Buck-Tick

Patriarchs of visual kei, Buck-Tick may not get as much international recognition as their counterparts X-Japan do, but they certainly have done no less for the development of the style, and have achieved stardom in their native country in the process. A versatile band, Buck-Tick moved from optimistic pop-punk and new wave to goth music and hard rock, dabbled in electronica, and returned to rock again, with bandmembers collaborating with musicians from Cocteau Twins, KMFDM, Clan of Xymox, and Spread Beaver along the way (though usually outside of their main jobs). The group, initially named Hinan Go-Go, was started in the town of Fujioka in 1984 by Imai Hisashi, who couldn't even play any instruments at the time, and Higuchi Yutaka, who played bass. Imai chose the guitar, and the two completed the lineup with their high-school friends Hidehiko Hoshino (guitars), Sakurai Atsushi (drums), and Araki (vocals). At this stage, the bandmembers limited themselves to covers, mostly of the radical Japanese hardcore band the Stalin, and already began working on their attire and makeup. Within the same year, the group changed its name to Buck-Tick (derived from the Japanese word for "firecracker"), moved to Tokyo, and began writing original songs. Sakurai followed a bit later than everyone else, but he brought with him his older brother Yagami Toll, fresh out of his own disbanded act, SP. Yagami filled in as the drummer, and Sakurai took over as the vocalist, Araki getting the boot because of his lack of skill. Since then, Buck-Tick's lineup hasn't changed. Buck-Tick began playing Tokyo clubs, still taking great care in their appearance (of special note were their foot-tall dyed hairdos), and debuted with their first LP, Hurry Up Mode, in 1987, released on the indie label Taiyou...