A rock supergroup formed by ex-members of L’Arc~en~Ciel, MALICE MIZER and BY-SEXUAL, ZIGZO made its return in 2012 - ten years after its original disbandment - and is still going strong today.
In March 1998, ex-L'Arc~en~Ciel drummer SAKURA, as well as guitarist RYO and bassist DEN, both formerly of BY-SEXUAL, decided to form a new band. In August of the same year, TETSU, who some might recognize as the first vocalist of MALICE MIZER, joined them, completing the line-up. However, it wasn't until February of the following year that the band really got down to work. They held their first lives as Malice en Sex—a playful reference to their previous groups—before changing their name to ZIGZO. Their first big concert followed in April at Akasaka BLITZ.
Their first single came out very early and, thanks to a rapidly-growing fanbase, they performed that month alongside big names such as LAREINE, Gackt, and SEX MACHINEGUNS at the SHOCK WAVE Illusion '99 event.
Their first tour, The 1st Scene ZIGZO, soon followed. After this tour, their first album, Monster Music, and a video filmed during the tour both appeared.
Despite their quick progress, SAKURA and TETSU weren't ready to sit back and take it easy. Both of them worked at various radio stations, with a preference for programs that played indie rock, often playing their own songs on the shows.
The following two years brought plenty of new releases and tours before November of 2001 rolled around and they released the single Chelsea. After its release ZIGZO announced their disbandment. They bid their fans a fond farewell with a last tour called The Last Scene ZIGZO, a nod to their first tour.
Not long after the end of ZIGZO, TETSU revived an old band of his called nil, with whom he recorded and toured relentlessly for over a decade. He also released a solo album and formed another band called The JUNEJULYAUGUST. RYO and DEN both joined test-No and then Pt.. They also began performing as a revamped, three-piece version of BY-SEXUAL called BY-SEX, with SAKURA joining them on drums. SAKURA also became a producer at the record label Danger Crue, working with bands like MUCC and SID. He played—and continues to play—in many other projects, some of which include Sons of all Pussys, Lion Heads, Rayflower and Creature Creature.
To the delight of many fans, the members of ZIGZO performed a surprise set together in November 2011 and announced plans to reunite. They did not formally restart activities, however, until 2012, ten years after their last release. They played their first live, titled THE 2nd SCENE ZIGZO, on March 17th, which was followed by a tour of the same name. Their reunion live was documented by a DVD that was sold only during that tour. They also opened an online store called hullaballoo room where fans can purchase track-by-track audio recordings of their live shows.
ZIGZO released their first new album in ten years, THE BATTLE OF LOVE, on October 10th. They wrapped up the year with a performance at COUNTDOWN JAPAN 12/13.
The year 2013 saw ZIGZO release their first mini-album, TRUE IMPULSE. They also performed at the Hope And Live charity event, which brought together a number of popular artists to raise funds for the treatment of people who are HIV-positive.
