Gacharic Spin

Gacharic Spin is a Japanese rock band formed in Tokyo in 2009. Initially releasing music independently, they later signed with Victor Entertainment then Nippon Crown. Known for their flamboyant, aggressive performances, they have toured Japan extensively and performed internationally at conventions and festivals in USA, East Asia, and Europe. The band has acted as motion capture models for the 2011 video game Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA Extend, coached the performers of Japanese idol girl group AKB48, had a song featured in anime series Dragon Ball Kai, promoted parasports with "warrior painter" Masayuki Kōjō, and collaborated with Takayoshi Ohmura. The rock band Doll$Boxx was formed by Gacharic Spin and vocalist Fuki of Light Bringer after they worked together on tour in 2012, and Metallic Spin occasionally performs 80s heavy metal covers at their live shows. Gacharic Spin was formed in Tokyo, March–April 2009, after bass player F Chopper Koga left her previous band the Pink Panda [ja] and, although considering quitting music, decided to form her own band with former high school classmate and drummer Hana. The pair began recruiting more members; Koga contacted an acquaintance through their music scene, Eita, to play guitar and after a brief studio audition, she joined the band. Vocalist Armmy contacted Eita about learning guitar when her then-band went on hiatus, but the conversation turned to the creation of Gacharic Spin and Armmy was invited to audition for vocals. She thereafter joined, and the band derived its name from the word gacha (ガチャ), meaning clattering. Eita left the band November 28, 2009, after a concert in Ebisu, Shibuya, and was replaced by former Eu Phoria member Tomo-zo. The band released their debut single "Lock On!!" on their own label Juicy Girls Records in March 2010, following up with "Hunting Summer" (ハンティングサマー, Hantingusamā) in June. They made their national television debut the following July on NHK General TV's Music Japan, performing "Lock On!!", and released the single "Crying Snow (Setsunaku) Melody" (雪泣く〜Setsunaku〜メロディー, Yuki naku 〜 Setsunaku 〜 merodī) later that year in September. In March 2011, they were among acts performing at the Anime Matsuri convention in Houston, Texas, and shortly after released the mini-album Virgin-A in May. They also acted as motion capture models for the 2011 video game Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA Extend. In February 2012, members of the band coached the performers of AKB48 for their 2012 music video "Give Me Five!". Armmy left the band on March 14, 2012, for medical reasons and went on to form the band TakaEita with fellow early Gacharic Spin member Eita. Quickly following the departure of Armmy; for a 2012 Japan tour, keyboardist Oreo Reona was added as a support member. She had previously been a member of Eu Phoria with Tomo-zo. Reona would shortly thereafter become a permanent member providing keyboards and vocals. It was during this tour that Fuki [ja] from Light Bringer joined Gacharic Spin along with Micki (of G∀lmet), Kana (of Head Speaker), Britney (Britney Hamada), Hitomi Togi, RisaRock (of Baby Spark) and Mayu (of Blista) as support vocalists. Although the band began to look for a new permanent vocalist, they had not found one with a French tour confirmed so, since Hana and Reona had previously been singers, they decided to share the job. The single "Nudie Rhythm" (ヌーディリズム, Nūdirizumu) was released in June 2012. During a period in 2012 with both Light Bringer and Gacharic Spin having reduced live commitments, and after working with Fuki as a guest vocalist on their own tour, they were inspired to form Doll$Boxx from the then-four members of Gacharic Spin with Fuki as vocalist. All members were interested to create something new, with Gacharic Spin writing the music and Fuki writing the lyrics, altering their styles to suit the combination. They decided to record a cover version of the Gacharic Spin single "Nudie Rhythm" and featured it on their debut album Dolls Apartment, released in December 2012. With lead vocalists Hana also drumming and Reona playing keyboards – stationary instruments – keeping them from interacting with the audience, in 2013, "performers" Mai (Mai Ichigo) and Arisa were recruited to fill the role. Mai initially joined alone, with Arisa following shortly after. They came to be known as the "Gacha Gacha Dancers", with Mai also acting as choreographer. They released their debut album Delicious in March 2013, with Nose, the drummer of Metallic Spin, featured on the album track "I love you, but..." (好きな人、だけど..., Sukinahito, dakedo...) providing a rap. Beeast Web Rock Magazine stated in March 2013 that Metallic Spin are "an overseas band that seems to have come from Northern Europe" (北欧からきたらしい海外バンド). In interview with Tomokazu Nishihiro for Real Sound in February 2015, Hana confirmed that "there was a band called Metallic Spin, which was very similar to Gacharic Spin, and was probably from Northern Europe" (Gacharic Spinによく似たMETALLIC SPINっていう、北欧のほうから来たであろうバンドが演奏していて), going on to clarify that "they look alike, but they are not us" (見た目は似てるんですけど、私たちではないという). Koga apparently laughed in response to this statement. In interview with Ruchesko and Silverfaye for JaME in August 2015, Mai stated that "members of Metallic Spin helped" her in the making of the music video for the single "Melting Candy" released in February 2015. Metallic Spin were later announced as guests of Gacharic Spin on their Gacha 10 Live 2019 Japan tour, and attendees of Anime Matsuri 2019, where Gacharic Spin performed, were reportedly seen cosplaying as Metallic Spin, by OKMusic, who referred to Metallic Spin as a "side program covering 80s heavy metal" (80年代ヘビーメタルをカバーするサイドプログラム). In interview with Todd Nelson for J-Generation in July 2019, Koga (translated by Cap Hayes) stated "Gacharic Spin and Metallic Spin are not related" when asked about a then-upcoming Metallic Spin live show. The single "My Only Cinderella" (僕だけのシンデレラ, Boku dake no Shinderera) was released in March 2014, and the album Winner was released the following April. The band starred in the comedy-horror film Dead Banging, released May 2014. Throughout 2014 the band appeared at multiple festivals and conventions in USA, East Asia, and Europe including: Tekko in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (April 4–6) Japan Expo, Paris, France (July 2–6) Sekigahara Live Wars: Rock onna Rock, Sekigahara, Gifu, Japan (July 20) Summer Sonic Festival, Makuhari Messe convention centre outside Tokyo (August 17) Inazuma Rock Festival [ja], Shiga, Japan (September 13) Mega Rocks, Sendai, Japan (October 4) Countdown Japan [ja] "14/15", Makuhari Messe (December 30), also later appearing at the 2016/2017 event In October 2014, they signed to major label Victor Entertainment releasing the compilation album Gachatto Best: 2010−2014 (ガチャっとBEST<2010−2014>, Gachatto besuto <2010−2014>). The double A-side single "Naked Liar/Melting Candy" (赤裸ライアー / 溶けないCANDY, Sekira raiā/tokenai kyandē) was released in February 2015, with "Melting Candy" being the Gacha Gacha Dancers' (Mai and Arisa) debut single. This was followed in June by the single "Don't Let Me Down", which was used as the final ending theme song of anime series Dragon Ball Kai. Performer Arisa left the band in July 2015 to focus on her studies entering her senior year of high school, and Mai's sixteen-year-old high school classmate and fan of the band, Nenne (Nenne Konishi), was recruited in her place. The following August, they performed at the J-Pop Summit in San Francisco, and the album Music Battler was released in September. Founding vocalist Armmy died on October 15, 2015. No cause of death was disclosed. The double A-side single "Shakishaki shite!!/Arubusu no shōjo" (シャキシャキして!! / アルブスの少女) released in June 2016, and the album Certain Fluctuation: Kakuhen (確実変動 -KAKUHEN-, Kakujitsu hendō - KAKUHEN -) was released the following September. The band returned to Anime Matsuri in April 2017 for their second