eX-Girl is a Japanese female
noise rock
Noise rock (sometimes called noise punk) is a noise music, noise-oriented style of experimental rock that spun off from punk rock in the 1980s. Drawing on movements such as minimal music, minimalism, industrial music, and New York hardcore, a ...
trio.
Overview
They claim to hail from the planet Kero Kero. They are described as psychedelic, space rock, jazz fusion, jagged alternating vocal harmonies, sugary synthesiser pop, punk, prog, epic/atmospheric, noise-rock, wavering three-part a cappella, borderline operatic vocals, often in the space of a single song. Live performances are known to include home-made costumes, synchronised robot dancing and frog-related items. Enthusiastic supporters include
Mike Patton
Michael Allan Patton (born January 27, 1968) is an American singer, producer, film composer and voice actor, best known as the lead vocalist of the alternative metal band Faith No More. Noted for his vocal proficiency, diverse singing techni ...
and
Jello Biafra
Eric Reed Boucher (born June 17, 1958), known professionally as Jello Biafra, is an American singer, spoken word artist and politician. He is the former lead singer and songwriter for the San Francisco punk rock band Dead Kennedys.
Initially ac ...
:
History
eX-Girl was founded in 1997. Its original members were Chihiro, Kirilo and Fuzuki. Regardless of the members' non-existing musical experience, their career started off quickly as they began touring and released their debut album within a year from creating the band, all safely under the wings of the famous producer/keyboardist
Hoppy Kamiyama
is a Japanese keyboardist and music producer who has worked with artists such as eX-Girl, The Pugs, Bradford Reed, Bill Laswell, Jan Linton, Marc Ribot, Hugh Hopper/Elton Dean and Damo Suzuki.
Biography
His record company, God Mountain, was na ...
.
In 1999, the band performed at the
Japan Nite
Japan Nite is an annual music event in North America which began in 1996, featuring Japanese rock, pop, and alternative music artists. Originally centered around South by Southwest in Austin, Texas, the event expanded in later years to include mu ...
event at
SXSW
South by Southwest, abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as South By, is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Te ...
in Austin, Texas. Around this time Virgin Mega Store and Tower Records noticed eX-Girl and did their part in marketing the new album ''Kero! Kero! Kero!''.
The a cappella album ''Big When Far, Small When Close'' was released in 2000 via Kirilo's own label Kikipoo Records. At the same time eX-Girl released their previous album in Europe, which brought the band to tour the continent for the first time. In July, they toured together with
Fantômas
Fantômas () is a fictional character created by French writers Marcel Allain (1885–1969) and Pierre Souvestre (1874–1914).
One of the most popular characters in the history of French crime fiction, Fantômas was created in 1911 and appeared ...
, with the help of Mike Patton (Faith No More). The band performed in Finland from October to November.
The group returned to Europe again in 2001, playing at big events such as Denmark's Roskilde Festival. At the end of the year, they had their first ever change of line-up as Chihiro quit and Keiko (of
Super Junky Monkey) picked up the spot of being eX-Girl's guitarist. Before the change though, the original members had a project named PUNK LADY, where they covered
Pink Lady's biggest hits. eX-Girl, with the new line-up, toured again in Finland in 2002, before having the chance to support
Siouxsie and the Banshees
Siouxsie and the Banshees were a British rock band formed in London in 1976 by vocalist Siouxsie Sioux and bass guitarist Steven Severin. They have been widely influential, both over their contemporaries and with later acts. ''Q'' magazine in ...
on its tours both in the US and the UK. This had a positive effect on their popularity.
The line-up continued to change. Drummer Fuzuki left eX-Girl in 2003, replaced by Chapple. Kirilo changed her name to Kirilola and Keiko changed hers to Keikos. The American-based label
Alternative Tentacles
Alternative Tentacles is an independent record label established in 1979 in San Francisco, California. It was used by Dead Kennedys for the self-produced single " California Über Alles". After realizing the potential for an independent label, t ...
released the next album ''Endangered Species'', during which the band used another guitarist named Zorek, though only on tour. The album was completed by Keiko's guitar. When Keiko returned, the drummer changed once again. Despite the changes, the band continued touring in the United States, but time inevitably brought more changes. By the beginning of the year 2006, Kirilola had changed her position from bass to guitar, and the new member Laan Zukioh was the new bassist. Later in the summer, Bonb-Chu was found to fulfill his position as drummer. With this new line-up the group started their new world tour in October 2006.
By the summer of 2007, the band flew to Northern Europe and held seven performances over the span of two months. Shortly after this final tour, the band announced they would be taking an indefinite hiatus. The band went dormant in 2007. In 2018, Kirilola announced on their web site that she had reformed the band after returning from climbing Mt. Hakusan to discover a U.S. record label, Secret Records, wanted to reprint ''Kero Kero Kero'' on vinyl. Inspired by this, Kirilola searched for two new members and announced their first reunion show in 11 years at Kichijoji GB in Kichijoji, Tokyo on October 18, 2018.
The band's only remaining original member, Kirilola, has several ongoing music-related projects. The artist has taken part in Kamiyama's artistic projects with her singing, playing and dancing, and in 2004, she released spiritual healing music under the project name Akasau. This album was recorded together with several musicians, the main one being Renge, who plays traditional Japanese bells. In 2009, Kirilola presented her solo "Nuriemaki" performances, with costumes based on kimono and folk outfits and accompanied by traditional Japanese instruments.
In March 2019, eX-Girl performed at SXSW in Austin, Texas.
Band members
Current lineup
*Kirilo/Kirilola - Bassist, synth player, vocalist and co-writer of all material with band manager/producer Hoppy Kamiyama. The only remaining original member left, she tends to be the leading figure of the group and comes up with most of their costume designs.
*Keikos - Guitarist and vocalist. Her entrance into the band brought a meatier guitar and more aggressive guitar sound, most likely due to her time in Super Junky Monkey. Replaced Chihiro, departed, returned to the fold again.
*Yoko - Drums and vocals. The latest addition to the eX-Girl lineup, replacing Chapple.
Previous members
*Chapple - Former drummer and vocalist, she replaced Fuzuki and departed sometime in 2005. Her difficulty with the English language did not stop her from resonating charisma with her impeccable drumming and tendency to rarely refrain from smiling.
*Zorek - Former guitarist and vocalist. Replaced Keikos afterward. Departed from the band when Keikos returned. The more intricate guitar player of the band.
*Fuzuki - Former drummer and vocalist. The original drummer for eX-Girl, she had a troglodytic sound due playing a stand-up kit setup. When behind a traditional kit, was known to belt the floor tom with her stick.
*Chihiro - Former guitarist and vocalist. The original guitarist who was not afraid to experiment despite her limited experience with the instrument.
Discography
Albums
*''Heppoco Pou'' (1998)
*''
Kero! Kero! Kero!
''Kero! Kero! Kero!'' is the second studio album by Japanese a girl group eX-Girl, released on the PARANOIZ label in Japan (PAR-50020), and by KIKI Poo Records in the US. "Kero" is the sound a frog makes in the Japanese language , of. "ribbit" in ...
'' (1999)
*''
Big When Far, Small When Close
''Big When Far, Small When Close'' is the third studio album by Japanese band eX-Girl, released on the PARANOIZ label in Japan (PAR-50024), and by KIKI Poo Records in the US (KPCD-001).
The line-up consisted of Chihiro, Kirilo and Fuzuki, and th ...
'' (2000)
*''
Back to the Mono Kero
''Back to the Mono Kero'' is the fourth studio album by the Japanese girl band eX-Girl, released by HIBOOM in Japan, Ipecac Recording in the US (IPC-15), 62 TV Records in Belgium, Valve Records in Australia, and Levy-yhtiö in Finland.
The line- ...
'' (2001)
*''
Endangered Species
An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inv ...
'' (2004)
Best of
*''Revenge of Kero Kero'' (2000)
Singles/EPs
*"Disco 3000" (2000), 12-inch vinyl picture disc, released in US only.
*"
Pop Muzik
"Pop Muzik" is a 1979 song by M, a project by English musician Robin Scott, from the debut album ''New York • London • Paris • Munich''. The single, first released in the UK in early 1979, was bolstered by a music video (directed by Br ...
" (2001), a cover version of the 1979 song by
M.
*"Luna Rose" (2002)
Other works
*''The Legend of the Waterbreakers'' (1999), Kiki Poo Records - a film by Naoko Nozawa, starring eX-Girl, produced by Hoppy Kamiyama
References
External links
eX-Girl official siteAlternative Tentacles
{{Authority control
All-female bands
Japanese noise rock groups
Japanese pop music groups
Alternative Tentacles artists
Ipecac Recordings artists