Band of the week: FAKE?

Fans of LunaSea's guitarist INORAN may have heard of FAKE? before, but to the general public this may be a new name in the scene. INORAN and Ken Lloyd began this project in 2002, with the idea of “having no boundaries”, and especially not in their music.

Taking hard rock as a base to build on, elements from pretty much every other genre find their way into the music. Whether it's pop, punk or metal, FAKE? blends it into solid rock. And don't expect the soft side of hardrock, either. Ken's voice goes from melodic to grunt faster than you can snap your fingers.

What makes them truly unique in the Japanese rockk scene though, is the fact that the lyrics are purely in English. This gave them an immediate advantage over most J-rock bands: they captured the hearts of overseas as well as Japanese fans quite quickly. Combine this with an unusual (in Japanese culture) amount of energy, going from the artists straight to the audience, and you've got yourself a wonderband.

And this they certainly became, playing opening acts for bands like Guns N' Roses. Such actions provided them with the necessary fanbase to sell out the major concert halls all over Japan, and they're not shy of festivals either. They've shared the stage with bands like The Offspring, Placebo, Snow Patrol and many others.

Their list of albums tells their story not just in music, but in musical genre-twists. INORAN left the band in 2005, but Ken announced that he's back for the -Decade LIVE- show(s), and his return has brought some new blood to the line-up as well:

Voc: Ken Lloyd (founder)
Guitar: INORAN (founder, also LUNA SEA, Muddy Apes)
Guitar: Pablo (Pay Money to my Pain)
Drums: Masuo (Back Drop Bombs, Pontiacs)
Bass: u:zo (ex-YELLOW FRIED CHICKENz, RIZE)
DJ: DJ BASS (Zingi)
Manipulator: d-kikku (LUNA SEA, INORAN)

Preview of the guys live:

Official Website: http://www.hedfuc.com