on them a few years earlier, it was probably Kurt Cobain who introduced Shonen Knife to a much wider audience in the UK. At the time the kitsch Lo-Fi trio from Osaka in Japan were the unlikely darlings of the American underground Grunge scene, even boasting their own tribute album called “Every Band Has A Shonen Knife Who Loves Them” which featured acts such as Sonic Youth, L7, Babes In Toyland and Redd Kross covering a song each. So, 26 years later and I’m back in Reading at the Sub89 to see the band again and it’s good to see that singer and guitarist Naoko’s sister and co-founding member Atsuko has re-joined the band. She was drumming when I saw them at the Reading Festival in ’92 but now she’s moved onto bass. In another line-up change, Risa has replaced Emi on the drums and if I’m honest I was a bit apprehensive in the build up to the show as the last line-up was so fantastic, I wasn’t sure how they were going to follow it. I need not have worried. 

Shonen Knife at Sub89 Reading - Photo Copyright Retro Man Blog

Shonen Knife at Sub89 Reading - Photo Copyright Retro Man Blog

Risa in particular is a revelation, she’s a quite remarkable drummer, a blur of flailing arms and hair, and she is so powerful and exciting to watch. Atsuko too has taken on the visual aspect of previous bassist Ritsuko with her long hair swinging all over the place and huge smile that proves she is having as much fun as we are. Naoko has hardly changed, she looks amazing and has that wonderful grin and glint in her eyes as she announces that the band are happy to be back in “Reading Rock City”. They kick off with a superfast “Pop Tune” and then it’s straight into “Banana Chips” one of the catchiest songs the Ramones should have written. As The Undertones sang about chocolate and girls, Shonen Knife specialise in food and cuddly animals. For example, tonight’s set-list includes such subject matter as “All You Can Eat” buffet restaurants and looking forward to a Friday night out at the “Sushi Bar”, where Naoko lists various types of this “famous Japanese meal”. Risa takes over the leads vocals to sing about “Green Tangerines” and then it's Atsuko's turn for the Oriental harmonies of “Wasabi” and I wonder if many bands could sing about the pungent taste of the eye-wateringly hot mustard and get away with it. “You’ve had the starter and main course and now it is time for dessert” Naoko grins before slamming into the heavy “Ramen Rock” from the “Overdrive” LP. I was going to shout out that noodles are hardly a dessert but they might have thrown a load of jellybeans at me so I just decided to keep quiet and enjoy the menu...errr...sorry, music!

Shonen Knife at Sub89 Reading - Photo Copyright Retro Man Blog

Shonen Knife at Sub89 Reading - Photo Copyright Retro Man Blog

One highlight of the night is “I Am A Cat” which shows that Shonen Knife have elevated the Japanese obsession with ‘kawaii’ or cuteness to another level, making it kitsch, humorous yet cool at the same time. The set is a satisfying pick ‘n’ mix of songs from throughout their career with “Jump Into The New World” from their current LP “Adventure” and the single “Buttercup” standing out as particular highlights for me. Their mash-up of Ramones, Shangri-La’s harmonies and the catchy 70’s Rock of Cheap Trick and the Runaways is infectious and they play a nice cover of Nick Lowe’s “Cruel To Be Kind” too. The old classics such as “Twist Barbie” and “Riding On The Rocket” still sound as fresh and exciting today as they did when I first heard them. For the encore, they return wearing Shonen Knife T-Shirts and launch into the song handily titled “Rock & Roll T-Shirt” a nifty and fun way to advertise the merchandise! The Hardcore Punk blast of “Antonio Baka Guy” nearly blows the roof off the venue and then it’s over, the three of them stand there holding their Shonen Knife scarves aloft, lapping up the well-deserved applause. What a great night out! It’s life-affirming good time Rock ‘n’ Roll and I would defy even the most hardened cynic not to crack a huge ear-to-ear grin throughout the duration of a Shonen Knife gig.

Shonen Knife at Sub89 Reading - Photo Copyright Retro Man Blog

Shonen Knife at Sub89 Reading - Photo Copyright Retro Man Blog

For more photos of the gig please check out the album at the Retro Man Blog Facebook page here and there are videos at our YouTube channel here. You can also see our previous features including exclusive Paul Slattery photographs from London's Cargo in 2012 here and their Osaka Ramones show at the same venue in the Blog archive here. For more info on their current tour dates you can visit the official Shonen Knife web-site here or their Facebook page here.

Shonen Knife at Sub89 Reading - Photo Copyright Retro Man Blog

Shonen Knife live at Cargo London October 16th

Shonen Knife in action - Photo by Paul Slattery

Yes, it's back to the Cargo for another fix of smiley day-glo catchy pop-punk with Shonen Knife. The recent sell-out gig at the same venue, where they played as their alter-ego tribute band, the Osaka Ramones, was certainly great fun. However, there was a slight down-side in that we were only treated to three of their own Shonen Knife songs as an encore. So there was no contest, immediately after the show I just had to snap up tickets for the return fixture as I was desperate to hear some more of their original classics. There was an expectant crowd building up and suddenly Naoko, Emi and Ritsuko bounded on stage to the strains of their own "Welcome To The Rock Club", took up their positions and then it's bang, straight into the opener, "Konnichiwa".

Ritsuko - Photo by Paul Slattery

I suppose that "Konnichiwa", could almost be the band's mission statement really, encouraging the crowd with a call to arms that promises that we'll all have "a good time tonight". They are not wrong either. Next up is their classic "Riding On The Rocket", the opening track from their 1992 breakthrough album "Let's Knife", it's one of those perfectly crafted songs that the band excel in. Then we are treated to a double hit of foodie songs, the impossibly catchy "Banana Chips", which are delicious fried in coconut oil apparently, and one of the set's highlights, "Flying Jelly Attack", that instigates some wild dancing from some enthusiastic fans beside me. They power through two songs from the latest album, the title track "Pop Tune" and then the brilliant tribute to their home town, "Osaka Rock City". I noticed that Photographer Paul Slattery was finding it difficult to take photos, as bassist Ritsuko was whipping him with her flailing hair as she threw herself around the front of the stage. He soldiered on regardless...

Emi - Photo by Paul Slattery

Naoko introduces the band and hands over lead vocal duties to live-wire drummer, Emi, to sing "Psychedelic Life" from the new album. Naoko explains that the song is about Emi's "Bohemian private life", which causes much whooping and whistling from the crowd. Although, some might have been disappointed as this is Shonen Knife, and the Bohemian life portrayed in the lyrics actually consists of sitting around sipping peppermint tea and burning incense. Then bassist, Ritsuko takes her turn on lead vocals for the slower paced sweet pop of "Sunshine". Next, they elevate that handy everday object, the "Rubber Band", into the subject of a catchy Punky thrash. "BBQ Party" from the album "Super Group", continues with their food obsession and then it's one of the highlights of the last album "Free Time", the Buzzcocks style Pop-Punk of "Do You Happen To Know", in which Naoko tells of time she lost her guitar en-route from Heathrow to Osaka's Kansai International Airport. Then it's the spooky "Jack The Ripper" guitar riff intro to "Devil's House" and the rocking "Bear Up Bison". The band then get into their Osaka Ramones character for a great, well received run through of  "Rock & Roll High School". Actually, Shonen Knife could almost be the cheeky little sisters of Johnny, Joey, Marky and Dee Dee. They have that knack of taking classic music references and making them sound fresh and envigorating. Not only that, but the lyrical twists on mundane every-day objects, food stuffs and cute animals is elevated to near genius, very much like their heroes, the Ramones. 

Naoko - Photo by Paul Slattery

This leads into one of the band's signature tunes, "Twist Barbie" and then "Tomato Head" from their "Rock Animals" album, which is a grungey number that reminds me of L7. Next up is the hardcore thrash of "Cobra vs. Mongoose" and the band close the show, putting down their instruments and holding their Shonen Knife scarves aloft, lapping up the applause and calls for an encore. They return for a "three cat encore"...a trio of feline inspired numbers. "Cat Nip Dream" sung by Ritsuko, "I am a Cat" sung by Emi and then Naoko takes over again for "Giant Kitty". Then all too soon, it's all over and the band leave to cheers, stomping feet and more encore requests. Unfortunately, that's it for tonight, the lights go up and illuminate a crowd of happy smiling faces. But the band do, however, graciously hang about afterwards, chatting, signing merchandise and having their photos taken with extremely satisfied Shonen Knife fans.

Shonen Knife greet their adoring fans - Photo by Steve Worrall

Photo by Paul Slattery

Photo by Steve Worrall

Shonen Knife - Photo by Steve Worrall

Shonen Knife (L/R) Ritsuko, Naoko & Emi - Photo by Paul Slattery

With many thanks to Paul Slattery for contributing his excellent Photos - all Photos Copyright of the credited photographers Paul Slattery 2012 & Steve Worrall Retro Man Blog 2012.

Shonen Knife as Osaka Ramones live at Cargo, London Monday October 01st

Photo by Steve Worrall

It's Shonen Knife alright, just not as we usually know them. For tonight, the band took to the stage at Cargo as their alter-ego, the Osaka Ramones. Naoko, Emi and Ritsuko appeared in a cloud of dry ice to the strains of Ennio Morricone's spaghetti western classic "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly", just as the Ramones used to do. The band's usual stage outfits of cute, Mary Quant meets Mondrian dresses, are replaced by jeans, Ramones T-shirts and black leather jackets and after a customary "1-2-3-4" they slam straight into "Blitzkrieg Bop". The crowd went crazy and there was much good natured pushing and shoving. Cargo is a great venue, although the various bar and terrace areas seem to take up more than the gig space itself. This means the audience is crammed in and it can be a struggle to get a decent view, however it certainly makes for an intimate atmosphere. "Psychotherapy" is next and is quickly followed by "Rockaway Beach" and "I Wanna Be Sedated", which didn't make the album. The thumping "KKK Took My Baby Away" leads into the New York Punk anthem "Chinese Rock" and then the brilliant "She's The One", one of my favourite Ramones songs. Actually, I think the choice of cover songs on the album is maybe a little bit predictable. However, to their credit, they do pick out the less well known, CJ Ramone penned "Scattergun", from the Ramones' last ever studio album, "Adios Amigos", and make it their own.

Emi, Ritsuko & Naoko - Photo by Steve Worrall

Next up is the singalong classic "Sheena Is a Punk Rocker" which takes the cellar style roof off the Cargo. Strangely enough, a couple of days later I was singing along to another cover of this when I saw The pUKES, the superb 20 strong ukulele wielding Punk Rock orchestra. Although each band is somewhat different in their approach and sound, The pUKES "George Formby plays Punk" style against Shonen Knife's more traditional take, both have a similar effect. That is, you just can't stop smiling, it's infectious! Bassist Ritsuko, with her Dee Dee style low slung bass that's almost touching the floor, grins through her long thrashing hair, and singer and guitarist Naoko responds with a cheery smile throughout the show. The band are having fun and so are we. But it's their fantastic drummer Emi, who seems to be having more fun than all of us put together as she powers round her kit, adding backing vocals and yet more of those Shonen Knife smiles.

Shonen Knife drummer Emi - Photo by Steve Worrall

Things come to a close with "Beat On The Brat", "Rock and Roll High School" and a brilliant version of "Pinhead". Naoko lifts her guitar over her head and as the green lazers cut through the dry ice, multi-coloured confetti showers down on the audience, brilliant!  The band return for a well deserved three song encore of "Pop Tune" and "Osaka Rock City" from the new "Pop Tune" album and "Economic Crisis" from "Free Time", and that was it.  I was hoping for more of their own classic songs, but it did make me rush out and buy tickets for their return show at the Cargo on October 16th, where they promised us a full Shonen Knife set, and I can't wait. Well, it's taken me a week to get this review out but I haven't stopped smiling...

Shonen Knife as Osaka Ramones - Photo by Steve Worrall

Naoko - Photo by Steve Worrall

Ritsuko - Photo by Steve Worrall

Shonen Knife/Osaka Ramones in action - Photo by Steve Worrall

Naoko, guitar hero - Photo by Steve Worrall

Ritsuko points the way - Photo by Steve Worrall

Confetti time - Photo by Steve Worrall

Naoko, Ritsuko & Emi after the show - Photo by Steve Worrall

All photos copyright Steve Worrall 2012. For access to more exclusive photos of the show please visit and "Like" the Retro Man Blog Facebook  page. Here's a video of  "Blitzkreig Bop".

More exclusive videos can be found at the Retro Man Blog YouTube Channel.

There's also a good fan page, The Shonen Knife Nexus, here.