Band of the Week: BUMP OF CHICKEN

Masukawa Hiroaki (Gt.), Masu Hideo (Dr.), Fujiwara Motoo (Vo./Gt.) & Naoi Yoshifumi (Ba.)

BUMP OF CHICKEN came to life when a group of junior high school students had set their mind to change rock music history. They sure are leaving their mark on J-rock history with their large fanbase and continuous great sales with every release. Their sound ranges from love ballads to rock and they're influenced by legendary band, The Beatles. Similar bands are RADWIMPS and Mr. Children.

The BOC members first met each other during kindergarten. They got separated at elementary school, but reunited during junior high. It was in 1994 that they decided to form a band. They were so determined that all of them saved up money, skipped lunches and hid their plan from their families. Drummer Hideo Masu and vocalist Motoo Fujiwara may have been the founders of the band, but Motoo is the driving force. Most songs and almost all lyrics are written by him. Eventually all the hard work and sneaking around paid off. In 1995 BUMP OF CHICKEN performed at a high school's music festival, covering The Beatles. Not too long after they started to compose their own songs.

In January 1996 their song “Danny” won a prize on radio station “96TFM”. That summer they also participated in the competition “Beat Brust”. This time they won with the song “Glass no Blues”. BOC's first concert was held at “CLUB 251” somewhere in January 1997. Their first tour, “Chicken's Knife”, was planned for the summer of that same year. In October, BOC released their first demo tape during a show and was sold out in 10 minutes. Near the end of the year, the members took a break to prepare for college exams.

Even when they went to college, the band didn't forget about their fans. At the end of March 1998 they picked up activities again. In May they performed at a festival and released an other demo. This time it was sold out in merely 5 minutes. One week later BOC held their first one-man at “ANGA” in Chiba. The tour continued the beginning of 1999. On March 18, 1999, BOC's first album “FLAME VEIN” was released. They gained popularity by the end of March and performed at “Shibuya On air East”. After that BUMP OF CHICKEN picked up touring again for some months and performed at lots of events. In November their first maxi-single, “Lamp”, was released and they made an appearance twice on “SPACE SHOWER TV”.

The year 2000 started with live performances across Japan before they released their second album on March 25. It was also the debut of their first PV, “Glorious Revolution”. The rest of the year was pretty busy for BUMP OF CHICKEN. They played at one-mans/events and made appearances in TV spots. 2001 was even busier. Before the release of “Tentai Kansoku” on March 24 they played at “Shibuya AX”. During the summer they also performed a couple of times on “SPACE SHOWER TV” and also at the “ROCK IN JAPAN” festival. On October 17 they released an other maxi-single called “Harujion”. This was the first time a single or album hit the Oricon charts. It gave the band a lot of exposure and popularity.

The following years were very quiet in comparison with the previous years. In 2002 and 2003 live performances were reduced to 3 one-month tours and a performance at “SPACE SHOW Music Video Awards 2003”. Despite the lack of live performances, they continued to release 2 singles and an album. “Sailing Day” was used as the ending theme for “One Piece The Movie: Dead End Adventure” while “Tentai Kansoku” was used as an insert theme for a drama with the same name.

In 2004, the band's schedule took a turn with one-man shows and the release of 3 maxi-singles and and album. There was also a nationwide tour that started in the fall and lasted several months. “Only Lonely Glory”, which was released in July, was the first release that claimed the #1 spot on the Oricon charts. 2005 was toned down again with only 5 live dates. To make up for the lack of live performances they released 3 more singles. The song “Karma” was used as the theme song for the game “Tales of the Abyss”.

The year 2006 kicked off with a new tour called “Run rabbit run”. The tour started in January and lasted until March. Near the end of March, vocalist Motoo took a break to record and release a solo album. BUMP OF CHICKEN resumed their activities around fall and released single “Namida no Furusato” on November 22. This release also claimed the #1 spot on the Oricon charts. It was also featured in a “Lotte Airs” commercial and the drama “Koizora”.

After the release of “Namida no Furusato” there was an inactivity. The band showed themselves again during the summer to tour and to release 2 more singles and yet an other album. In 2008 BOC made up for all the inactivity and started a heavy tour which started in the beginning of the year and ended around summer. The band also made regular appearances on music television shows and were often invited for radio programs.

2009 was yet another quiet year. There was no news until the single “R.I.P./Merry Christmas” was released on November 25. In 2010 they released 3 singles and an album. There was a lack of live shows but the band was busy with radio and television appearances. The following year, 2011, BOC released 3 more singles. In 2012 two more single hit the shelves.

On March 6, 2013, the live DVD/Blu-ray Disc of “BUMP OF CHICKEN GOLD GLIDER TOUR 2012” was released. The live disc will contain footage of the first day of the 4-day concert at “Yoyogi National Gymnasium”. It will also features an opening movie that was produced by filmmaker Yamazaki Takashi.

Official Website