After a 20- year wait, Melbourne’s Japanese-Australian band Mach Pelican are finally releasing new music. The first is a seven-inch, “A Secret Session “, that features two songs, “Remember It“ and “Summer Sun”. They’re both fun, Ramones-y punk rock. They’re also very Mach Pelican and the kind of music that I find hard to believe anyone could dislike.
Mach Pelican have an amazing backstory: Three kids from Japan meet in Perth, start a band based on their shared love of the Ramones, go on to become one of the most beloved band bands of the 1990s and early 2000s in their adopted country and tour overseas, leaving three albums and a stack of singles in their wake before a logn lay-off.
Singer-guitarist Keisuke Nakamura spoke with me from his Melbourne home via the Zoom machine.
Mach Pelican, for the last few years have done the odd show here and there, and it’s been 20 years since the last release, so what made you want to record new material?
K Rock: We played from 1996-2007, then we broke up. Toshi (drums) moved back to Japan for a while. We did the reunion when he came back to here to live. At the same time we started to write songs and do more.
I saw you support CJ Ramone over 10 years ago…
K Rock: Oh yeah, that was one of the reunion shows.
I was going to say that was one of your first shows after Toshi returned. Is it safe to say you’re back full time, or full time as you can be?
K Rock: Yeah, but not like before, we used to do 100 shows a year. We’re quieter, but still doing a few shows. Since Toshi’s permanently here in Australia we can do more.
Promo photo from 26 years ago.
When Toshi left for Japan did you think that was the end?
K Rock: I wasn’t sure, I was always up for it and ready to get the band going again.
Did you do any shows in between?
K Rock: Not a lot, but I did write a few songs and an acoustic set myself, a few gigs at The Reverence in Footscray. Also, at the Tote.
Is that true you three met in Perth?
K-Rock: Yes, that where we all met in ‘96. We were all studying English at school. Toshi and I were in the same school, Astu was in a different school. We ended up finding each other. Toshi was already in a band. Astu (bass) was coming to Toshi’s show, that’s where we met, then we discussed forming a band. The first show we had a different line up. I was the singer. Toshi was on guitar, we had a female drummer and Astu was on bass.
So there was a four piece Mach Pelican at one point?
K Rock: (laughs) Yeah. From the second show, though, we were a three-piece.
How did you find each other? Was it your appreciation for the Ramones and rock 'n' roll that you decided to be friends?
K- Rock: The Ramones were the link. “What CD did you bring from Japan, and that?” Toshi was like: “You like the Ramones?” I’m like. “Of course”, and it started there.
Growing up in Japan, what where you listening to as a teenager?
K- Rock: We grew up in the ‘90s, so a lot of ‘90s stuff. Green Day Rancid, NO FX was some of the stuff I would listen to, and High Thunder, they were huge back then.
How did you find Melbourne? Because Japan and Perth are completely different places - like Melbourne is to Perth.
K- Rock:We played only in Perth from ‘96-98. Our first tour was booked by Wally Meanie. I think that was when we signed to Shock Records, and we were on (TV show) “Recovery“ at the same time. We didn’t know Melbourne had a lot more venues, more for the rock n roll, so we came here to do more shows pretty much. One of the places we played was the Public Bar in North Melbourne.; our next show, the releasing party will be at Last Chance, the same venue, so we return to the starting point in Melbourne.
K-Rock in the studio for the single session.
How big a thrill was it being on "Recovery"?
K- Rock: Oh that was great, when we got on TV. Lots of people that came to the shows said: ‘We saw you on ‘Recovery’, so was a good launch pad.
One of your records shows a picture of you guys with CJ Ramone in the booklet. How big a thrill was it hanging with a Ramone on tour?
K- Rock: That was great. We met CJ Ramone at the Vans Warped Tour. He was playing bass for the festival for a band, we bumped into him at the marquee, and we got talking, We said we’re playing the main stage, and he checked us out. He said we souned like Ramones and Dickies, so that was surprising, so happy to see him.
Is there a main songwriter in the band or do you share duties?
K- Rock: Toshi. He had a band before we formed, he had a few songs when we first formed. Toshi was the main songwriter. So, the drummer was songwriter for the first LP. With the new seven-inch, one of the songs is Toshi’s and side B is me, so we all write now.
You have this seven-inch coming out, is there any plans for an LP or just the single for now?
K- Rock: Just the seven-inch for now. I don’t know if we have time for an LP, maybe just release a few seven- inches… just keep releasing them. Then release all the songs as an LP
Mach Pelican appeared in the video clip for TISMs’ “Thunderbirds re Coming Out”. How did that happen?
K- Rock: Yeah (laughs). There were a few bands there. that was when we signed to Shock Records. Shock asked us to be in the video clip. We just went there and saw all the bands, like what’s going on here (laughs). I didn’t even know who TISM was at the time, we just showed up where we were told to.
On a personal note, you’re a chef?
K- Rock: I own a restaurant, in Preston. Toshi had one in the city once, a while ago, not anymore, now he’s doing the music promotion.
Do you have a big following in Japan?
K Rock: We haven’t toured there in 20 years. We used to go over every year when full time. We would play 200 capacity venues, very underground.
Aside from the new seven-inch, is there much else on?
K- Rock: Nothing much planned. We’re playing in Japan in July. Before then, a rehearsal, maybe recording some new stuff, a few local shows in Melbourne. Maybe Queensland, Sydney and Adelaide but nothing planned.
The “A Secret Session” single launch is at the Last Chance Rock n Roll Bar in Melbourne on Saturday January, 31 with Loose Lips and Elvis 2. “A Secret Session” is out via Cheersquad Records.
