The third BiS held their disbanding live <Finale of third BiS> on 12 (Sun) January 2025 at the Hibiya Open-Air Concert Hall in Tokyo.

BiS is a group formed in 2010, led by POUR LUI. The current BiS is in its third term, which started in June 2019, and currently there are five members include TOGGY, an original member of the third term, NANO3, HYUGA, KURENAI WORLD’S END and IKO MUGENNOKANATA, who joined in middle of the group project. In April 2024, there was a change in their activity structure and they relaunched as ‘self-sufficient idols’ with the members also acting as management, but in August they decided to disband in January 2025 because ‘it would be difficult to continue their activities any longer’.

This is BiS’s break-up live; at 17:05, as the intro to ‘Let’s Go DOUMO’ played, the five members appeared on stage and started the live with loud cheers. Even on the first song, the members’ spirits are extraordinary. HYUGA, who already had an emotional expression on her face, said: ‘Are you ready to get the hottest in the world?　Fly off the edge!!!!’ and called out the title song ‘DA DA DA DA DANCE SONG’, after which they performed their initial song ‘teacher teacher teacher’ and a series of upper-range songs. The KENKYUIN (*a common name for BiS fans) created a passionate atmosphere that was the exact opposite of the cold venue.

‘Hello! We are BiS, Brand-new idol Society, everyone who came to Hibiyayaon(*a common name for Hibiya Open-Air Concert Hall)’, and after they introduced themselves one by one, ’Let’s scream to get warmed up! KURE said, and the venue was filled with loud cheers as she shouted out to the KENKYUIN in each block. ‘Let’s keep it up, let’s have fun with loud voices!’ KURE then continued with the US-rock style ‘Telephone’ and ‘DEAD or A LiME’, before slowly singing the indie-rock style ‘KANASHIMI WO MATOU OTOKOTACHI NO KOUSHIN’, produced by Ken Taniguchi of fOUL. Then the intro to ‘Thousand crickets’. It is an early song in which the KENKYUIN, along with the members, do squats after doing preparatory exercises to the song. The songs that have created feelings of ‘unity’ in previous live performances, even as they have exhausted their physical strength, were performed with the large number of KENKYUIN gathered in the Hibiyayaon. It was a spectacular sight. Without a pause, they performed the hard rock song ‘FUCKiNG OUT’.

During the MC, HYUGA mentioned that the KENKYUIN were getting lighter and lighter dressed and said, ‘Squatting at Hibiyayaon in the midwinter, you can’t do that unless BiS, can you?　I realise that it’s the most fun to be able to live with everyone’.

When she told the audience that “today will be our last live”, the audience shouted “No! ” I’ve never felt so sorry for the time to pass as I do today, that’s why I’d like to make the best of this day and create a live with the KENKYUIN until the end. Are you ready?” and went on to one of their best-known songs, ‘BASKET BOX’.They performed the song, which is based on US melodic rock, raising their hands to the heavens left and right during the chorus. The song ‘STiLL BE CHiLD’, produced by NATSUMEN guitarist AxSxE, was refreshingly sung, followed by ‘LOVELY LOVELY’ with its cute choreography, ‘Olenimorph, Ole’, a song produced by Nakamura Koji aka Nakako (LAMA, iLL, NYANTORA, ex. Supercar), ‘I-A-TI.H.SI-NA-H.CU-KA-H.CE-MU.B-NE-Z-U-OM’, produced by Masayuki Nakano (BOOM BOOM SATELLITES) and written and composed by THE SPELLBOUND, a band formed by Masayuki Nakano and Yusuke Kobayashi (THE NOVEMBERS), they performed a continuous series of songs with a variety that is typical of BiS. Then, they sang their representative mid-term song ‘I WANT TO DiE!!!!!‘ and sang emotionally.

NANO3 says: ‘I’ve been playing this song in the hope that one day we will be in a big place, jumping with our fists up in the air and feel united. This song has become an important song that makes me feel okay. KENKYUIN, can you still follow me?’ and went on to the song ‘NAMAE WO YONDE’ produced by Yutaka Furukawa (DOPING PANDA).Before the hook of the song, the members and KENKYUIN held shoulders with each other, creating a sense of unification. With tears in her eyes, IKO shakes her voice at the sight. The initial song ‘this is not a love song’ continues strongly, followed by the emotional piano rock song ‘Tsuyogari-san’, and HYUGA says: ‘This is a song we’ve been running together for a long time. Let’s run so far that we lose track of the end’ and they sang the Age Factory produced song “R.U.N” with all their might. They then move on to their early signature song ‘BiS – DOUYARA ZOMBIE NO ODEMASHI’. From the beginning, HYUGA sings in a tearful voice. TOGGY, NANO 3, KURE and finally IKO, who sang with tears in her eyes even though they were smiling. The five members performed with full of feelings until the end and left the stage.

Without a pause, KENKYUIN shine the lights on their phones and continue to shout ‘encore’. Countless lights shone on the venue. A short time later, the five members appeared again and one by one spoke the words.

KURE: ‘I’m really thankful to be able to do the disbanding live in such a big place as Hibiyayaon. It’s because of the seniors who connected the past generations and KENKYUIN who supported us that BiS is what it is today and I am what I am today. I was given a lot of experiences and feelings that I wouldn’t have had if I had lived a usual life. Standing here today, I can say that I am very happy to have become BiS and to like BiS. I was very happy. If I can make all KENKYUIN happy, even just a little, then I’m happy to be in BiS. I want KENKYUIN to continue to spend every day with a smile on their faces. Thank you so much for supporting me for almost two years.’

IKO: ‘KENKYUIN have always been by my side, accepted me, called me lots of names, and I am really thankful to you for bringing me up as IKO MUGENNOKANATA. I really love this space that we create with these members and KENKYUIN, and I’m really, really happy to have lived as BiS for the past two years. Today will be the last memory that I make with KENKYUIN. I’m going to make you feel sad, but please keep smiling and be happy from now on. Thank you so much for everything you’ve done for me.’

HYUGA: ‘It wasn’t a long time, about two years and a bit, but I’ve experienced so much fun, happiness, sadness and hardship here that I can’t even begin to count it. We are here now because of KENKYUIN. No matter how far apart we are, we love the same music, we love the same BiS, and we’re so happy to have lived until today. Thank you for showing us so many faces that made us laugh and cry. Thank you so much for coming to meet us. Thank you so much for everything you’ve done for us.’

NANO 3: ‘From the time we announced our disbandment until today, I’ve been looking back on the time we’ve spent together and organising all sorts of feelings until today.The time I spent with BiS was of course a lot of fun and a lot of happiness, but there were also times when I felt like I couldn’t do anything about it. But I met BiS, which I wouldn’t have been able to experience if I had lived a usual life, and there were many emotions that I wouldn’t have known about if I hadn’t met KENKYUIN in this way. Even if I feel like I’m going to lose heart in the future, remembering BiS and remembering KENKYUIN, I think I’ll be able to continue to live positively. I will cherish all the things that everyone has given me and I will never forget them and continue to live my life. I hope that supporting BiS and being KENKYUIN will be a happy memory for everyone, and I hope that everyone I met in this way will keep smiling and stay healthy forever. Thank you so much for everything you have done for me.’

TOGGY: ‘Thank you so much for choosing to come to BiS’s live amongst all the different options, and thank you so much for coming today. There were many more dreams that I really wanted to fulfil in BiS, but when I think back to the days that I ran through with KENKYUIN over the past five years, they were filled with happy memories. I am really glad that we have continued to this point today. Did everyone have a good time today?　(loud applause) I hope that BiS and KENKYUIN will continue to live a long and happy life, doing whatever they want to do. We will definitely live happily, so let’s all live happily! Thank you so much for everything until today.’

Then TOGGY said ‘I’m going to sing a song that is important to BiS’ and went on to ‘TOUCH ME’. Before the hook of the song, the venue was coloured with colourful glow sticks and the five members performed Age Factory produced song ‘Sakura’, ‘CURTAiN CALL’ and ‘STUPiD’ with full of smiles and even tears until the end as BiS.

TEXT by Hiroo Nishizawa
Photo by Kenta Sotobayashi