Chatmonchy is an all-girl guitar rock trio originally hailing from Tokushima Prefecture. The current lineup is Eriko Hashimoto (guitar, vocals), Akiko Fukuoka (bass, chorus), and Kumiko Takahashi (drums, chorus).  The band was originally formed by Hashimoto in 2000, and had six members - two vocalists, two guitarists, a bassist, and a drummer.  When exam time rolled around in 2002, however, everybody but Hashimoto left the band to concentrate on studies.  The same year, current...

Chatmonchy is an all-girl guitar rock trio originally hailing from Tokushima Prefecture. The current lineup is Eriko Hashimoto (guitar, vocals), Akiko Fukuoka (bass, chorus), and Kumiko Takahashi (drums, chorus).  The band was originally formed by Hashimoto in 2000, and had six members - two vocalists, two guitarists, a bassist, and a drummer.  When exam time rolled around in 2002, however, everybody but Hashimoto left the band to concentrate on studies.  The same year, current bassist Fukuoka, another schoolmate, joined the band, followed by a new male drummer in 2003, who left shortly thereafter.  In 2004, Fukuoka made the acquaintance of Takahashi, who joined as drummer, filling out the current lineup.  The band soon recorded their first album, entitled chatmonchy ni naritai, selling over a thousand copies themselves in the Tokushima area.  In 2005, the band released their second album, and first on Sony's Ki/oon Records label, entitled chatmonchy has come.  Produced by Supercar's Junji Ishiwatari, the record sold over 20,000 copies.  The band has continued to release steadily on Ki/oon, and their popularity continues to increase.  Their 2009 release, Kokuhaku, debuted at number 2 on the Oricon charts.