International Women's Day: The greatest classic rock band you’ve probably never heard of

Show-Ya were founded in 1981, locked in their lineup in 1982, and are still touring with that lineup today (for a few years in the 1990s, they had a different lead singer). They were inspired by bands like the Beatles, Stones, Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin, whose tours of Japan in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s triggered the birth of Japanese rock music.  The big door-openers for them, however, were the Runaways, an American all-female hard rock band that never made it big in the U.S. but were received with Beatlemania-like excitement in Japan.  Show-Ya’s early work was mostly covers of the aforementioned bands as well as others including KISS and AC/DC.  In the mid-1980’s they began releasing and performing their own material, and never looked back.

 

Lineup: 

Miki Nakamura (keyboards) 9/27/1961

Miki “Sun-Go” Igarashi (guitars) 11/21/1962

Keiko Terada (vocals) 7/27/1963

Satomi Senba (bass) 8/28/1963

Miki Tsunoda (drums) 12/7/1963

 

Terada has one of the best rock voices I’ve ever heard, a sort of husky version of Pat Benatar, with hints of Tina Turner.  Sun-Go is a true guitar hero who can play heart-wrenching blues and yet go toe-to-toe with the great shredders of the 80’s and 90’s.  The fact that Show-Ya were not bigger in the U.S. is an indictment of the U.S. music establishment, which repeatedly turned down opportunities to promote them here.  Instead, we got BTO, Foreigner, Bob Seger and Kansas.  Shame on us.

 

The following are roughly chronological:

 

“Still be Hanging On” (live in L.A., 1988, their first US appearance). This was written by Rick Neilsen of Cheap Trick but never released.  He gave it to Show-Ya and they made it their own:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZyNI9TSZv8c

 

私は嵐 “Watashi Wa Arashi” (“I Am the Storm”) 2005 live concert. This was the biggest hit from their 1989 album Outerlimits.  You'll hear a strong Deep Purple vibe.  It was a daring song for the times—she is essentially daring a man to have the courage to get romantic with her.  As you watch these women rock, keep in mind that they are all in their mid-40s: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJ_5Gv3vFjQ

“Cry for Freedom” (2008) They have been sponsoring an annual rock festival (NAONのYAON) just for female rock musicians, and mentored many of the bands that are emerging now. This is from their headlining appearance at the 2008 edition.  Classic rock ballad, with an exquisite solo by Sun-Go:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pS-SdwC-bHE

 

“One Way Heart” (mid 2010’s) Straight-up rocker; Sun-Go tears it up on lead:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-KCATewd2zM

 

“Look At Me” (from their live appearance at NAONのYAON 2021) The live audience was cancelled at the last minute because of COVID, so it was live-streamed instead.  They still pull out all the stops:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUzOGHtUC0M