There's no doubt that the best way for an independent band to tour in another country is by opening for one that people have actually heard of. So when spunky all-girl Tokyo four-piece Toquiwa befriended 1990s indie-rock heroes The Wedding Present, its members jumped at the chance to support the British band in the U.K. last year — followed by a forthcoming North American tour in March and April.
"We were playing a street performance in front of Shibuya Station, when the guy who was booking The Wedding Present's Japan tour happened to walk past and enjoyed our set," recalls guitarist Mikko. "He asked us to open for The Wedding Present on its Japan tour and also in Britain. It was like being courted!
At that time, Toquiwa was not Toquiwa. The young women played for several years under the name Pinky Piglets, which they shed at the start of 2012 because they felt it was holding them back. That's probably true, though the original moniker makes sense when you hear their impossibly cute music — a supercharged guitar-and-rhythm attack over which singer Asuja squeals helium melodies in the vein of Judy And Mary singer Yuki. If you've ever seen the movie version of "Josie & The Pussycats," you'll get the picture.