Japanese Fighting Fish
London, England, United Kingdom | Established. Jan 01, 2009 | SELF | AFTRA
Music
Press
'' Karlost lets his full vocal style loose as the Ringmaster to the show ahead sounding like the bastard son of Serj Tankian and an escaped lunatic spreading his tales to all to hear.'' Redhotvelvet.co.uk****4 stars - Redhotvelvet.co.uk
''How to describe this beast is a hard task, but if there were a witches spell then it would almost certainly contain Prog, 70s Heavy Metal and the Desert Sessions all with an underpinning of some Afro-beat styled with Cuban funk. Trying to listen to Just Before We Go MAD with any preconceptions of what it might be is only going to lead to a big disappointment, as it is like nothing I have ever heard before, it flows like a film - and you start to find that you hear things in the tracks. Hidden voices, messages from the dark side?'' Zestforlifezine.com *****5stars - Zestforlifezine.com
''Everything about Japanese Fighting Fish is fantastic. Some bands just have it all, an incredible frontman, excellent lead guitar – that doesn’t twiddle too much, but still excites at every given opportunity - and of course all this is nothing without a stunning rhythm section to hold it all together. Japanese Fighting Fish have all this and much, much more. You could pick almost any of those elements out as the stand out part – stunning riffs, ass-shaking afro-rhythms or Karlost's vocals. But they blend all of them together'' Blackpennymusic.co.uk*****5stars - Blackpennymusic.co.uk
Discography
Still working on that hot first release.
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
In 2009, the mysterious Ishii christened the Leeds-born, now London-based, alt-rock band Japanese Fighting Fish, and they continue to blast out tunes in his honour with a third LP set for release in 2015. But the Fiiish are no longer the Fiiish they once were. In 2011, debut album Just Before We Go MAD experimented with South American rhythms, fierce vocals, and grunge guitars; 2013 saw the release of second album, the punkier and louder Day Bombs (recorded in several skuzzy garages in Leeds and London and on a considerably lower budget than the Foo Fighters’ album at that time that inspired it – recorded in Dave Grohl’s garage, albeit effectively a high-end studio); and now the theatrical beast returns with third album Swimming with Piranhas scheduled for release in 2015, this time recorded at Air-Edel Studio in London, mastered by Tim Young (Massive Attack,The Clash, Sex Pistols, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Elbow, and The Beatles 'Love' Album, for which he won a Grammy Award),and injects hooks, fuzz, funk and…S P A C E...into the Fish Tank. The craziness that was there since the beginning – yes, that remains! JFF are likened to Faith No More, System of a Down, QOTSA, Nick Cave&The Bad Seeds, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Primus, and Frank Zappa.
"In short, they’re absolutely mental. And bloody brilliant"
9 out 10
Joe Henthorn
Scan LUSU,
''Verdict: A stunning blend of diverse styles and influences. While sure to win over many, seems just as certain to confound others.''
Score: 5/5
Paul Gabriel Dunn - Le Nurb
"What a voice, I Love this record"
Loz Guest - Kerrang Radio
"Its Big!"
Matt Stocks - Kerrang Radio, When asked his thoughts on Blue Eyes
'''A boiling pot of Madness and Brilliance melded together'' Beatsurrender ****4stars
'' It is almost like being at the theater in your own home, just close your eyes hear the creative lyrics and picture the show'' ****4 stars, Redhotvelvet.co.uk
'' Karlost lets his full vocal style loose as the Ringmaster to the show ahead sounding like the bastard son of Serj Tankian and an escaped lunatic spreading his tales to all to hear.'' Resdhotvelvet.co.uk****4 stars
"A highlight of my last five years''
..my tip for success!"
(Will Jackson - Producer of The Cribs, The Music and The Pigeon detectives).
Vibrations Magazine)
'' Japanese Fighting Fish have managed something that few recent acts have been able to: they’ve sort of created a whole new style'' Emily Douglas
''For those who like their rock with a different twist, keep your eyes peeled for Japanese Fighting Fish. We all know you won’t be forgetting the name in a hurry'' ****7/10Soundfreakz.com
'' Leeds four-piece alternative rock band, Japanese Fighting Fish (JFF), have burst onto the under ground rock scene with their debut album Just Before We Go Mad, which is an impressive collection of groovy rock tunes with heavy influences from US bands such as Queens of The Stone Age and System of a Down.'' Spark magazine*****5stars
''Everything about Japanese Fighting Fish is fantastic. Some bands just have it all, an incredible frontman, excellent lead guitar – that doesn’t twiddle too much, but still excites at every given opportunity - and of course all this is nothing without a stunning rhythm section to hold it all together. Japanese Fighting Fish have all this and much, much more. You could pick almost any of those elements out as the stand out part – stunning riffs, ass-shaking afro-rhythms or Karlost's vocals. But they blend all of them together'' Blackpennymusic.co.uk*****5stars
'Boasting an eclectic semi-genius, semi-ludicrous mix of metal, dance, pop, Latin/Cuban beats and more stuff that probably shouldn’t ever go together, JFF really produced something utterly unique.' Rob Samuels, Croon.co.uk
Band Members
Links
