When a band kicks off an interview with a statement like "We don't do gigs, we do performances," you could be forgiven for thinking you're in the presence of a group of uncompromising, postindustrial noise punks. However, for indie-pop group She Talks Silence, this attitude is all about intimacy.
"At a lot of live shows, it's just people getting crazy and energized just for an instant, but then they forget about it," explains singer and guitarist Minami Yamaguchi. "With us, even if the room's really quiet, we want that moment to remain with people long after they've left."
Yamaguchi started the band in 2009 as a solo project. She moved to Tokyo from Kagoshima in Kyushu at the age of 19, attracted by the city's music scene. She met drummer Ami Kawai, a former photography student, while working at the same Shinjuku clothes shop where the two bonded over their shared tastes in music and art.