At first glance, Kishidan looks like a mutated Japanese version of the Leningrad Cowboys, what with their ridiculous gravity-defying pompadours, dark shades and quasi-military getups. Like the Cowboys, Kishidan is a very visual, theatrical band, with a kinetic, choreographed stage show, and they also like playing loud, unsubtle rock 'n' roll. But while the Cowboys lay it on thick with the kitsch/parody, it's hard to tell with Kishidan - these guys just might be serious. Kishidan's home base is...

At first glance, Kishidan looks like a mutated Japanese version of the Leningrad Cowboys, what with their ridiculous gravity-defying pompadours, dark shades and quasi-military getups. Like the Cowboys, Kishidan is a very visual, theatrical band, with a kinetic, choreographed stage show, and they also like playing loud, unsubtle rock 'n' roll. But while the Cowboys lay it on thick with the kitsch/parody, it's hard to tell with Kishidan - these guys just might be serious. Kishidan's home base is in the Chiba Prefecture city of Kisarazu, in the gray industrial/suburban sprawl that surrounds Tokyo. The band's six members affect the "yankee" look, which refers to the gangs of young toughs whose permed hair, shaved eyebrows, wrap-around shades and ankle-length black greatcoats - parodying the Prussian-style uniforms worn by Japanese schoolboys - immediately set them apart from conventional society. They come from the same suburban turf as the bosozoku motorbike gangs, except the Yankees walk around instead of riding around on scooters. Kishidan's unquestioned leader is lead vocalist Shou Ayakouji, whose relentless energy makes up for his rather limited vocal skills. A staple of the band's stage show is a chorus of male dancers who wear undershirts and boxer shorts emblazoned with the Stars and Stripes while doing strange, calisthenics-like dance routines. But beneath the silly exterior there's a serious rock band with some good tunes. Kishidan proved popular from the word go, making it to No. 3 on the Oricon album chart with their April 2002 debut album, 1/6 Lonely Night. Kishidan's music covers various stylistic bases: hook-laden pop tunes such as One Night Carnival, rockers like God Speed You and even a nod to disco on the lushly produced "Koibito (Lover)". They also do soppy romantic ballads. Kishidan made their overseas debut in March 2004 at the South by Southwest music-biz confab in Austin, Texas, to be the bemusement of assembled media and industry types, who had expected some kind of Japanese rockabilly act - proving you can't judge a band by its haircuts. Confirmation that Kishidan is part of the J-pop mainstream came in late 2004 with the announcement that the band would take part in NHK's annual "Kohaku Uta Gassen (Red and White Song Contest)" show on New Year's Eve.