INTERVIEW: Helsinki Lambda Club to touch down in the UK for ‘HLC AIRLINES’ tour

Tokyo’s indie-rock trio, Helsinki Lambda Club, fresh from their recent showcase at SXSW and with their debut UK tour just around the corner, along with a recent collaboration with Brummy dream pop darlings Swim Deep, are making significant strides onto the international stage.

Formed in 2013 in Tokyo, Japan, the band, led by vocalist Kaoru Hashimoto, alongside Taiki Kumagai on guitar and Kodai Inaba on bass, Helsinki Lambda Club’s musical roots span from 70s rock to modern indie-pop, resulting in a sound that captures the essence of garage punk, new wave, and psychedelic vibes.

Their 2023 album, ‘Welcome to Helsinki Lambda Club’, is a kaleidoscope of genres, blending indie rock, psychedelic, and city pop elements. Each track delivers surprises and hidden depths, inviting listeners to immerse themselves in the band’s eclectic universe.

In this exclusive interview, we catch up with frontman Kaoru Hashimoto to delve into origins, influences, and the impact of their experiences in the UK on their music, all in anticipation of their ‘HLC AIRLINES’ UK tour.

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Let’s get the elephant in the room out of the way first. The name Helsinki Lambda Club is interesting to say the least. Is there a story behind how you chose this name, and what significance does it hold for the band?

Although our band name is quite unique, actually there’s no specific meaning to it. We just wanted to name our band “xxxxClub” such like Teenage Fanclub and Bombay Bicycle Club. We had a concept of playing borderless/crossover music from the beginning. So, we wanted to have a name with a sense of fusion or a feeling of being in imaginary club. We came up with the band name after several wordplays.

Your UK tour, ‘HLC AIRLINES’, commences on May 14th. What inspired the theme behind this tour?

Touring overseas especially in Western countries has been one of our dreams since we started the band. We’ve had live shows outside of Japan many times so far, but actually this is our first ever proper overseas tour. With a hope that we will be able to go on overseas tour by flying across the seas over and over again in the future, we titled the tour “HLC AIRLINES”.

You’ve mentioned that the UK holds a special place in your hearts, especially since Kaoru and Taiki studied here. Did your experiences in the UK influence your music and the concept of Helsinki Lambda Club?

I’m a big fan of UK rock. It sounds really good in Japan. But when I actually listened to it in the place where it was born, I felt like I understood feelings/atmospheres that were contained in the songs. That experience made me decide to have feelings/atmospheres that can only be made in Japan in our songs and create music that mixes the various music from Western countries that I love and got inspired to start my own band in pure balance.

Listening to your latest album ‘Welcome to Helsinki Lambda Club’, it’s evident that you draw from a diverse range of musical influences. One second, you’ll be listening to a chill psychedelic laced indie rock track, the next you’re dropped into classic rock guitar riffs, à la Led Zeppelin and T.Rex. How do you manage to blend these various genres while still maintaining a cohesive sound that feels uniquely yours?

Thank you. Honesty, I don’t even know what it is and don’t think I’ve got any theory in terms of making music. But, as long as I enjoy creating songs with freewheeling thinking, it naturally ends up our own music. Recently I come to think that I’ve got a talent for combining different things to create something interesting, rather than making music.

Is your exploration of different sounds and genres a planned-out process, or do you tend to go with the flow?

It’s basically the result of going with the flow. But sometimes an idea comes first. For example, I come up with an idea that mixing Korean Ponchuck, Japanese and psychedelic music, and then start digging deep into the music and learning the history.

Your music often explores themes of identity, alienation, and rebellion against societal norms. How do these themes reflect your personal experiences and perspectives, and what message do you hope listeners take away from your music regarding these themes?

Since I was a child, I’ve got questions on every aspect of the world. So creating music is like giving expression to what I think in daily life. The message in my music is like presenting to fans that there’re various ways of thinking and diverse perspectives, rather than standing against something. I know what I sing about is not always right. You can’t judge everything right or wrong. I would be happy if the fans could have an opportunity to find an importance of having various points of view and seeing things from different angles. Of course, I’d be happy if they just enjoy our music.

Your hit single ‘Good News Is Bad News’ received a slowcore remix by Swim Deep. How did this collaboration come about, and how do you feel about Swim Deep’s interpretation of your song?

I’ve been a big fan of them since their debut. When we come to an idea of this remix project, they were the first band to come to mind. The guy who helps us to go on the UK tour knew their manager and we sent the band an offer though them. I’m super happy that they’ve done a remix for us. In terms of their arrangement on the song, I think they focused on the feelings of sadness and affection in the song and re-built it in their own way. When you remix someone’s song, using guitar riffs of original song is quite common way to do it, but Swim Deep didn’t do it. It was really a good surprise for me.

RELATED: Helsinki Lambda Club hit single receives Swim Deep remix ahead of UK tour

How important do you think remixes are in showcasing different interpretations of your music, and are there any other artists you’d love to see remix your songs in the future?

As a music fan, I do love remix works. It’s so exciting to see my songs being re-created by the artists who I admire. It reminds me once again how free and multifaceted music is. It would be fantastic if more artists from all over the world could remix our songs.

With your UK tour spanning London, Birmingham, and The Great Escape Festival in Brighton, what are you most looking forward to about performing in these different cities?

We are quite looking forward to seeing how our music will be accepted. It would be great if we could dance together at the shows.

SXSW 2024 marked your first performance in the U.S. How was that experience for you?

The shows in US were pretty good and we had a blast. It gave me a lot of confidence toward the UK tour.

Looking ahead, what can fans expect from Helsinki Lambda Club in the near future? Are there any new projects or collaborations coming up?

I think we will do conceptual live shows and collaborate with both domestic and international artists in the future. We’ve got really fun ideas. Of course, we’d like to play and tour overseas more. We’ll able to do it once we’ve got well-known outside of Japan and the world becomes more peaceful. So I want the fans to look forward to it.

Before we see you performing on our shores for the very first time, do you have anything you want to say to the HLC fans in the UK?

Not only music, I love all the UK culture. I hope that the people in UK will enjoy our music which is filled with everything I really love. Let’s dance together!

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Helsinki Lambda Club ‘HLC AIRLINES’ UK Tour 2024

14th May (Tue) – London, Hope & Anchor
16th May (Thu) – Birmingham, The Dark Horse
17th May (Fri) – Brighton, Waterbear, The Great Escape (14:30 – 15:00)
18th May (Sat) – Brighton, Jubilee Square, The Great Escape (17:15 – 17:45)

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