Go!Go!7188 (Go Go Nana Ichi Hachi Hachi), also known simply as Go!Go!, was a Japanese

rock band ''Rock Band'' is a series of rhythm games first released in 2007 and developed by Harmonix. Based on their previous development work from the Guitar Hero, ''Guitar Hero'' series, the main ''Rock Band'' games have players use game controllers mod ...

with influences spanning from

surf rock Surf music (also known as surf rock, surf pop, or surf guitar) is a genre of rock music associated with surf culture, particularly as found in Southern California. It was especially popular from 1958 to 1964 in two major forms. The first is inst ...

punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...

J-pop J-pop (often stylized in all caps; an abbreviated form of "Japanese popular music"), natively known simply as , is the name for a form of popular music that entered the musical mainstream of Japan in the 1990s. Modern J-pop has its roots in trad ...

History

In June 1998, Yumi Nakashima (nicknamed Yuu) and Akiko Hamada (nicknamed Akko), both

alumnae Alumni (: alumnus () or alumna ()) are former students or graduates of a school, college, or university. The feminine plural alumnae is sometimes used for groups of women, and alums (: alum) or alumns (: alumn) as gender-neutral alternatives. Th ...

of the same year at Shoyo High School in

Kagoshima , is the capital Cities of Japan, city of Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 583,966 in 285,992 households, and a population density of 1100 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Etymology While the ...

Kyūshū is the third-largest island of Japan's four main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands (i.e. excluding Okinawa and the other Ryukyu (''Nansei'') Islands). In the past, it has been known as , and . The historical regio ...

, formed a band with the goal of participating in a national competition. They had previously played together in a Judy and Mary cover band while in high school along with three other girls from their school. The band broke up when the members graduated; Yuu and Akko wanted to continue but the other members did not. In college, Yuu and Akko formed a new band, along with a boy who played the drums and was the same age as them. In November 1998 they participated in the Yamaha Music Foundation's ''Teens' Music Festival'' as Go Go 7188. They didn't win the grand prize but their performance was seen by their future producer and later the band was signed to the talent agenc
breast/milia
Drummer Takayuki Hosokawa (nicknamed Turkey) joined Go!Go!7188 in 1999, and the band then signed with major label Capitol Music (

Toshiba-EMI , formerly , was one of Japan's leading music companies. It became a wholly owned subsidiary of British music company EMI Group Ltd. on June 30, 2007, after Toshiba sold off its previous 45% stake. Its CEO and president was Kazuhiko Koike. Wh ...

). They went to Tokyo in February 2000, and started recording on the same day they arrived. Their first single, "Taiyō," was released a few months later on June 28. Go!Go!7188 starting recording their debut album in September of that year with plans to release it in December. The album, '' Dasoku Hokō'', was released on December 6, 2000, and peaked at number 25 on the

Oricon albums chart The Oricon Albums Chart is the Japanese music industry standard albums popularity chart issued daily, weekly, monthly and yearly by Oricon. Oricon originally published LP, CT, Cartridge and CD charts prior to the establishment of the Oricon A ...

. In April 2001, "Dotanba de Cancel" was released as the first single from Go!Go!7188's follow up album. Reviewers noted the song's sad melody and lyrics, which stood in contrast to their usually upbeat material. Later that year, on August 5, the band played at the

Rock In Japan Festival The Rock in Japan Festival is an annual three-day rock festival A rock festival is an open-air rock concert featuring many different performers, typically spread over two or three days and having a campsite and other amenities and forms of ...

for the first time. Go!Go!7188 released their second album, '' Gyotaku'', on November 21, 2001. Reviewers pointed out the "garage-style" rock, melodies "filled with

Taishō era The was a period in the history of Japan dating from 30 July 1912 to 25 December 1926, coinciding with the reign of Emperor Taishō. The new emperor was a sickly man, which prompted the shift in political power from the old oligarchic group ...

romanticism" and "well-constructed key changes" present in the songs. The album surpassed its predecessor, reaching 17 on the Oricon chart. The following year, on July 10, Go!Go! released their first cover album, titled '' Tora no Ana''. The tracklist included covers of "

Shōwa era The was a historical period of History of Japan, Japanese history corresponding to the reign of Emperor Shōwa (Hirohito) from December 25, 1926, until Death and state funeral of Hirohito, his death on January 7, 1989. It was preceded by the T ...

pop songs and anime songs." As part of the promotion of the album, Toshiba EMI held a contest with a one million yen prize. Later in 2002, on October 9, the band released "Ukifune," the first single from their subsequent original album. The song, based on a story of Ukifune from

The Tale of Genji is a classic work of Japanese literature written by the noblewoman, poet, and lady-in-waiting Murasaki Shikibu around the peak of the Heian period, in the early 11th century. It is one of history's first novels, the first by a woman to have wo ...

, combined "Japanese taste with rock," resulting in a sound which "drip edmalevolent mystery." The single peaked at number 12 on the Oricon chart. On February 26, 2003, Go!Go!7188 released '' Tategami'', their third original album. The new collection of songs "demonstrate a

post-punk Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of music that emerged in late 1977 in the wake of punk rock. Post-punk musicians departed from punk's fundamental elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a broader, more experiment ...

influence" and " rewon the sounds of postwar ' kayoukyoku' pop music." Additionally, the band's sound and lyrics on the new album were described as having more depth and power, resulting in the group becoming "a more exciting force." The album reached number five on the Oricon albums chart. Later in the year, on August 2, Go!Go! played at the Summer Sonic music festival in Tokyo. Later in 2003, on August 8, Go!Go! released the single "Ruriiro." It was described as "slightly spooky" and having an "Arabian-style sound." The song's music video was directed by Higuchinsky. A few months later, on October 8, Akko released her first solo album, ''Kirari,'' under the name of Akiko Hamada. On February 25, 2004, Yuu released her solo album ''Ten no Mikaku''. It featured jazz and cabaret-style music and incorporated

sanshin The is a Ryukyu Islands, Ryukyuan musical instrument and precursor of the mainland Japanese (). Often likened to a banjo, it consists of a snakeskin-covered body, neck and three strings. Origins The sanshin is believed to have originated fro ...

kokyū The is the only traditional Japanese string instrument played with a bow (music), bow. A variant of the instrument also exists in Okinawa Prefecture, Okinawa, called () in Okinawan language, Okinawan. The , like the , has its origins in Oki ...

and strings on some tracks, with only one track featuring Yuu on guitar. Later that year, on October 27, Go!Go!7188 released their fourth original album, titled '' Ryūzetsuran''. The band embarked on a nationwide tour the following month, which included a date at the famed

Nippon Budokan The , often shortened to simply Budokan, is an indoor arena in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. It was originally built for the inaugural Olympic judo competition in the 1964 Summer Olympics. The Budokan was a popular venue for Japanese professional wres ...

on December 21. The footage and audio from the concert was later released on DVD and as the band's second live album on March 16, 2005. In 2005, Yuu formed a new band, Chirinuruwowaka, which differed from Go!Go!7188 by the inclusion of a second guitarist. The band released their debut album, ''

Iroha The is a Japanese poem. Originally the poem was attributed to Kūkai, the founder of Shingon Buddhism, but more modern research has found the date of composition to be later in the Heian period (794–1179). The first record of its existence ...

'', on September 28, 2005. On November 2 of that year, Akko released her second solo album, ''Aruyoude Naiyoude, Arumono.'' It was inspired by her travels to such places as

Fukuoka is the List of Japanese cities by population, sixth-largest city in Japan and the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. The city is built along the shores of Hakata Bay, and has been a center of international commerce since ancient times. ...

, Aso and Nakashibetsu and featured elements of jazz, rock and experimental music. On October 1, 2006, Akko announced on her official site that she had gotten married and had changed her legal name to Akiko Noma. That same month, Go!Go!7188 released their fifth studio album, ''Parade''. The band commented that after pursuing solo activities in the previous year, they had learned that they "did music for fun," which provided the focus for making the album. In early 2007, Go!Go!7188 transferred to BMG Japan. That March, the band carried out their first tour of the United States as part of the multi-band Japan Nite tour, including performances in New York City, Los Angeles, and at

SXSW South by Southwest (SXSW) is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and Convention (meeting), conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Texas. It began in 1987 and has conti ...

in Austin, Texas. Later that year, in August, Go!Go!7188 returned to the United States for a second tour, playing at

Musikfest ''Musikfest'' is an American music festival that has been held annually since 1984 in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania. It is the nation's largest non-gated free music festival. The festival begins on ...

in Bethel, Pennsylvania, as well as concerts in New York City and Chicago. On October 24, 2007, Go!Go!7188 released their sixth album and first on BMG Japan, '' 569'' (pronounced Go Rock). Four days before the album was available in stores, the band made all of the tracks available on their

MySpace Myspace (formerly stylized as MySpace, currently myspace; and sometimes my␣, with an elongated Whitespace character#Substitute images, open box symbol) is a social networking service based in the United States. Launched on August 1, 2003, it w ...

page. The next year, on May 28, Go!Go!7188 released their second cover album, titled ''Tora no Ana 2''. Regarding the songs included on the album, Akko stated that the band tried to make each one show off their best parts. Each track was arranged into the "Go!Go! rock style," such as their surf rock version of Pink Lady's " Nagisa no Sinbad" and cover of Spitz's "Spider" incorporating the intro from " There She Goes" by

The La's The La's were an English rock band from Liverpool, originally active from 1983 until 1992. Fronted by singer, songwriter and guitarist Lee Mavers, the group are best known for their hit single " There She Goes". The band was formed by Mike ...

. Also on May 28, 2008, Go!Go! released the single "Kataomoi Fighter," which was written for the ending theme of the

Itazura na Kiss is a Japanese ''shōjo manga, shōjo'' manga series written and illustrated by Kaoru Tada. ''Itazura na Kiss'' was first serialized and published in 1990 by Shueisha through ''Bessatsu Margaret'' magazine. It became successful very quick ...

anime adaption. While writing the song, Yuu stated that she imagined watching the anime on TV and Akko mentioned that she wrote the lyrics while thinking about her high-school days. The single peaked at number 37 on the

Billboard Japan Hot 100 The ''Billboard Japan'' Hot 100 is a record chart in Japan for songs. It has been compiled by ''Billboard Japan'' and Hanshin Contents Link since February 2008. The chart is updated every Wednesday at Billboard-japan.com ( JST) and every Thursday ...

chart. In addition to the band featuring on the ending theme, Yuu voiced one of the characters in the eighth episode. Go!Go! released their seventh original album, '' Antenna'', on February 4, 2009. The songs on it were described as a "speedy, energetic flurry of sound." In support of the album, the band embarked on the Hentena Tour in March but had to postpone it in May when Akko was diagnosed with a

retinal detachment Retinal detachment is a condition where the retina pulls away from the tissue underneath it. It may start in a small area, but without quick treatment, it can spread across the entire retina, leading to serious vision loss and possibly blindness. ...

. The tour resumed a few months later in August, including a date at the JCB Hall in Tokyo. In 2010, they transferred to FlyingStar Records (Victor Entertainment). On June 2, Go!Go! released their eighth and final studio album, '' Go!!Go!Go!Go!!'' The album reached number 10 on the

Billboard Japan ''Billboard Japan'' is a sister organization of the U.S.-based music magazine '' Billboard''. It is operated by the Japanese Osaka-based company Hanshin Contents Link (a subsidiary of Hanshin Electric Railway), holding an exclusive licence fr ...

Top Albums chart. On February 10, 2012, the band announced on their website that they were disbanding. In 2019, Yuu and Akko reunited, writing and recording two songs for actress and creative artist

Non Non, non or NON can refer to: * ''Non'', a negatory word in French, Italian and Latin People *Non (given name) *Non Boonjumnong (born 1982), Thai amateur boxer * Rena Nōnen (born 1993), Japanese actress who uses the stage name "Non" since July ...

, which appeared on her ''Baby Face'' mini-album released that June.

Members

* , Real name: is the lead

vocalist Singing is the art of creating music with the voice. It is the oldest form of musical expression, and the human voice can be considered the first musical instrument. The definition of singing varies across sources. Some sources define singi ...

guitarist A guitarist (or a guitar player) is a person who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of guitar family instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselve ...

, and

songwriter A songwriter is a person who creates musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music genre and film scoring. ...

. Released a solo album, ''Ten no Mikaku'' as Yuu, in 2004. Released the album ''Iroha'' with side band, Chirinuruwowaka in 2005. * , Real name: is the

bassist A bassist (also known as a bass player or bass guitarist) is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass (upright bass, contrabass, wood bass), bass guitar (electric bass, acoustic bass), keyboard bass (synth bass) or a low br ...

, backup vocalist, and

lyricist A lyricist is a writer who writes lyrics (the spoken words), as opposed to a composer, who writes the song's music which may include but not limited to the melody, harmony, arrangement and accompaniment. Royalties A lyricist's income derives ...

. Released a solo album, ''Kirari'' under her real name in 2003. Second solo album, ''Aru yō de nai yō de, aru mono'', was released on November 2, 2005. * , Real name: is the drummer, additional vocals.

Discography

Singles

# ''Taiyō'' (太陽, "Sun") (June 28, 2000) # ''Jet Ninjin'' (ジェットにんぢん, "Jet Carrot") (August 30, 2000) # ''Koi no Uta'' (こいのうた, "Love Song") (October 25, 2000) # ''Mushi '98'' (むし'98, "Bug '98") (November 16, 2000) # ''Dotanba de Cancel'' (ドタン場でキャンセル, "Last Minute Cancel") (April 11, 2001) # ''Aa Seishun'' (あぁ青春, "Ah, Youth") (July 11, 2001) # ''C7'' (October 24, 2001) # ''Ukifune'' (浮舟," Ukifune") (October 9, 2002) # ''Tane'' (種, "Seed") (April 25, 2003) # ''Ruriiro'' (瑠璃色, "Color of Lapis Lazuli") (August 6, 2003) # ''Aoi Kiretsu'' (青い亀裂, "Blue Crack") (August 25, 2004) # '' Kinkyori Ren'ai'' (近距離恋愛, "Short Distance Relationship") (September 13, 2006) # ''Manatsu no Dance Hall'' (真夏のダンスホール, "Midsummer Dance Hall") (June 28, 2007) # ''Kataomoi Fighter'' "

" first ending (片思いファイター, "Unrequited Love Fighter") (May 28, 2008) # ''Futashika Tashika'' (ふたしかたしか, "Uncertain Certainty") (January 14, 2009)

Albums

Original albums

# '' Dasoku Hokō'' (蛇足歩行) (December 6, 2000) # '' Gyotaku'' (魚磔) (November 21, 2001) # '' Tategami'' (鬣) (February 26, 2003) # '' Ryūzetsuran'' (竜舌蘭) (October 27, 2004) # ''

Parade A parade is a procession of people, usually organized along a street, often in costume, and often accompanied by marching bands, floats, or sometimes large balloons. Parades are held for a wide range of reasons, but are usually some variety ...

'' (パレード) (October 18, 2006) # '' 569'' (ゴーロック ''Go Rock'') (October 24, 2007) # '' Antenna'' (アンテナ) (February 2, 2009) # '' Go!!GO!GO!Go!!'' (June 2, 2010)

Other albums

# '' Tora no Ana'' (虎の穴) (July 10, 2002) (

cover album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

) # '' Kyū Ni Ichi Jiken'' (九・二一事件) (December 10, 2003) (

live album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track or cassette), or digital. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th centur ...

) # '' Gonbuto Tour Nippon Budōkan (Kanzen-ban)'' (ごんぶとツアー日本武道館(完全版)) (March 16, 2005) (live album) # ''Who Plays a Go-Go? ~Go!Go!7188 Amateur Tribute Album~'' (April 20, 2005) (tribute album) # '' Best of Go!Go!'' (ベストオブゴー！ゴー！) (April 15, 2006) ( best album) # ''Tora no Ana 2'' (虎の穴 2) (May 28, 2008) (cover album) # ''2man Tour Tetsuko no Hair + Open Night Family ~Yokae no Kazoku~ CD + DVD (October 29, 2008) (live album & DVD documentary)'' # ''Last Live of Go! Go! ~"Go!!Go!Go!Go!! Tour" Live 8.7.2010 Tokyo~ (March 28, 2012)'' ''(live album)'' # ''Coupling Best of GO!GO!'' (カップリングベストオブゴー! ゴー!) (May 16, 2012) (best album) # ''Very Best of Go! Go!'' (ベリー　ベスト　オブ　ゴー!ゴー!) (October 10, 2012) (best album)

DVDs and videos

# ''Go!Go!7188 Tonosama Tour 2001'' (Go!Go!7188とのさまツアー2001) (October 24, 2001) # ''Go!Go! Daieizō-sai'' (Go!Go!大映像祭!) (March 19, 2003) # ''Go!Go!7188 Gonbuto Tour Nihon Budokan'' (Go!Go!7188 ごんぶとツアー日本武道館) (March 16, 2005) # ''Go!Go! Daieizō-sai (Omake-tsuki)'' (Go!Go!大映像祭! (おまけ付)) (March 15, 2006) # ''Go!Go!7188 6.21 Jiken'' (October 29, 2008) DVD (limited & regular editions)

Radio

* Go!Go!Sakurajima (2000) * Go!Go!7188's allnightnippon-r (2000–2001) * Go!Go!7188's BeiBeiKin (2004) * Go!Go!7188's BeiBeiKin 1/2 (2005) * Go!Go!7188's BeiBeiSui 1/2 (2005–present)

References

External links

GO!GO!7188 Official Site Raafuru
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gogo7188 Japanese rock music groups Musical groups from Kagoshima Prefecture Female-fronted musical groups