Before Anli Pollicino embarked on their first European tour, JaME had the opportunity to interview the quintet, who spoke freely about the band, their music and the tour.
At first, Anli Pollicino's European tour came as a surprise to most visual kei fans because the band isn't very well known overseas. The organisers of the tour chose them from amongst numerous bands and announced them as the discovery of the year. For this reason, JaME felt that it was necessary to get to know the band and asked them some questions before the tour began.
Please introduce yourselves.
Shindy: I’m the vocalist, Shindy.
Yohichi: I’m the guitarist, Yohichi.
Kiyozumi: I’m the drummer, Kiyozumi.
Takuma: I’m the guitarist; Takuma.
Masatoshi: I’m the bassist; Masatoshi.
Can you tell us why you started the band? How did you meet each other?
Shindy: I met Kiyozumi in a live house, and we hit it off and created a band. I wasn’t satisfied with the skills of our first guitarist and bassist and considered creating another band. So, I urged Takuma to join the band and then invited Yohichi. Finally, Masatoshi, who had been playing bass at our lives as a support member, became an official member in August, and we became our present form.
Where are you from? Did that place influence your music?
All: We are all from Tokyo.
Shindy: I’m not sure whether we were influenced by the city, but we were influenced by people we met in Tokyo who loved music. By this, I mean that we might not be making music now if we hadn't been born in Tokyo.
How did you decide on the band’s name?
Shindy: Many visual kei bands have strong names including the syllables “ga” or “gu,” but I thought names that sounded rather weak were more fashionable. And I thought names with the sound “po” sound quite weak. I saw the word "Pollicino" - an Italian mafia’s name - in a magazine, and I decided to use it. However, I thought it lacked in fashion even though it sounded weak enough, and so I decided to put "Anli" in front. I think it’s good because it sounds like a fashionable Italian brand to our Japanese sense. I’m sorry it’s so vague. (laughs)
Do you have a special policy for Anli Pollicino?
Shindy: We want to pursue music that we believe in and not be influenced by trends.
Please explain what kind of music Anli Pollicino is doing for people who don’t know you yet.
Shindy: We basically do loud and emotional music, but we treasure melodies. I have never made music based on the feelings of pleasure and happiness. I’m attracted to sad and sorrowful feelings. We make music in which we mix such delicate emotions with violence.
What prompted you to start singing or play an instrument?
Shindy: My father and mother worked in the music business, and so naturally I played instruments and sang. But I didn’t think I would become a rock singer. I listened to Billy Joel and Diana Ross. (laughs)
Yohichi: I wanted to be recognized by people.
Kiyozumi: My elder brother played in a band, and when I saw their rehearsal I was very moved. I was especially attracted to the drums.
Takuma: I had an opportunity to play the guitar in my junior high school, and I have been playing it since then.
Masatoshi: I saw my friend play guitar and I started playing the guitar as well. Then, I saw another friend of mine playing the bass. I got interested in it and got to know the deepness of the bass, and I mainly play the bass now.
Is Anli Pollicino the first band for you? Or do you have experience playing in other bands?
Shindy: It's my second band.
Yohichi: My fourth band.
Kiyozumi: My third band.
Takuma: My second band.
Masatoshi: My fourth band.
Last year, you recorded your first mini album Fahrenheit 31. How was that? What did you gain from that experience?
Shindy: It was an opportunity to look back at my songs. I think my way of singing has changed a lot if I compare it before and after the recording.
Yohichi: I learned very much as I noticed that I used to be so lax about the particularity of how to make sounds, and about my guitar playing too.
Kiyozumi: It was a good opportunity to look over the identity of the band and the total ensemble again.
Takuma: Other than my guitar playing techniques, I learned more about recording techniques such as adding sounds.
Masatoshi: Before, I think I listened only to my sounds. But I learned to listen to the other members’ sounds well.
Fahrenheit 31 will be released in Europe soon. Please tell us a little about album. Does it have a concept or special theme?
Shindy: This album has a rich variety of different expressions from song to song, from hard songs to mellow melodic songs. As I said before, it’s an album showing Anli Pollicino being hard and delicate at the same time.
You are a rather new band which debuted recently, and doing an European tour already seems special. How did you get this opportunity?
Shindy: A French promoter happened to listen to our music and liked us, and they made it possible for us to do the tour. I don’t know why, but we have often been liked by the European people, even though we have just started playing in Japan.
What do you expect from your first European tour?
Shindy: It’s our first time playing overseas, so I’m looking forward to what we will feel and how we could grow through this tour.
What do you want to do, and where do you want to go on this tour?
Shindy: I want to walk along the Seine river.
Yohichi: I want to go to a hot spring.
Kiyozumi: I want to see the Arc de Triomphe.
Takuma: I want to go shopping.
Masatoshi: We said that if we went to Japan, then we want to see Tokyo Tower and Mt. Fuji. (laughs)
What kind of presents are you glad to receive from fans? What are you annoyed to receive?
Shindy: I’m glad to receive cosmetic goods. They help me. (laughs) Fan letters that are too serious would bother me?
Yohichi: I’m glad to receive cosmetic goods. Nothing especially annoys me.
Kiyozumi: I’m happy if I get cigarettes and money. (laughs) Nothing especially annoys me.
Takuma: I’m glad if I get cigarettes and fan letters.
Masatoshi: I appreciate uncured ham and Red Bull. I'm annoyed by big ornaments and toys. I can’t throw them away and they occupy space.
The magazine Rock One and Gekido Tour, a tour organizer, described Anli Pollicino as the best new band. How do you think Anli Pollicino is different from other bands? What is the speciality of Anli Pollicino?
Shindy: I think the personality of each member and the personality of the band as a whole are quite different from other visual kei bands. I gathered the members and I tried to make us different from other visual kei bands. So, we might not look visual kei at all.
Takuma: I think it’s good that the personality of each member is different.
Shindy: I gathered only strange people, so our band became strange. (laughs)
SINCREA belongs to the same label as you. Do you know them well?
All: We know them well. We appeared in the same events several times, and go for drinks together sometimes.
Who are the musicians who impressed and influenced you?
Shindy: Sebastian Bach (SKID ROW), Amy Lee (Evanescence) and Marilyn Manson.
Yohichi: Jimi Hendrix and Nuno Bettencourt (Extreme).
Kiyozumi: Mike Portnoy (DREAM THEATER) and DEAD END.
Takuma: HIDE (X JAPAN), Paul Gilbert (Mr.Big) and Yngwie Malmsteen.
Masatoshi: LED ZEPPELIN and SLIP KNOT.
Please tell us a humorous story of another member.
Shindy: I heard that Yohichi doesn’t bathe for 2-3 days after lives. When Masatoshi gets drunk, he orders people to say "do" (refers to the musical note C).
Masatoshi: When Takuma drinks alcohol, he becomes a dragon. Takuma becomes a demon, akuma. Kiyozumi makes strange noises as he hits the drums. He shouts like Maria Sharapova, the tennis player. Shindy is sensitive to the cold, and once he tried to warm his body with a hair-dryer and got burned.
Finally, please give a message to JaME readers.
Shindy: We’ll do performances and put our souls with all our might in our lives, so please come to see our lives.
JaME would like to thank Anli Pollicino for the interview.
