The Watanabes are a
1960s influenced British
indie pop
Indie pop (also typeset as indie-pop or indiepop) is a music genre and subculture that combines guitar pop with DIY ethic in opposition to the style and tone of mainstream pop music. It originated from British post-punk in the late 1970s and su ...
rock band based in
Tokyo
Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...
whose lyrics are often inspired by life in Japan.
Musical style
The band's jangly alt pop sound has drawn comparisons to melody driven indie acts such as
Belle and Sebastian,
Teenage Fan Club,
Crowded House and 1980's
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...
band
The Pale Fountains
The Pale Fountains were an English band formed in Liverpool in 1980, and composed of Mick Head (vocalist/guitarist), Chris McCaffery (bassist), Thomas Whelan (drummer), trumpet player Andy Diagram (horns) and Ken Moss (Guitar/Bass). Diagram w ...
, while their lyrics often touch upon their experiences in Japan.
''
Time Out'' have portrayed them as "Tokyo's answer to
The Smiths
The Smiths were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1982. They comprised the singer Morrissey, the guitarist Johnny Marr, the bassist Andy Rourke and the drummer Mike Joyce. They are regarded as one of the most important acts to eme ...
"
although their soft acoustic melodies and retro sound make an easier comparison to musical acts from the 1960s such as
Simon and Garfunkel
Simon & Garfunkel were an American folk rock duo consisting of the singer-songwriter Paul Simon and the singer Art Garfunkel. They were one of the best-selling music groups of the 1960s, and their biggest hits—including the electric remix of " ...
,
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developmen ...
,
or
The Kooks
The Kooks () are an English pop-rock band formed in 2004 in Brighton. The band consists of Luke Pritchard (vocals/rhythm guitar), Hugh Harris (lead guitar/synthesizer/bass) and Alexis Nunez (drums).
Their music is primarily influenced by th ...
.
Members
The band are fronted by British brothers Duncan and Selwyn Walsh on vocals and guitar.
The Walsh brothers come from the small village of
Swanton Novers in
Norfolk
Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...
.
New Zealander Ashley Davies and Belgian Flavio Jerome were also founding members and co-songwriters but have since left the group. Since their formation in 2005, a number of other musicians have made contributions to the band including Ayumi Sato on bass, Tomoyuki Yamada on drums, and Lensei Nishizawa on piano.
History
Formation
The Watanabes formed during the summer of 2005 in the rural prefecture of
Ehime
is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Shikoku. Ehime Prefecture has a population of 1,342,011 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 5,676 km2 (2,191 sq mi). Ehime Prefecture borders Kagawa Prefecture to the northeast, Tok ...
in Japan,
where Duncan Walsh and Ashley Davies were working as
ALTs on the
JET programme
The , or , is a Japanese government initiative that brings college (university) graduates—mostly native speakers of English—to Japan as Assistant Language Teachers (ALTs) and Sports Education Advisors (SEAs) in Japanese kindergartens, element ...
.
Watanabe
Watanabe ( and other variantsSee #Miscellaneous) is a Japanese surname derived from the noble and samurai Watanabe clan, a branch of the Minamoto clan, descending from the Emperor Saga (786-842), the 52nd Emperor of Japan, and refers to a loca ...
is a common surname in this region of Japan, and the group used the name in order to ingratiate themselves with the locals, whilst also alluding to British band
The Smiths
The Smiths were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1982. They comprised the singer Morrissey, the guitarist Johnny Marr, the bassist Andy Rourke and the drummer Mike Joyce. They are regarded as one of the most important acts to eme ...
.
It was initially inspired however by Toru Watanabe, the slightly troubled and over nostalgic protagonist in
Haruki Murakami
is a Japanese writer. His novels, essays, and short stories have been bestsellers in Japan and internationally, with his work translated into 50 languages and having sold millions of copies outside Japan. He has received numerous awards for his ...
's novel,
Norwegian Wood.
In April 2007 they sent off their first demo to the
Fuji Rock Festival
is an annual rock festival held in Naeba Ski Resort, in Niigata Prefecture, Japan. The three-day event, organized by Smash Japan, features more than 200 Japanese and international musicians, making it the largest outdoor music event in Japa ...
, and were selected alongside bands such as
The Bawdies and
Avengers in Sci-Fi
is a Japanese rock band, signed to Victor Entertainment. Their multi-genre sound has been described as such things as "a spaceship of rock" and "spacey dance rock."
Biography
The band members were all classmates at a high school in Kanagawa. ...
in the top 50 nominees for the Rookie a go stage. In August of the same year they moved to
Tokyo
Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...
where they began work on their debut album
''Independent Social Power'' Recorded a
KRH Studiosref name="KRH Studios"> in
Harajuku
is a district in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan. Harajuku is the common name given to a geographic area spreading from Harajuku Station to Omotesando, corresponding on official maps of Shibuya ward as Jingūmae 1 chōme to 4 chōme. In popular refere ...
, the album was independently released in association with
Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
based record labe
BabyBoom Records
Tokyo Years
![The Watanabes performing at The Great British Weekend in Tokyo](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/56/The_Watanabes_performing_at_The_Great_British_Weekend_in_Tokyo.jpg)
After releasing their debut album, the band hijacked their way on to Japanese national TV channel
Nihon TV
JOAX-DTV (channel 4), branded as , is the flagship station of the Nippon News Network and the Nippon Television Network System, owned-and-operated by the which is a subsidiary of the certified broadcasting holding company , itself a listed su ...
before featuring in several of Japan's English speaking publications includin
The Japan TimesMetropolis Japanzine
''Japanzine'' is a Japan-based English-language magazine, published by Carter Witt Media. Now 20 years in publication, it is the successor magazine to ''The Alien'' and caters largely to the expatriate community in Japan. Each edition of the maga ...
,
Tokyo Weekender
''Tokyo Weekender'' magazine is the oldest English publication in Japan.
Founded in 1970 by Corky Alexander and Susan Scully, ''Tokyo Weekender'' was first published bi-monthly. Now ''Tokyo Weekender'' is published monthly and is distributed in ...
,
an
Time Out This publicity brought them to the attention of Glaswegian music producer Dave Naughton,
who had just moved to Japan to become a producer in his own right after working alongside
Steve Power in London
and
Tony Doogan
Tony Doogan is a Scottish record producer who runs Castle of Doom Studios in Glasgow. He is perhaps best known for his work with Mogwai and Belle & Sebastian. He has also worked with numerous other artists, including Teenage Fanclub, the Delgados, ...
in Glasgow with bands such as
Belle and Sebastian and
Teenage Fan Club.
They began work together on The Watanabes' second album
''You're Dancing I'm Absorbed'' which was released in February 2011.
It included guest appearances from American singer songwriter
Kate Sikora and British multi-instrumentalist
Nick Duffy
Nicholas John Duffy (born on 24 June 1956) is an English musician, artist, illustrator, and filmmaker.
Nick is the elder brother of singer/songwriter Stephen Duffy. They are both co-founders of the folk-pop group The Lilac Time. Nick is a ...
of
The Lilac Time.
In December 2011 two tracks from the album, ''True Romantics'' and ''Concerned With You'', were used in a TV advertising campaign for
Triumph Motorcycles. An instrumental version of ''True Romantics'' was also adopted by
Western Union
The Western Union Company is an American multinational financial services company, headquartered in Denver, Colorado.
Founded in 1851 as the New York and Mississippi Valley Printing Telegraph Company in Rochester, New York, the company cha ...
as a theme tune to advertise their services.
In September 2010, another track from the album, acoustic green lullaby “Whales Can Sing” was championed by
Ric O'Barry
Richard "Ric" O'Barry (born Richard Barry O'Feldman; October 14, 1939) is an American animal rights activist and former animal trainer who was first recognized in the 1960s for capturing and training the five dolphins that were used in the TV se ...
, star of the
Academy Award
The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
winning documentary
''The Cove'', as well as race car driver and environmental activist
Leilani Munter
Leilani Maaja Münter (born February 18, 1974) is an American former professional stock car racing driver and environmental activist. She last competed in the ARCA Menards Series, and previously drove in the Firestone Indy Lights, the developme ...
. On August 29, 2013, The Watanabes performed live in
Tokyo
Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...
with former
Guns N' Roses drummer
Matt Sorum
Matthew William Sorum (born November 19, 1960) is an American drummer. He is best known as both a former member of the hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he recorded three studio albums, and as a member of the supergroup Velvet Revolver. ...
at an event organized by
Ric O'Barry
Richard "Ric" O'Barry (born Richard Barry O'Feldman; October 14, 1939) is an American animal rights activist and former animal trainer who was first recognized in the 1960s for capturing and training the five dolphins that were used in the TV se ...
's Dolphin Project. Other foreign artists to have shared the stage with The Watanabes while touring Japan include Stu Larsen,
Die! Die! Die!
Die! Die! Die! (sometimes styled Die!Die!Die!) is a three-piece New Zealand noise pop/punk/post-punk band. Formed in late 2003, they have released seven albums, all backed with extensive international touring. A number of different bassists ha ...
, Lisa Crawley
and former
Voxtrot
Voxtrot is an American indie pop band formed in Austin, Texas in 2003. Their first recordings were released in 2003, and their debut EP, '' Raised by Wolves'', was released in 2005 to critical acclaim, garnering attention from music bloggers as ...
frontman
Ramesh Srivastava
Ramesh McLean Srivastava (born June 26, 1983) is an American singer and songwriter. He is perhaps best known as the lead vocalist of the indie rock band Voxtrot, active from 2003 to 2010. After the dissolution of Voxtrot, Srivastava has also rele ...
.
The band have received praise for their fundraising efforts, particularly in aid of
Tohoku following the
Tohoku earthquake. In 2014 they released a collaborative music video with NPO Playground of Hope.
Despite performing and recording primarily in Japan, The Watanabes have featured regularly on the
BBC Introducing Seriesin the UK.
In October 2017 they performed live from Tokyo as part of BBC Introducing's 10th Anniversary celebrations.
Spoiled and Nostalgic
In the autumn of 2014 The Watanabes released a 5 track EP entitled Draw What You Like.
Three tracks from the record were adopted by
CNN International
CNN International (CNNI, simply branded on-air as CNN) is an international television channel that is owned by CNN Global. CNN International carries news-related programming worldwide; it cooperates with sister network CNN's national and inte ...
for a documentary on food in Japan. Their fourth record, a four track EP entitled Spoiled and Nostalgic, was released digitally on November 25, 2016. The title was taken from an unflattering review by
Japanzine
''Japanzine'' is a Japan-based English-language magazine, published by Carter Witt Media. Now 20 years in publication, it is the successor magazine to ''The Alien'' and caters largely to the expatriate community in Japan. Each edition of the maga ...
of their first album (Independent Social Power), which described The Watanabes as “spoiled and nostalgic in 21st century Tokyo.”
A year later, the band joined forces with Japanese indie labe
Musipl combining the two EPs to release a full 9 track album of the same name.
In September 2016,
BBC Radio Norfolk
BBC Radio Norfolk is the BBC's local radio station serving the county of Norfolk.
It broadcasts on FM, AM, DAB, digital TV and via BBC Sounds from studios at The Forum in Norwich.
According to RAJAR, the station has a weekly audience of ...
made 'Hummingbird' Track of the Week,
and soon after, another track from the album, 'Tonight', was included in
Tom Robinson
Thomas Giles Robinson (born 1 June 1950) is a British singer, bassist, radio presenter and long-time LGBT rights activist, best known for the hits "Glad to Be Gay", "2-4-6-8 Motorway", and "Don't Take No for an Answer", with his Tom Robinson ...
's BBC Mixtape, aired on
BBC Radio 6.
The album has also become a favourite of
InterFM
InterFM (JODW-FM 89.7 MHz Tokyo, 76.5 MHz Yokohama) is a Japanese commercial radio station on the FM band, transmitting in the Greater Tokyo area (including Narita International Airport), and owned and operated by . Since September 202 ...
DJ
Guy Perryman (MBE), who invited the band to perform live on his radio show,
as well as fellow
InterFM
InterFM (JODW-FM 89.7 MHz Tokyo, 76.5 MHz Yokohama) is a Japanese commercial radio station on the FM band, transmitting in the Greater Tokyo area (including Narita International Airport), and owned and operated by . Since September 202 ...
DJ and producer
Mike Rogers who likens the band to
Belle and Sebastian and included 'Over Romantic' in his top 50 songs of 2016.
Christmas Hummingbird
In early 2020
InterFM
InterFM (JODW-FM 89.7 MHz Tokyo, 76.5 MHz Yokohama) is a Japanese commercial radio station on the FM band, transmitting in the Greater Tokyo area (including Narita International Airport), and owned and operated by . Since September 202 ...
DJ
Guy Perryman (MBE) approached The Watanabes to ask whether they would be willing to rework one of their previously released tracks, 'Hummingbird'.
After becoming a fan of the track and playing the song on his Christmas radio show,
Guy sensed that with a few simple lyrical adjustments and some musical alterations, the song could be re-released as a festive single. Inspired by Guy's vision and assisted by the additional collaborative efforts of producer David Naughton and Australian composer Nicholas Buc, The Watanabes released 'Christmas Hummingbird' on November 2, 2020.
The animated music video accompanying the track was premiered by the
British Chamber of Commerce in Japan
The British Chamber of Commerce in Japan is an independent non-profit organisation that promotes trade and aims to strengthen business ties between the UK and Japan. The BCCJ, which marks its 70th anniversary in 2018, is a private membership or ...
at the 2020 British Business Awards.
Appearances in Fiction
The Watanabes' Japan influenced lyrics and reputation as local favourites with the international community in Tokyo
may explain their presence in the German rainbow romance novel ''Geborgenheit sucht Reisepartner'' by Lili B. Wilms, in which the main character Kieran, a self-proclaimed fan of the band, visits Japan to watch them perform live at a Tokyo music venue.
On the front cover of the novel, an illustrated character is also depicted wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with The Watanabes logo displaying artwork reminiscent of their second album, You're Dancing I'm Absorbed.
Releases
Independent Social Power(2009)
There Are Ghosts Around Here EP(2009)
You're Dancing I'm Absorbed(2011)
Draw What You Like EP(2014)
Spoiled and Nostalgic EP(2016)
Spoiled and Nostalgic(2017)
Christmas Hummingbird(2020)
References
External links
Official WebsiteOfficial Facebook PageBabyBoom Records Japan
{{DEFAULTSORT:Watanabes, The
Japanese indie rock groups
Musical groups from Ehime Prefecture