Hyper Kinako

Hyper Kinako were a quirky Anglo-Japanese art-punk band based in Norwich, active from 2001 to 2004. After initially meeting at an organ music concert in a church, Toko (vocals, penyoliser), Shigeto Wada (electronics), Phil Archer (guitar), Lisa Horton (bass) and Greg MacDermott (drums, melodica) quickly decided to form “the most fun band to be in.” Lisa and Greg also played with fellow Norwich outfits Bearsuit and Fiel Garvie, respectively.

After strong early support from John Peel, ‘Tokyo Invention Registration Office’ was released as part of a five-band EP on GoJonnyGoGoGoGo Records and reached #44 in the 2003 Festive Fifty. The band’s only single, 'Don't Delete My Frog' / '2 Tadgers', appeared the following year on the Purr label. Perhaps surprisingly, it was made single of the week by heavy metal magazine Kerrang, which wrote:

"'Over these two brain-bursting chunks of inspirational madness, cutsey Japanese electro-pop, gnarly art-core insanity and lyrics of incomparable foolishness collide with thoroughly scintillating results. If Melt Banana strike you as a bit too sensible, Hyper Kinako are the band you've been waiting for. And yes, track two is called 'Two Tadgers'. Absolute fucking genius.'"

Plans for an album were put to one side, seemingly permanently, after Toko became pregnant and Shigeto moved to Dublin.

Links to Peel
Peel first heard Hyper Kinako on a mini-CD demo that was sent to him with a Christmas card from Bearsuit at the end of 2002. “I have to say they don’t sound terribly Norwich,” he commented after playing a first track from it, on 14 January 2003. A session was quickly booked, however, and that summer he would describe this as “one of the highlights of the year so far.”



After several plays by Peel, listeners voted ‘Tokyo Invention Registration Office’ into the 2003 Festive Fifty. The DJ commented:

"“This is the time of year, of course, as you may have spotted, when all of the posh newspapers, and indeed everybody, prints their own charts and lists of the crucial records of the year, and that, shockingly, wasn’t in any of them – and it should have been, I think.”"

On 31 March 2004, the band contacted Peel during the show to thank him for playing ‘Don't Delete My Frog’ and appeared bemused that it had been made single of the week by Kerrang: "We don't know why. It might be an April Fool's joke." They also confirmed that they hoped to do an album, although this was not to be.

Festive Fifty Entries

 * 2003 Festive Fifty: Tokyo Invention Registration Office FF#44

Sessions

 * One session only. No known commercial release.

1. Recorded 2003-02-20. First broadcast 12 March 2003. Repeated 10 July 2003.
 * Fucksake Sujiko / Bika Lika / Two Tadgers / Popping Step / Don't Delete My Frog

Other Shows Played

 * 2003
 * 14 January 2003: Car & Kettle (demo CD) Bearsuit
 * 22 January 2003: Tokyo Invention Registration Office (demo) white label
 * 25 February 2003: Tokyo Invention Registration Office (white label)
 * 18 June 2003: Tokyo Invention Registration Office (CD single) white label
 * 24 December 2003: Tokyo Invention Registration Office FF#44


 * 2004
 * 25 March 2004: Don't Delete My Frog (CD Single) Purr
 * 31 March 2004: Don't Delete My Frog (CD Single) Purr
 * 06 April 2004: Two Tadgers (CD Single) Purr
 * 28 July 2004: Bika Lika (LP - We're from Norwich No. 1) HowlbackHum