Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on November 2010
Though they’re serious contenders to the crown for Tokyo’s best-coiffed band, the members of Uplift Spice don’t waste time posing. During a typical concert at Shibuya live house Eggman, they throw themselves physically into the music, ricocheting around the stage in a blur of energy and driving punk rhythms.
After the gig, diminutive vocalist Chiori (above, center left) tucks into a hearty plate of fries while willowy guitarist Yuki (above left) flops down beside her, exhausted. The pair form the nucleus of Uplift Spice, and it only takes a few minutes in their company to realize that the creative tension between their personalities is what makes the band stand out.
Chiori and Yuki both originally hail from Kyoto and first got acquainted back in high school, but it took a while for their friendship to blossom. “He was shy and couldn’t look at people when he talked,” she says. “When he talked to me, he looked at the floor—I didn’t know what he was thinking. But when we talked about music, suddenly things became easier and we got along.”
“We went to karaoke with a group of friends and when I heard her singing, I thought, ‘This is amazing—so powerful,’” Yuki recalls. “It was about that time that I thought we might be able to do something together.”
On stage, Chiori’s voice is indeed impressive: high-pitched, it quivers with emotion and packs a serious punch. “I didn’t train,” she says. “In Japan, there are people who sound really professional when you hear them. They sound good, but…”
“There’s no soul,” Yuki interjects.
Chiori drew inspiration instead from watching old videos of Janis Joplin. “Joplin had that [soul],” she says. “I’ve only seen her on tape, but no matter how many times I see it, even though it’s only a video, that [soul] is communicated to me. I really wanted to become that kind of singer.”
The pair relocated to Tokyo about eight years ago and began looking for members to form a band. It was a tough time, supporting themselves with part-time jobs but refusing to compromise with unsuitable musicians. “I kinda wanted to go home because my friends weren’t here,” Chiori recalls. “But if I’d returned after making all that effort to come to Tokyo, it would have been a waste.”
Uplift Spice finally came into being in 2005, with the recruitment of bassist Atsushi and drummer Tobita. “All four members have different backgrounds and listen to completely different kinds of music,” says Chiori. “But when we tried playing together, we found we could create something new.”
Yuki writes the music himself and arranges it with the other two members, then passes it on to Chiori to devise lyrics. Asked about the words to “Omega Rhythm,” one of the band’s strongest tracks to date, she has plenty to say on the subject.
“It’s a very rhythmic track, but there’s also a really angry feeling to it: like it’s the middle of the night and things aren’t going well, when you’re really sad, when you feel really low. You hit rock bottom—you’re in despair.”
It turns out that the song is also about feeling powerless to make any positive changes in the world. “‘Omega Rhythm’ is partly about politics,” Chiori continues. “Modern politics is only about normal people voting—there’s nothing else we can do. That’s not just Japan. There are wars and people get killed, but there’s nothing I can do. I think there’re lots of people who feel the same way, so I wrote some lyrics about it.”
The band are currently in the middle of a punishing nationwide tour to promote their third full-length album, the recently released Memento, which was conceived as a sort of tribute to their iron-lunged vocalist. “Because [Chiori] is so powerful, we wanted to make an album that was like a direct attack—that had strong songs,” says Yuki. “Our sound is now much more aggressive: it sticks you right in your heart.”
Uplift Spice
Japanese emo band tour their new album. Dec 18, 6:30pm, ¥2,300 (adv)/¥2,800 (door). Shibuya O-Crest. Tel: 03-3770-1095.
