THE CABINETS: LOLITA PUNK BAND FROM JAPAN, SWEET LOLI MEETS HARDCORE MUSIC.

Reader Trashtastika alerted me to one of her favorite Japanese bands, The Cabinets. Four dirty punk rockers sandwiching a Sweet Lolita? I was instantly intrigued.
The story began over two decades ago; The Cabinets were an all-male hardcore unit that evolved into Beat Punk before calling it quits in 1989. Last year, the band re-united with a new musical direction (Lolita + Punk) headed by pretty vocalist Mikako. The Cabinets’ first EP, “Pierrot,” is now on sale in Japan.

I discovered an interview with the band on Ambi-Japan (the website is currently down). Here are excerpts, which I’ve translated from French.
Q: The Cabinets has been on hiatus for a long time. Why have you returned to making music?
A: We think that punk music is now a rarer genre, so we wanted to give a new life to our music.
Q: And why did you invite a girl to join you?
A: In the 80s, there was a new wave of culture; punk groups had a lot of Lolita fans, but today, they listen to Visual Kei. So we want to bring Lolitas back to Punk. Our Lolita also adds liveliness to our group.
Q: What does Mikako bring to your band?
A: Mikako is a respectful and cultured Lolita with a distinctive voice. Her presence is important for our group at the present time.
Q: You’re entering the world of Sweet Lolita; how do you mix this with your old musical style?
A: We think Lolita culture is an antithesis to popular culture. In this way, it’s a lot like Punk culture.
Q: Are many of your fan-girls Lolitas?
A: Yes. The number of our Lolita fans, both in Japan and worldwide, grows every day.
Q: What are your plans for the future?
A: We always want to put 1980s Punk and Lolita style at the forefront.
Q: Do you want to tour around the world?
A: Yes, we’d love to travel worldwide and play at outdoor festivals.
Q: A word for your fans?
A: We love you all! Thank you for supporting us!
Song of the Day #16: The Cabinets – Pierrot
This entry was posted on Saturday, December 27th, 2008 at 4:49 pm and is filed under Tokyo Gothic Lolita, Visual Kei + Music. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.






















