The all- female band Shonen Knife (少年ナイフ, Shōnen Naifu; lit. boy knife) is a Japanese alternative rock trio that has found some success in the United States, counting among their fans Sonic Youth, Nirvana, and Redd Kross. They cite as their main influences 1960s girl groups and punk rock.
Shonen Knife formed in December 1981 with sisters Naoko Yamano (vocals and guitar) and Atsuko Yamano ( drums) and their friend Michie Nakatani ( vocals and bass). Michie Nakatani left the band in December 1999, with Atsuko Yamano performing bass. Mana Nishiura joined to take over on drums. Nishiura played her first live show with the band in May 2001; she left in 2004. She was killed in a New Jersey highway accident November 4, 2005 while touring the U.S. with DMBQ.
Many alternative rock groups have cited Shonen Knife as a favorite of theirs, and the resulting word-of-mouth gained significant exposure for the band. In 1989, Gasatanka Records released a double-album tribute entitled Every Band Has a Shonen Knife Who Loves Them, which features renditions of the group's songs by a number of contributing bands, including Redd Kross, Sonic Youth, L7 and Babes in Toyland (the latter band on non-CD formats only). The tribute album's success led to Shonen Knife's first American tour in 1990, and group later signed with Virgin Records in 1992.
