"What's that smell in here?" I ask The Harpy's in the dressing room of the livehouse Motion, which lies at the butt end of the sleazy Kabukicho entertainment area in Tokyo's central Shinjuku district.

"It's the smell of roses," says bassist Maki Sato, her of the raven hair that's so long it tickles her thighs.

"It's coming from her armpits," guitarist Satomi Yamazaki says, jerking her thumb toward transvestite drummer Tomo Yamaguchi, who sits between them.