MONO @ The Water Rats 03/12/03

Its approximately 2a.m in the morning, and Taka Akira, guitarist from Japanese instrumental band Mono and I have just been beating seven shades of crap out of each other. Fortunately, we were playing the Japanese version of Soul Calibur 2 on the house Xbox, so despite our punch up, we are on good terms, and so I suggest an interview. He happily agrees to put down the controller and have a chat.

Mono, based in Japan, but signed to New York Label Arena Rock Recording Company, were in town for a couple of days. The last time the band were over was for our 'Plumfest' event in the summer, a debut UK gig in which the band exploded onto the stage at the Betsey Trotwood, earning a five star review rating in Kerrang! in the process. Naturally we asked them to come and stay with us and do another show, this time an opener at the Water Rats. It was a last minute addition to the tour, and a welcome chance to see the band again.

Following a gig that somehow managed to contrast a breathtaking subtlety with a spectacular level of volume, we are back at the flat above the Betsey Trotwood now, where our favourite bands from around the world (Mink Lungs, Vic Thrill, Laptop and the Robocop Kraus to name a few) stay when they are in town. Having bands stay over is a great chance to know them on a more personal level, and these late night interviews usually reveal a little more than the average voxpop. You can never be sure of the direction they will take, especially with a considerable language barrier for us both to overcome, so I decided to begin with a relatively easy opener, enquiring about the band's influences.

"Sonic Youth and Beethoven" came back the reply, and though he's perfectly friendly, this is a parry, almost a continuation of our earlier console combat, and clearly a response he has given many times to a question he's becoming tired of. He's chosen this answer to reflect a wide range of influences in a short space of time, so, taking his first answer as a sign of this, a little more digging reveals he's also a big fan of Ennio Morricone. "Its very difficult for us to write a three minute song." He explains. "We think of our songs like stories, and though some stories are short, most of them take longer to tell. In a sense its like writing a soundtrack, because you need the music to contain and reflect the story behind it."

So, where do these stories come from?

"At first, I would write from personal experience - girlfriends, friends, my own life. This is where the ideas first came from, but more recently I've found you can be inspired by almost anything, it doesn't have to come from within. I don't always have a clear idea myself of the thoughts behind it, often it takes shape once the band gets together and we explore ideas collectively. In fact, I would even go further than that and say that one of our biggest influences is the audience. When we play live, we respond to them. Each gig is different depending on the audience, the venue, the country. Whenever we play, we put our hearts into it, and hopefully that means we're sharing something with people, something that they can take part in as well"

- Does this mean you lose yourself, your identity to a collective experience?

"Well, basically, there's always an individual spirit, and individual emotion in there, but its a connection, a shared experience. We're an instrumental band, and I think thats why audiences often find our shows so emotional. When you take away the lyric, you take away a layer of meaning, which gives people more room to explore it for themselves. This is also the reason why we like to play with very low lighting, we're trying to give people as much room as possible for their own imaginations to explore the music."

- Is this experience different when comparing Western and Japanese audiences?

"Its true that in Japan, the idea of the individual and where they belong is a strong one, but I think that applies to westerners as well - the need to belong is a human one. Our music is open to interpretation, but I think its not so much a case of seeing cultural differences in how people interpret the music, more of the way they express themselves during the shows. Japanese people are generally shy - they don't move around so much. The audience's appreciation is far clearer when we play in Europe or America, but from the emails that people send me after we play in Japan, I know that they are into it just as much, but being Japanese they don't express it as physically at the show itself. Just because you don't express an emotion, it doesn't mean you're not feeling it however."

Does that mean there's an escapism element to the appreciation of your shows?

"Hopefully! The fact that we don't have lyrics certainly helps with this as well. Its an expression of emotion, which is a kind of escape in itself – within any relationship there's a point where emotion goes beyond words - you can be so in love with someone, or so unhappy about a situation, or incredibly angry, and those emotions exist without the need for language, they're almost beyond language. That's something we aspire to with our music, and hopefully we achieve it sometimes."

- So human relationships are your main inspiration?

"Absolutely. It’s about the relationships we've had in the past, and the ones we have now - with ourselves as individuals, with the audience, and with each other."

- Do you have a good relationship with each other?

"We're like family, brothers and sisters. We're all equals, we support each other, and of course we have a lot of shared experience. All of this is important when we write or perform."

- Do you think it makes a difference that one of you (Tamaki, bass / guitar) is female?

"Only in the sense that she brings her own experience and personality to what we do collectively. As a woman she will have a different perspective on some things, so that is bound to be evident in her contribution to the music - I wouldn't want to generalise too much, but I think that she definitely brings something that is less harsh, more subtle to our sound. But you could apply a similar argument to anyone in the band - what it really comes down to is the individual and the life they've had. We're all equal, but no two relationships are ever the same, so hopefully everyone brings something unique, and that’s what defines the music we make."

- There's quite a dark side to the music though - if human relationships are your main inspiration, it seems you concentrate on the darker side of them.

"Its true, but we're a very happy band! So many people have helped us since we started, its given us so much faith in people, and things are going well for us. There's a strong bond between us as well, so we don't have anything to be down about. But in terms of exploring relationships and emotions, I guess we find the darker ones easier to explore. But I also think that you can't have one without the other. When you think about a tragic event, for example September 11th, the horror of it is very clear and obvious. At the same time, its something that brings people together. You can't ignore the shock, the chaos and tragedy, but events like this make people look at the relationships they are in with their families, their partners and their friends, and appreciate them more. Even the darkest emotional experiences can have an aspect of light to them."

It’s certainly true that your music is full of contrast - there's a wide range of volume and tempo.

"Yes, definitely. These contrasts are what it’s all about. If you're setting out to explore human emotions and relationships, you've got to have a wide range, and I think you need the contrast between slow and fast, quiet and loud, light and shadow in order for people to appreciate that."

No question about that. Many reviewers focus on the sheer volume of the Mono experience. Their volume is a vital part of their show, but the reason it stands out is because they constantly provide you with a reference point to compare it to. There is a deftness of touch here - delicate melody and careful, considered musicianship run through the white noise that erupts from their amplifiers like the proverbial silver lining that Taka alludes to when talking about the darker side of human experience. Understanding this is the key to appreciating the music they make, and, as Taka points out when talking about the live shows, its something they hope the audience contributes to as well. They'll be back in the UK in the New Year - Join them if you can.

by Allan North