MELT-BANANA
3+5
(A-Zap).
Formed in Tokyo in 1991 out of the ashes of Yasuko Onuki’s band Mizu, Melt Banana featured the core of Onuki (‘Yako’) and Mizu guitarist Ichiro Agata. Having worked through various band members over the years, until in 2012 they decided to slim to a duo for the album ‘Fetch’ and subsequent live dates, which saw the drums and bass provided by a laptop controlled by a midi controller, brandished by Yako live like a video game controller, orchestrating their set from up front. Yako’s frenetic and high-pitched vocals and mask wearing Agata’s equally frenetic and frantically brutalistic and FX laden guitar style pummels you relentlessly, pulling no punches, and has seen them become established as a ground breaking and veteran noise punk band (although they eschew genre comparisons and tags), releasing material through their own A-Zap label. John Peel described their 1999 Peel Session as "simply one of the most extraordinary performances I have ever seen and ever heard ... just mesmerizing, absolutely astonishing." Having toured regularly all over the world, they are due to bring their insanely energetic performance to the UK for a 25 date tour to co-incide with the release of their 8th studio album,’3+5’, their first after an 11 year gap following the release of the critically acclaimed ‘Fetch’ in 2013. Influences are many, but New York No Wave and Lydia Lunch stand out as primary ones. They have also covered an eclectic mix of tracks from the more obvious (The Damned) to the more surprising (The Beach Boys). Previously they have also said the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami had a profound emotional effect on them, making it hard for them to write new songs (we will ask them about that later).
The new album, ‘3+5’, is akin to being strapped to a runaway train, being intensely propelling, and designed so that each track stands by itself and can be played in any order, as well as in the context of the album, a canny acknowledgement of the streaming habits of their fans. Tracks like ‘Stopgap’ sound a lot like thrash metal and Napalm Death, with Yako singing in English rather than her native Japanese, meaning she often has to look words up in, resulting in her finding words that sound interesting to her, rather than looking to create lyrics. That is not to say that there is not melody and structure in there, sometimes even aping Hard Rock. If anything, though, they have ramped things up, rather than slowed the pace after 32 years. You do wonder how they manage that? Rather than guess, we caught up with them in Tokyo just before they set off for the UK to ask them that very thing, and more…
Outsideleft: This is the first full studio album since 'Fetch' back in 2013. 11 years is a long time in music, and we have had a pandemic and all sorts of things happening in that time. Does that make you want to change things up, and maybe do a slow and mellow record?
Yako: We never thought about doing a slow and mellow record. Also, these past 11 years didn't feel that long to us. We've been pretty busy, and it feels like the time has flown by.
Agata: During the pandemic, since we couldn't tour, we started our Patreon page. We did things a bit differently there, like making ringtones, creating tracks available only for a limited time, and even covering a song by Cows [a noise rock band from Minneapolis, formed in 1986, who split in 1998]
OL: Are you surprised that people are still interested in Melt Banana after all this time, and that you are still able to do this? After all, you formed 32 years ago. Many of your audience aren't even that old.
Yako: We feel really lucky about that. Especially right after the pandemic, we were surprised by how many young audiences came to our shows.
Agata: Some of them knew about us from their parents who had seen us before, and some even came with their parents. It makes us happy to meet people like that.
OL: With the two of you on stage, and the backing band on a laptop, doesn't that limit the spontaneity of your live performance? Isn't that what live performance is all about?
Yako: I think the raw energy of live performances is something truly incomparable. I feel moved when I see a performance that crystallizes that energy. However, the time for us to challenge that has passed. Using laptops for live performances is now common, and if our performance feels limited by laptops, I believe it's not the fault of using the laptop but rather an issue with our own approach.
Agata: I also really enjoy watching live performances that don't use laptops. But in our case, sticking to that had started to limit our activities. On the other hand, using laptops for live performances is more enjoyable for us, offers more opportunities for what we want to do, and feels much more freeing.
OL: Previously, you have said that the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami resulted in your not being able to write for a few years. Is that shock and feeling still with you? You have also recorded with Steve Albini engineering. Did his sudden death affect you in the same way?
Agata: Of course, that feeling still remains. Additionally, in the time between just before the pandemic and recently, several people close to us, including Steve, have passed away. Especially when someone very close to you dies, there are moments, for example, when you might think about sending them a text message and then remember that they’re no longer around. When that feeling of a gaping hole becomes overwhelming, it can have a negative impact. Also, when Yako and I try to talk about it, we end up feeling like we’re about to cry uncontrollably, which we want to avoid. So, we try not to talk about it with others.
OL: Is it hard to make a living from Melt Banana with these long gaps between records? Life is expensive after all. Your gigs are so intense physically that you will also have to stop at some point. What do you plan to do after that?
Yako: We don't have much trouble with living expenses. We tend to spend very little, and since we run our own label and are just a two-member band, we're managing ok. I don't know what will happen if we can no longer tour, but I'm not overly pessimistic about it.
Agata: Yes, I was a bit anxious when the pandemic started and all our tours were cancelled. However, we started Patreon at that time, and thanks to the support from everyone, we managed to get through the pandemic. It was truly wonderful to directly know that people around the world appreciate our music. I haven't thought much about what to do after we can no longer tour, but we're still running Patreon, so I think we'll probably try to do something online.
OL: The world is changing fast. Do Melt Banana need to change in response to that? How do musicians respond to all the shit that is happening now?
Yako: It's like a mirror. As the world changes, we naturally change as well. I don't think there's a need to force ourselves to respond to the changes in the world. Most people will naturally respond to changes as they go about their lives. For example, I used to have a hard time reaching Agata, because he didn't have a cell phone for a long time, but now he has two.
Agata: I’m not sure exactly what kind of changes you’re referring to, but if it’s about changes in technology related to instruments, then I think we do respond to that, even if it's not intentional. For example, starting to use computers in our live performances is one of those responses. But I don’t think all musicians need to follow that path.
OL: For the new album, 3+5, what do you want people to go away thinking and feeling after they have heard it? Everyone wants their art to have an effect, but can you predict what that is?
Yako: I don't have a particular message with our music. I just hope listeners can enjoy it in their own unique way. We tried to fill the album with elements that we personally find fun, and I hope others will find it enjoyable as well. Above all, I want people to have a good time listening to our music.
Agata: When we create our work, we only think about ourselves, without considering much beyond that. While making the songs, we might think, "It would be interesting to do this here," or "This effect is fun, so let's try using it here." So, honestly, I can't say much about the meaning of our work, and forcing an explanation might interfere with the listeners' freedom to interpret it. Therefore, it would make me happiest if people who listen to "3 + 5" enjoy it and experience some emotional change or inspiration.
OL: You probably get everyone asking what the album title means. You can tell me. I won't tell anyone, apart from Outsideleft's readers, and I know they can keep a secret.
Yako: This is similar to the previous question. I probably won’t reveal any so-called correct meaning, and I enjoy letting people think about it in various ways.
Agata: Yako came up with the title "3 + 5", but she hasn’t told me its meaning. She only said she named it that because it’s our 8th album. I’ve thought a lot about it, and it’s actually quite fun to come up with different ideas about it.
OL: Finally, you get asked a lot of stupid questions by people like me. If you were interviewing yourself, what is the question you've always wanted someone like me to ask, but they never have, and what would be your answer?
Yako: An Arab billionaire offers you a job to compose and perform music exclusively for him. The condition is to live on-site for 10 years with a salary of $10 million. Would you accept the offer?
Agata: While it’s not a question we’ve specifically wanted to be asked, we did discuss it with a friend of ours before. Our answer is no. If it were $1 million for 1 year, we might consider it.
As neither I, nor any OL reader, has $1 million spare to hire them for a year, the cheaper option is to catch them at any of the 25 UK dates in the link below during August and September. Better strap on your crash helmet though. Its going to be a bumpy ride!
Melt-Banana's extensive UK tour features a stop at Birmingham's esteemed Supersonic Festival on August 30th, tickets are available here.
MELT BANANA UK TOUR DATES 2024
Essential Information:
‘3+5’ is released on August 23 on vinyl, CD, digital download and via streaming/download platforms on their own A-Zap label
