are a Japanese
rock trio, formed in 2002 in
Saitama Prefecture
is a landlocked prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Saitama Prefecture has a population of 7,338,536 (1 January 2020) and has a geographic area of 3,797 km2 (1,466 sq mi). Saitama Prefecture borders Tochigi Prefectur ...
. The band's style resembles
post-hardcore and
progressive rock
Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog; sometimes conflated with art rock) is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s. Init ...
,
math-rock, often incorporating rapid changes of tempo and mood framed in complex guitar melodies and technical drumming. They utilize both male and female vocals ranging from soft singing to loud wails and screams.
Biography
Ling tosite Sigure was formed in 2002 in Saitama, Japan.
TK (
vocals
Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or witho ...
,
guitar
The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected string ...
) and 345 (vocals,
bass
Bass or Basses may refer to:
Fish
* Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species
Music
* Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range:
** Bass (instrument), including:
** Acoustic bass gui ...
) started first with NodaMEN (
drums
A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair of matching drumsticks ...
) then Pierre Nakano (drums) joined shortly, replacing Noda.
The band released several demos before starting their own label, Nakano Records, and releasing their debut album ''
#4''. Their second album ''
Inspiration is DEAD'' was released on August 22, 2007 following an EP ''
Feeling Your UFO'' the previous year, giving the band increased popularity and exposure throughout Japan. They appeared in the Countdown music festival in 2007 and continued to tour on a regular basis.
On April 23, 2008, the band released their first single "
Telecastic fake show", which charted in the
Oricon
, established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan and Western music. It started as, which was founded by Sōkō Koike in N ...
Top 20. In July they participated in the
Fuji Rock Festival and in August the
Rising Sun Rock Festival. In December 2008, Ling tosite Sigure released the single "moment A rhythm", after signing to major label
Sony Music
Sony Music Entertainment (SME), also known as simply Sony Music, is an American multinational music company. Being owned by the parent conglomerate Sony Group Corporation, it is part of the Sony Music Group, which is owned by Sony Entertainmen ...
. The single included an art book consisting of Kitajima's photography.
Their third album, ''
Just a Moment'', was released on May 15, 2009, from which "JPOP Xfile" was featured on
Space Shower TV.
In August they performed at the
Summer Sonic Festival and toured throughout Japan. In 2010, the band performed a massive nationwide tour, "I Was Music", culminating at the high-profile
Saitama Super Arena
is a multi-purpose indoor arena located in Chūō-ku, Saitama, Saitama Prefecture, Japan. It opened preliminarily on May 5, 2000, and then was officially opened on September 1 of the same year. Its maximum spectator capacity is 36,500, making ...
venue in the band's home city. In May, they traveled to England and played their first international shows in
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
and
Brighton before returning to the studio to record new material.
The band released their fourth album ''
Still a Sigure Virgin?
''Still a Sigure Virgin?'' (stylised as ''still a Sigure virgin?'') is Japanese rock band Ling tosite Sigure's fourth studio album, released on September 22, 2010.
Promotion
In late January 2010, the band began a tour, titled after the first t ...
'' on September 22, 2010. They went on their "Virgin Killer" tour from late October to early December. The first music video from the album, "I Was Music", aired on September 14. In 2011, the band continued to tour as TK released a film and photo book and Nakano released an instructional drum DVD.
On November 14, 2012, they released single titled "Abnormalize". The title song was used for the opening of the anime series ''
Psycho-Pass
''Psycho-Pass'' (stylized as ''PSYCHO-PASS'') is a Japanese cyberpunk psychological thriller anime television series produced by Production I.G. It was co-directed by Naoyoshi Shiotani and Katsuyuki Motohiro and written by Gen Urobuch ...
''. The song was performed on ''
Music Station
is a Japanese music television program. Broadcasting live weekly on TV Asahi since October 24, 1986, it currently airs from 9PM-10PM on Fridays. The program is also colloquially known as , , and . The show is currently syndicated throughout th ...
''.
The band's 5th studio album ''
I'mperfect
''I'mperfect'' (stylised as ''i'mperfect'') is the fifth studio album by the Japanese rock band Ling tosite Sigure, released on April 10, 2013. This album includes both their previous singles. The single "Abnormalize" was used as the opening th ...
'' was released on April 10, 2013. The band signed to specialized European record label
JPU Records
JPU Records is a British record label formed in 2012, which specializes in handling international releases by Japanese artists. Notable acts on JPU's roster include The Gazette, Band-Maid, Lovebites, and Nemophila.
History
The label was est ...
in June 2013 and released ''I'mperfect'' all across Europe.
The band released the single "Enigmatic Feeling" on November 5, 2014. The title song was used for the opening of the anime series ''
Psycho-Pass 2
''Psycho-Pass 2'' is a 2014 anime series by Tatsunoko Production that serves as a direct sequel to the 2012–2013 series ''Psycho-Pass''. It was directed by Naoyoshi Shiotani and Kiyotaka Suzuki, and supervised by Katsuyuki Motohiro and Gen ...
''.
On January 14, 2015, the band released another single, "Who What Who What", and their first compilation album ''Best of Tornado''. Unlike their other singles, "Who What Who What" only contained one song, which was used for the anime movie ''
Psycho-Pass: The Movie''. The song was performed on ''Music Station''. ''Best of Tornado'' featured remixed and remastered editions of their previous songs. There were 3 different releases of the album: the regular version, featuring one disc; the ''Tornado Edition'', which contained 2 discs, the second having 11 music videos, and the ''Hyper Tornado Edition'' which contained 3 discs, the third being several demo tapes and audio of their live performances.
An EP titled ''Es or S'' was released on September 2, 2015. The limited edition featured a
7-inch LP,
A-side
The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record company ...
playing "SOSOS" and the
B-side
The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record company ...
being "Mirror Frustration".
On August 23, 2017, the band released the single "DIE meets HARD". The single featured a song made in collaboration with
Koji Nakamura
is a Japanese musician who is most famous for being the lead singer/songwriter in the Japanese band Supercar.
...
("DIE meets HARD Koji Nakamura Remix"). The Limited Edition came with 2 discs; one containing 3 songs and the other containing their "DIE meets HARD" music video and a 15-minute podcast between the 3 members (titled ''DIE HARD radio'' on the disk). A 1-minute edit of the song was used as the opening for the drama series ''Shimokitazawa DIE HARD''.
On November 17, 2017, the band's 6th studio album ''
Number 5 (Ling Tosite Sigure album), #5'' was announced with a February 14, 2018 release date. This was the band's first album release in roughly 5 years. The limited-edition came with a DVD containing music videos for "Chocolate Passion" and "#5", as well as a second installment of ''DIE HARD radio'', which once again featured a podcast between the three members. In addition, a nationwide tour (''Rin to Shinku Tour 2018 "Five For You"'') was announced to accompany the album, starting March 3 at Kanazawa EIGHT HALL, and lasting 12 total performances.
On April 18, 2019, the band released their new song "laser beamer" digitally. The song was written for the first ever stage adaptation of the anime series ''
Psycho-Pass
''Psycho-Pass'' (stylized as ''PSYCHO-PASS'') is a Japanese cyberpunk psychological thriller anime television series produced by Production I.G. It was co-directed by Naoyoshi Shiotani and Katsuyuki Motohiro and written by Gen Urobuch ...
'' entitled ''
Psycho-Pass: Virtue and Vice.''
On July 3, 2019, the band digitally released the single titled "Neighbormind / laser beamer" from which "Neighbormind" was later used as the main theme for the Japanese dub of the film ''
Spider-Man: Far From Home.''
Almost exactly 15 years after the release of
''#4'' the band decided to release a remastered version on November 11, 2020 titled ''#4 -Retornado-'' (or ''#4 -Retornade-'').
The band released a new single ''
Perfake Perfect'' on January 20, 2021. The title's song was used as theme song of the second stage adaptation ''
Psycho-Pass: Virtue and Vice 2'' from the ''
Psycho-Pass
''Psycho-Pass'' (stylized as ''PSYCHO-PASS'') is a Japanese cyberpunk psychological thriller anime television series produced by Production I.G. It was co-directed by Naoyoshi Shiotani and Katsuyuki Motohiro and written by Gen Urobuch ...
'' anime series. Few days before, on January 18, 2021 the ''Perfake Perfect Tour'' took its first place in KT Zepp Yokohama.
On May 11, 2022, the band released the new digital single "Tatsumaite senno ()" to celebrate their 20th anniversary.
Band members
;Current members
*
Tōru "TK" Kitajima ( ''born December 23, 1982'') —
guitar
The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected string ...
,
vocals
Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or witho ...
* Miyoko "345" Nakamura ( ''born April 1, 1983'') —
bass guitar
The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and s ...
, vocals
* Masatoshi "Pierre" Nakano ( ''born July 18, 1980'') —
drums
A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair of matching drumsticks ...
;Former member
* Noda MEN (野田MEN) — drums
Timeline
Discography
Studio albums
Compilation album
Extended plays
Singles
Digital singles
Music videos
Tours and concerts
Japan
* ''Sadistic Summer Tour'' (2004)
* ''Give Me Your Turbo Tour'' (2005)
* ''P_Rhythm Autumn Tour'' (2006)
* ''Dynamite Sexy Summer Oneman Tour'' (2007)
* ''Last A Moment Tour'' (2008)
* ''
Fuji Rock Festival'' with Various Artists (2008)
* ''
Rising Sun Rock Festival'' with Various Artists (2008)
* ''Tornado Z Tour'' (2009)
* ''
Summer Sonic Festival'' with Various Artists (2009)
* ''I was music Tour'' (2010)
* ''
The Smashing Pumpkins
The Smashing Pumpkins (also referred to as simply Smashing Pumpkins) are an American alternative rock band from Chicago. Formed in 1988 by frontman and guitarist Billy Corgan, bassist D'arcy Wretzky, guitarist James Iha and drummer Jimmy Chambe ...
Extra Show'' with Ling tosite Sigure and
9mm Parabellum Bullet
is a Japanese rock band, formed in March 2004 in Yokohama. It consists of vocalist and rhythm guitarist Takuro Sugawara, guitarist and backing vocalist Yoshimitsu Taki, bassist Kazuhiko Nakamura, and drummer Chihiro Kamijo, who came up with ...
as supporting acts (2010)
* ''Virgin Killer Tour'' (2011)
* ''Alpha Beta+1 Tour'' (2011)
* ''Dear Perfect Tour'' (2013)
* ''Hyper Tornado Tour'' (2015)
* ''S.O.S Tour'' (2015)
* ''Five for you Tour'' (2018)
* ''Five for you – Vacuum the Hall Edition'' (2018)
*''Perfake Perfect Tour'' (2021)
Overseas
* ''
The Great Escape Festival
The Great Escape Festival is a three-day music festival held in Brighton and Hove, England every year in May. It is operated by MAMA Festivals and showcases new music from a variety of genres. The festival was founded in 2006 and roughly hosts ...
'' in UK with Various Artists (2010)
* ''Japan Night'' in UK with Various Artists (2015)
*''Five for You – Beijing'' (2018)
Awards and nominations
References
External links
*
*
*
{{Authority control
2002 establishments in Japan
Japanese indie rock groups
Japanese musical trios
Japanese progressive rock groups
Musical groups established in 2002
Musical groups from Saitama Prefecture
Post-hardcore groups