the GazettE (ガゼット)

PROFILE

Made up of five members, The GazettE is one of the most popular bands on the PS Company label, home to such other bands as Kagrra and alice nine. Although rock music is definitely the soul of this group, they're not afraid to experiment with their sound and their songs range widely from soft ballads to punk rock to even some songs with hip-hop elements. The GazettE is a visual band, their look varying wildly from single to single and album to album, but their sound is always unmistakably 'Gazette' and rock.

Author : Sarah (2007-05-02)

BIOGRAPHY

(A side-note : When the band first formed, the GazettE was originally known simply as Gazette and will be referred to as such in this biography up until their formal name change.)

Gazette began in early 2002, comprised of five men all of whom, despite their youth, had quite a bit of experience in the music scene. Three of the members had worked together on previous bands (Ma'die Kusse and Kar+te=zyAnose); vocalist, Ruki, one of the guitarists, Uruha, and bassist, Reita. Two ex-members of Arita completed the early line-up; Aoi on guitar and Yune on drums. Originally signed to the Matina label, they released their first single, Wakaremichi, and a video on VHS in April before immediately working on getting their name out there through various events and omnibus releases. It worked, and the band held their first real one-man in October of that year. At the end of the year, they took part in "FINAL PRELUDE 2002～2003 Matina PRESENTS" as the Matina label then dissolved.

When 2003 began, Yune announced he would be leaving Gazette. He was immediately replaced by Kai (ex Mareydi†Creia) and the band signed onto the PS Company label. They took part in their first real tour then with fellow indie band Hanamuke, and released their first mini-album, Cockayne Soup, which was then immediately followed by two other mini-albums in the next two months. They continued to do joint-tours and events for the rest of the year, such as 2003's Beauti-Fool's Fest with other acts such as Merry and D'espairsRay.

When 2004 came, Gazette kicked the year off by holding a one-man at the Shibuya AX (the concert was later released on DVD) and opening their official fan club. Nearing the end of the year, the band released a second live DVD and then gave their fans what they'd been waiting for for nearly two years, their first full album, Disorder. In December, they took part again in that year's Beauti-Fool's Fest and held a short tour.

In 2005, Gazette seemed to spend most of their time either in a tour bus or on the stage as they nearly constantly toured the country. They released a few items in between their touring and their first photobook, "Verwelktes Gedicht", went on sale in September. They finally seemed to take a brief break until December when they took part in the "PEACE & SMILE CARNIVAL TOUR 2005" put on by their label and released the single, Cassis, which would be the last single to be released under the Gazette name.

2006 was an extremely busy year for Gazette. Changing their name from 'Gazette', written in Japanese characters, to the GazettE, written in English, the band kicked off the year by releasing a new album, Nil. They immediately launched into an absolutely massive tour, spanning all of Japan and with over thirty shows. The tour final was held at the Nippon Budokan, one of the largest venues in Japan, and sold out. They also made their first European appearance in Germany at the end of July, to the delight of their international fans. Later that year, in October, an English version of their official homepage went up.

They finished 2006 and brought in 2007 with even more tour dates and new singles before announcing the release of a new summer album, STACKED RUBBISH, and two nearly back-to-back tours. The first tour will begin in July, stretching over the summer and into the autumn, and the second tour will cover the winter months. To the pleasure of their numerous international fans, the GazettE also decided to return to Europe as they announced a short, October that took the band through Germany, France, Finland, and England. In addition to this, they've already announced tour dates and a new single for 2008.