"The worst thing about our band is that if one of us says something another one doesn't agree with, she'll come right out with it, straight to the other's face. We get into fights quickly," says bass player Azu. Drummer Moe chimes in: "Yeah, we really don't put up with any nonsense. If we're hungry, we get angry. If anyone abuses us, we'll get mad." I glance down nervously at the half-eaten bento boxes on the table and hope that Tokyo band LAZYgunsBRISKY had enough time to satisfy their appetites before this interview.
We're backstage at the Loft concert venue in Tokyo's busy Shinjuku district. The band has just played a gutsy set consisting of bone-shaking rhythms, tight three-chord tunes and the husky hollering of vocalist Lucy to top it all off. The band's 1960s-inspired sound never comes across as stodgy; the four members effectively channel the vibe of that distant decade directly into their electrifying live shows. This year, they've proved themselves capable of arousing overseas interest by touring Europe and releasing their latest album, "26times," there and in the United States on Good Charamel Records.
The members came together through their high school's keion (light music) club, just like the characters from current smash-hit anime "K-On!" Unlike their vapid and cutesy cartoon counterparts, though, the members of LAZYgunsBRISKY were not a group of girls to be trifled with.