2023 is the dawn of a new era for Brisbane hardcore quartet Shōkan. After switching up members and creating again, the four-piece are back with a new single and a stack of live shows. Their latest effort “Spineless” – out today – is a heavy hitter that demonstrates everything the band has to offer, with an accompanying video that goes just as hard.
We had a chat with the band about the new single, upcoming shows and more.
You’ve recently undergone a lineup change before the latest offering. Who is Shōkan today?
As of right now, Shōkan is Luke Hodges on vocals, John King and Jayden Thompson on guitars and James Hart on drums.
The new single Spineless is a brutal banger. How did the track come together?
The track is something I (John) have been sitting on for a few years. Out of nowhere, I wasn’t even thinking about music, but I thought of the drums in the second verse section and when I went to write it down it all just came together. So naturally and from a lyrical standpoint, it’s essentially my story through music. I was in a band a few years ago and when that band came apart, it was because of someone else’s greed and personal gain and that has never sat right with me. I felt like my chance at following my childhood dream was taken from me and that feeling and sentiment runs through this band, to the point where our name Shōkan is a loose translation to the word ‘redemption’, as that is what I felt like this band was for me: my redemption.
Having supported Uni/Vs and Synge in Feb, you’ve also got a show coming up (on release day!) with Hexis and Resin Tomb. What can we expect from the set, and do you have any more shows in the pipeline?
We offer a very consistent set as we’ve been doing Shōkan for about a year and a half now, so we bring as much energy and intensity to our live performance as possible. We also have a bunch more shows in the pipeline: May 5th with our boys in Nicolas Cage Fighter, Resin Tomb and Snake Mountain at Bad Luck Bar in Brisbane. May 13th at Greaser with ATLVS and Vilify, those bands we are super friendly with. And May 27th with Harroway, Alera, 23/19 and Native Tongue, which we are really excited about at King Lear’s Throne.
It looks like Shōkan is gearing up for a big year ahead. What are some goals you’re hoping to tick off in the near future?
Ideally, we would love to go back interstate again, but we’ll see what happens as far as that goes. In the meantime, our goal is to put out more music and build our name bigger across the country.
There are four of you, but only one can be victorious. Which characters are you each playing in a Mortal Kombat standoff?
Luke: Kitana
Jayden: Sub-Zero
John: If it’s Mortal Kombat X, my move is Ferra/Torr. But if it’s anything else, it’s Raiden.
James: I don’t know Mortal Kombat in any way.
Get your tickets to the upcoming shows HERE. Follow Shōkan on Facebook and Instagram for more.
