A Japanese dude passed out beside me, a cute girl with a short bob to my right, a Smirnoff Ice cooler to my lips-the perfect prelude to last week’s show by Japanese punk-rock all-girl group Shonen Knife at the Horseshoe. It wasn’t quite what I expected, but those girls know how to rock, that’s for damned sure!

The ‘Shoe is a place that’s always reliable for serving up some great rock and roll, and Shonen Knife was no exception. Hailing from Osaka, Japan, the duo hit the stage around 11:30 pm and the packed house went wild. Though concerned about the guy out cold beside me, I couldn’t help but get into the music almost immediately. ‘Intense’ doesn’t even do it justice. It was Japanese all-girl-band-punk-rock intense! I mean, how many bands can get away with a song about rubber bands and banana chips?

Lead vocalist/guitarist Naoko Yamano absolutely blew the crowd away with her skills-she played that guitar like nobody’s business and definitely stole the show with her fun antics. Bassist Atsuko Yamano was a bit more low-key but still terrific. She actually designed the stage costumes the girls wore that night, which consisted of cute ’60s-inspired go-go dresses and cranberry-coloured tights. Colourful Shonen Knife t-shirts were in high demand as people flocked around the merch table and debated which colour to get (blue, red, purple, or yellow?).

Let’s face it, females playing electric guitars and drums is always hot, but Shonen Knife had a good mix of melody and punk in their music. Music is a rhythm, a vibe, and the crowd at the ‘Shoe was definitely feeling Shonen Knife.

The girls of Shonen Knife are certainly not new to the music scene. They first joined forces in 1981 (!), and have been going strong ever since, touring with the likes of Nirvana and releasing albums that appeal to both the East and West. Kurt Cobain was a strong supporter of their music early in their career, helping them to gain a wider audience in North America. Their new album, Heavy Songs, was released in the US and Canada earlier this month.

Shonen Knife made me realize that music is truly transcendental. Because they sang in both English and Japanese, it wasn’t really the lyrics that mattered, but the music. Regardless of which language they sang in, they still rocked! Aside from putting on a great show, the gals stuck around afterwards and spent 40 minutes talking to their fans and signing autographs with huge smiles on their faces. When’s the last time you saw a major band do that? By the end of the night, even the guy passed out beside me ended up being none the worse for wear-just a little tired, perhaps.