After nearly 20 years in the business, Shonen Knife are still neither bored nor boring. The punk/pop band from Osaka has always been a trio, but there have been quite a few lineup changes over the...
After 10 years in the business, Japan’s Red Bacteria Vacuum is a perfect example of how to do women in punk the right way. Powerful without being over the top about it, by turns aggressive and fun,...
At the start of yet another American tour, Kirsty Evans had a chance to catch up with Arch Enemy vocalist Angela Gossow, one of the most ass-kicking women in metal. Having recently participated in an...
Polysics are Japan’s answer to Devo. Weird, experimental, blending elements of pop, punk, rock, and New Wave into a stew that’s definitively Polysics, they’re fun and totally unique. With...
Toshiya, bassist for Japanese alt rock phenomenon Dir en grey, isn’t interviewed very often, but we got a chance to catch up with him during their recent American tour and found him smart,...
Finnish rockers The 69 Eyes have been around since the 80's, but it’s only recently that they’ve begun to make inroads into the American market. With a new vampire-themed album released just in...
The current media blow-up over the Roman Polanski case has exposed our culture's disturbing whitewashing of the personal characters of creative people, as well as served up an entirely bizarre idea...
Igigi designer and founder Yuliya Raquel has always been obsessed with fashion, but it was fate that she found her very specific passion, designing clothes for the plus size market. Outspoken and...
After 17 years together, Tokyo-based alterna rock band Noodles are still going strong. Kirsty Evans sat down with them during their latest trip to the USA as part of the Japan Nite tour to talk about...
Hayao Miyazaki’s "Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea" is another perfect illustration of why he may well be the most quietly influential feminist filmmaker out there right now. Unlike previous works...
