Seeing a performance by Ziyoou-vachi (Queen Bee) is to see a performance in every sense of the word. The four-piece formed in Kobe in 2009 and played a high-energy theatrical set at last year's Fuji Rock Festival. Building on that success, the band released debut album "Majo Gari" ("Witch Hunt") on their own label, Ziyoou Records. Having now been picked up by Sony Music, they've planned an assault on the charts with a followup album, due this autumn.

Ziyoou-vachi's sound is a pastiche of influences — much is in the vein of the swashbuckling rock swagger of their song "Matsuonna" ("Waiting Woman"). Singer Avu-chan's voice makes full use of the blurred line between male and female; her guttural growls often leaping to falsetto highs.

The Japan Times spoke to Avu-chan about the band's upcoming gigs and tried to find out what puts the sting in her tail.