RADWIMPS
Radwimps is a Japanese rock band that formed in their first year of highschool in 2001 in Kanagawa, Japan. They play an eccentric mix of rock, punk, funk and jazz. The band achieved great commercial success in 2006 with their album Radwimps 4: Okazu no Gohan, and are best known for their later singles "Order Made" (2008) and "Dada" (2011), both of which hit number one on Oricon's single charts.
The five original members had been friends since middle school. Vocalist Yojiro Noda first became interested in music after hearing Oasis in middle school, when he would try to remember the guitar chords and sing to Oasis songs. He was asked to become the vocalist by a friend, and originally band activities were balanced with basketball. The band's name was formed from two English language slang terms, rad and wimp. According to the band, the coined word had several meanings, including "excellent weakling" and "superlative coward."
The band's activities began centred around Yokohama, with the band performing their first live at live house BB Street in Yokohama's Kannai district on February 5, 2002. At this point, guitarist Akira Kuwahara dropped out of high school in order to focus on the band. In September and August 2002, the band partook in the Yokohama High School Music Festival, and eventually won the grand prize for the competition with the song "Moshi mo." "Moshi mo" was released as the band's debut single in May 2003, with 10,000 copies pressed and sold for 100 yen each. Following this single, the band toured the Yokohama area, including a performance as the sole act at Yokohama's Club 24West. The band released their debut album Radwimps in July through independent label Newtraxx, featuring songs written by the band in middle school. The following August, after a guest appearance at the Yokohama High School Music Festival, the band went on hiatus for Noda and other members to focus on their school exams.
Radwimps returned from hiatus in March 2004, however members Kei Asō, Yūsuke Saiki and Akio Shibafumi did not decide to resume band activities. An audition was not held for new members, instead, acquaintances to the band members, drummer Satoshi Yamaguchi and bassist Yusuke Takeda, were added to the group without the members even having their skills trialled. Takeda met the band members in August 2003 as a member of a different band performing in the Yokohama High School Music Festival. The band immediately began recording songs, and by July released a second single, "Kiseki," and performed a three month Japan-wide tour. Immediately after the end of the tour, the band started work on their second album, Radwimps 2: Hatten Tojō, which was finalized by the end of the year and released in March.
Directly after the release, the band departed on a five month tour, Radwimps Haruna Tour (はるなっTOUR?), and also performed at high profile summer music festivals, such as Setstock, Rock in Japan and Summer Sonic. During this time, the band released a third single, "Hexun / Kanashi," which was the band's first charting release.
In November, the band made their major debut single under Toshiba EMI with the single "Nijūgoko-me no Senshokutai," followed by "EDP (Tonde Hi ni Iru Natsu no Kimi)" in January, both top 50 singles. In shifting to a major label, Noda explained that the band took the same stance as they had as an independent band, and that "If we thought we were bigger on a major label, that would have been a big mistake." The band's third and first major label album, Radwimps 3: Mujintō ni Motte Ikiwasureta Ichimai in March 2006, was a landmark in establishing their popularity, debuting at number 13 on Oricon's album charts. Radwimps 3 saw a change in the band's musical style, allowing the band to be more experimental in their sound.
By the end of 2006 the band's popularity had exponentially grown: the band's album Radwimps 4: Okazu no Gohan, lead with the top 20 singles "Futarigoto" and "Yūshinron" and top five "Setsuna Rensa," debuted at number five and had an initial shipment of more than 100,000 copies. In this time, the band's older releases, such as Radwimps, Radwimps 2 and "Kiseki" began charting for the first time and continued to for extended periods, Radwimps even eventually being certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of Japan. In the next three years, both Radwimps and Radwimps 2 charted for approximately 100 weeks, and as of early 2011, Radwimps 3 and Radwimps 4 still continue to chart.
In 2008, the band received their first number one single, with "Order Made", on the Oricon charts. Their 2009 album Altocolony no Teiri sold around 213,000 copies in its first week, debuting at number 2 on the Oricon charts. The band received their second Oricon number one single "Dada" in 2011.
The band gained renewed notoriety in 2016 when they provided the soundtrack for the Makoto Shinkai film "Kimi no Na wa. (Your Name.)", which went on to become the highest-grossing anime film in history. One of the four vocal tracks, "Zenzenzense", was a #1 hit in Japan.
Members
Vocal & Guitar： Noda Youjirou (野田洋次郎)
Guitar & Chorus： Kuwahara Akira (桑原 彰)
Bass & Chorus： Takeda Yuusuke (武田祐介)
Drums & Chorus：Yamaguchi Satoshi (山口智史) Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.
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