Haiku Hands On The Pleasure And Politics Of Having Fun

Emily Malia

Journalist based in Derby – for the time being. Interests include: anything Taylor Swift makes, Richard Curtis films and fashion that involves dressing like a witch or Alexa Chung circa 2012.

We chatted with Haiku Hands, whose new album ‘Pleasure Beast’ is an explosion of joy with a punk attitude

It seems odd that an Australian band full of such vibrancy and enthusiasm would find themselves playing in a dark basement venue on the dull and cold streets of Nottingham, but either way, I was thrilled about it. Amidst the January blues, this city could really do with a sprinkle of that Haiku Hands magic.

Upon meeting Beatrice Lewis and Mie Nakazawa – two thirds of Haiku Hands – it soon became apparent just how much of their energy they give to the stage because in between the dancing, travelling and touring, these poor women were quite frankly knackered. Missing out on an Australian summer would have a similar effect on me and so I wondered how the contrast feels to play such a vibrant album during a dreary time here in the UK. Beatrice, vocalist and producer for the band said “It felt good last night, we played a song called ‘Paradise’, which is off the album and it’s such a warm and tropical song I thought ‘it’s nice to play this in this room’ when it’s so cold outside it’s like you’re bringing that kind of feeling of paradise into the room.”

The same could be said for Nottingham’s Beta room as it filled out with a female-heavy crowd of fans who have been patiently waiting for these fiery Aussie girls to visit their neck of the woods. Having released their debut album in 2020, this is the first time they’ve been able to tour a record right away and take the music straight to the crowds and the dancefloors. The group put ‘Pleasure Beast’ out into the world in December and were able to perform it on the stages of Australian Festivals right away.

When asked how it felt the second time around, Mie said “I feel like we learned a lot from performing so much. I think we all wanted to dance more onstage, and so wrote more dance songs so that’s a nice progression, moving from a bit more stagnant music to high tempo has been fun.”

“I think it feels really good to be able to tour it straight away. I really felt the difference in my connection to the songs.” Beatrice added. “Particularly the ones that weren’t singles…it’s like, all of the album is kind of getting this lovely support and lift.” Mie agreed, with a sense of overwhelmedness from the support and I think it’s fair to say, confusion. “In Glasgow, hearing people singing the words back was amazing. It’s quite a heartwarming experience. Like, where do you guys come from? How do you know our songs? There’s so much other music out there!”

The room erupted as the group burst into dances both chaotic and synchronised, the kind you rehearse with your friends on the playground in hope of being in a girlband one day, and that’s exactly what Haiku Hands is: childlike fun brought to life. Their track ‘Squat’ is a direct attempt at getting those stiff audience members to embrace their own fun sides, as they gallop around the room, jubilantly preaching the lyrics

“Standing there, thinking what you look like,

Nobody gives a fuck what you look like.”

It gave you no other option but to dance.

It’s intriguing to know how they get themselves into that headspace before each show. “Coffee.” Mie joked. “I’d like to do more beforehand because we’re always in a rush, it can be hard to do that. Sometimes you do go on and two songs in you get like a feedback loop from the audience. But also, just like forcing myself to move my body, jumping up and down, getting the blood moving and just leaning into that.”

Watching them command the space was a breath of fresh air; their lyrics are empowering, and you can see it resonating on fans’ faces as they sing the lyrics, hand in hand with their girlfriends. The group threw streamers around the room, twisting themselves around light figures and people to then be used as party props for the rest of the set, it felt like a child’s birthday party come to life.

The track ‘Grandma’ is a personal favourite from ‘Pleasure Beast’; it lyrically combines the stresses of adulthood with satire and comedy. It’s such a fine line that Haiku Hands seem to have perfected – being able to poke fun but also be taken seriously. Talking about finding that happy medium, Beatrice told me, “I think, for me, it’s the musicality, I feel like you can say and do anything if it’s musically interesting. Like the chorus of ‘Grandma’…” She began to sing the chorus, sweetly. “I love the melody and I think you could write whatever if the melody is cool or there’s harmony with the beats, in my mind, it balances out.”

I was intrigued to know if it was important for them to talk about these political and societal issues and for Mie, it feels like her artistic duty. “I think we’re all quite passionate about social change,” she said, “and also the punk ethos of anti-establishment. We talk about it a lot so it’d be weird for us not to have it in the songs. I sometimes feel like it’s the artist’s responsibility to talk about issues that are making you feel angry or that reflect the times. It’s funny, we’ve never written a love song.”

“Well, they’ve never been released.” Beatrice added. Whilst this project is jam packed with ideas surrounding the realities of adulthood, the key theme seems to be ignoring those responsibilities and leaving them all on the dancefloor. “We were talking about how it’s kind of anti-establishment to enjoy your life and have fun. So, I think that was part of our intention with this album.”

It definitely feels like an active choice of defiance to make, with everything going on in the world, to choose to sing about it and dance, in their words it’s ‘anti-capitalist’, anti-’workaholic’ and’ anti-establishment.’

Their sophomore album is more cohesive and yet just as expansive as the last. Both in their performances and in the studio, it’s clear that for Haiku Hands, it is so much more than the music, it’s the visual elements that make what they do all-consuming and entirely unique. They all seem to be on the same page that Haiku Hands isn’t just a group, but an art collective.

Beatrice told me “We share lots of things and we’re pulling from a greater collective consciousness. And I don’t know, we just trust that if the three of us like it, other people will get joy out of it. We nearly called the album ‘Enjoy Your Life’ which has a similar sentiment to ‘Pleasure Beast’ and I think a lot of imagery kind of comes from that idea.”

And enjoy my life I will, as Haiku Hands become the latest soundtrack to my nights out, runs and everything in between as a celebration of the messiness of living. I’ve never seen anything quite like what I saw at Rock City’s basement room on Friday night and I’m not sure I ever will.

Listen to ‘Pleasure Beast’ here: