Back Number
Japanese rock power trio with a major cult following.
Last updated
Back Number is a Japanese rock power trio that got together in 2004. The lineup features Iyori Shimizu on lead vocals and guitar, Kazuya Kojima on bass and backing vocals, and Hisashi Kurihara on drums and percussion. In 2009, they joined the independent label Idolsmith Recordings, putting out their debut EP Nogashita Sakana that year and the studio album Ato no Matsuri in 2010. They moved to Universal Sigma in 2011.
The band enjoys a strong cult following in Japan. Their most successful single, Christmas Song, held the number-one spot on the Japan Hot 100 for three weeks and earned a million certification from the Recording Industry Association of Japan.
Their first compilation, Encore (2016), topped the Billboard Japan Hot Album chart for two straight weeks and landed at number five on Oricon’s 2017 yearly best-selling album list. In 2018, back number completed a Dome Tour called “stay with you,” which included two nights at Tokyo Dome. All tickets for the five concerts sold out in under two hours, drawing over 45,000 attendees per show.
History
In 2004, Iyori Shimizu formed the band in Gunma Prefecture. Prior to the band's formation, Shimizu lost a girlfriend to another band member. This experience made him feel "outdated," which is why he named the band "back number." In November 2004, the band performed their first live show at Isezaki DUSTBOWL.
From 2005 to 2007, voluntary live performances were held annually in November following the release of a demo CD. In 2007, the band performed a one-man live show, mobilizing over 150 people, and tickets sold out. That same year, the band was chosen as the semi-best rocker (second place) from more than 100 bands at the band audition "ROCKERS 2007" sponsored by FM Gunma, becoming well known in local media. In April 2008, their regular radio program "PIZZA SMALL WORLD" started broadcasting on FM TARO in Ota City, Gunma Prefecture (broadcast ended in March 2014).
In June 2008, the band won a qualifying competition from among 500 pairs of entries at the Shonan Music Festival Opening Act Audition and secured an appearance at the large outdoor festival Shonan Music Festival Vol. 2. On February 18, 2009, they released their first mini album, Nogashita Sakana, which became an HMV push item "HOT PICKS" and a TOWER RECORDS push item "Tawareko Men," and was selected as a power play for an FM station and a Sony Ericsson CS commercial song.
On May 27, 2009, a free live with HMV at SHIBUYA-BOXX drew over 500 people, exceeding the capacity of the regular entry. In June 2009, the band finished a tour at the Ferrari Temple Park Outdoor Stage in Isezaki City with a crowd of 500. They then appeared at events such as "SAKAE-SPRING," "MINAMI WHEEL," "TREASURE," "MUSIC CUBE," school festivals, and install alive. On June 2, 2010, they released their first full-length album, Ato no Matsuri.
On April 6, 2011, the band made their major debut with the single "Hanabira." On September 7, 2013, they held a one-man live "back number live at Nippon Budokan - stay with us-" at Nippon Budokan. From April 2014, the band was appointed as a regular personality of Nippon Broadcasting "All Night Nippon" on every Tuesday. On September 14, 2014, at Yokohama Arena, the first arena performance "love stories tour 2014 - Yokohama love story 2 ~" was held.
More in A&M Records Artists
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Back Number (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Word definitions: the Codexery glossary, each quoted from its Wikipedia article.
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced