Kyokuto Romance World

Anli Pollicino payed their fans in beautiful Cologne last June a visit and we’re more than happy that we didn’t miss out on their amazing and mind-blowing show. During the afternoon before the concert, the five musicians from Tokyo took some time for us and answered our questions! We hope you all enjoy the interview as much as we did!^^

But first of all: a big thank you to Elina from Torpedo Productions/ B7Klan, who made this interview possible. Then, a ‘thank you’ just as big to Jacqueline, who did a great job translating and interpreting for us and of course… ありがと Anli Pollicino!

Q: Could you please introduce each other and tell us something about your band mates?

Kiyozumi: This next to me is our guitarist Yo- 1. He’s the band’s “smile prince”!

Yo- 1: On bass is Masatoshi. He’s the one who always creates an amazing atmosphere.

Masatoshi: That’s our vocalist Shindy. He’s a troublemaker representing Japan.

Shindy: That’s Takuma, out guitarist. He loves wine in his food!

Q: It’s been almost exactly two years since you played the exact same clubs here in Germany. This year, you played twice as many shows as the last time you were in Europe, how does it feel to be back?

Shindy: We love Germany, that’s why we’re really glad to be back. Plus, it makes us really happy to play a show in a venue we already know.

Everyone: We really missed Germany!

Q: In these two years, how much has your music changed?

Shindy: I think we learnt to understand our music better. Two years ago, it was much more childlike than it is nowadays.

Q: Yesterday you played a show in Hamburg and your next show is in two days in Paris at Japan Expo. Do

you have some time to do some sightseeing here in Cologne?

Masatoshi: No, unfortunately not. But two years ago, we went to see the Cologne Cathedral!

Q: Have you already tried Kölsch (beer from Cologne)?

Masatoshi (in German): ICH LIEBE ES!

Q: In May this year your released the album “Life is beautiful” with the French Label B7Klan exclusively in Europe. How did it feel when you got this offer?

Everyone: It made us very, very happy.

Q: How did you choose the album title? Is that the message of your album?

Shindy: We had a clear concept in mind: the relationship of joy and rage. Under this theme we already released a single and it’s been our long longed for dream to also publish an album with the title “Life is beautiful”.

Q: What kind of feeling do you want to evoke in the listeners of your music? Is the reaction of your fans important to you?

Yo-1: We want people who listen to our music to feel it with their whole body, not just to hear it with their ears.

Q: The art work of the “Life is beautiful” album cover is really beautiful, have you designed that yourselves? How about your stage outfits? Did you choose them yourselves?

Shindy: No, we haven’t designed that ourselves. But we have chosen our outfits together with our management. Tonight we’re going to wear completely red outfits that follow the techno style of the 70′s and 80′s.

Q: About two weeks ago you release your new album TRANCEformers which has a cover version of the Dead or Alive song “You spin me round”. Why did you choose to cover a song? How did you decide on the song?

Yo-1: We wanted to play something more danceable and this song is very easy to understand.

Shindy: All the members of Anli Pollicino are influenced by heavy rock music and we were therefore very happy to to be able to explore genres Dance and Trance, respectively. Thank you, Dead or Alive!

Q: Your promotional video to “You spin me round” is almost an exact copy of the original video, with the exception that Shindy doesn’t play the role of Pete Burns. Why did you decide to change that?

Shindy: We agreed with our management to have a child play the main part. Just making a perfectly identical copy would have been boring. (everyone laughs)

Q: You’re going to play the last 3 shows of your European Tour with the Japanese band A (エース). Do you know the guys from A (エース)?

Shindy: Yes, we know them. In fact, we’re friends. Our co-ordinator… [everyone laughs]… no, don’t write that! They’re our friends!

Q: Shindy, you once said in an interview that you probably wouldn’t be a musician if you weren’t from Tokyo. In how far differs the rock music scene in Tokyo from the rest of Japan?

Shindy: Generally speaking, I wouldn’t say that there’s much of a difference. But we’re all born in Tokyo and live there and that’s how we met. I guess it simply was fate!

Q: Yo-1, you recently wrote on your blog that you miss Japan. What about the rest, do you miss Japan as well? What is it that you miss most?

Masatoshi: Europe is amazing, we want to live in Germany!

Yo-1: I mostly miss rice and miso soup!

Q: So you like miso soup? Is it your favourite food?

Yo-1: Yes, I sure like it! My favourite food is Umeboshi (pickled plums).

Q: When you’re back in Japan, what are your plans?

Everyone: NOTHING!

Shosen Ningen: Thank you so much for taking your time!

Anli Pollicino: Thank you, too!

source : Shosen Ningen