No discussion of Japan’s underground idol scene would be complete without mentioning music production company WACK.

The 2010s marked a major upsurge in the underground idol scene, so much so that the name ‘Idol Sengoku Jidai(Idol Wars Era)’ was given to the period. Before this, idols often released their music mainly through television and other media, and performed in large halls and live venues.

However, from around 2010, there was an increase in the number of live idols, such as Momoiro Clover Z and Denpa Gumi Inc, who performed daily at live houses and other venues to showcase their music. As a result, music genres became more diverse, with idols adopting not only J-POP but also various other music genres such as rock, soul music, r&b and dance music.

The founder of WACK, Junnosuke Watanabe, is a big music fan and is particularly influenced by British rock and US rock music. By combining alternative rock, melodic punk, hardcore, grunge and other rock-oriented music with idols, Watanabe was able to attract an enthusiastic core group of music fans outside the traditional idol fanbase.

The idol group that started it all was BiS. Formed in 2010, prior to Watanabe establishing WACK, they created a huge wave by combining band sounds with emotional melodies and sensational promotions.The music video for ‘My lxxx’, in which the idols appear to be running naked through the forest, was a particular sensation. The music video was inspired by Sigur Rós’ music videos, but had a huge impact, partly because it was an idea that did not exist in the existing idol scene.

After receiving support mainly from core music fans, BiS disbanded on 8 July 2014 at the Yokohama Arena to a crowd of roughly 6,000. Although they were only active for less than four years, they left a huge mark not only on the idol scene but also on the Japanese music scene, making such an impact that they have since become legends.

Watanabe formed WACK on 3 August 2014, shortly after the break-up of BiS. On 14 January 2015, Watanabe declared that he was “starting BiS all over again” and launched BiSH, which followed the rock songs created by BiS, but also used the same kind of promotion that Malcolm McLaren had established with the Sex Pistols. BiSH also took on challenging measures such as live-on-board promotions and guerrilla CD releases.

What was very different from BiS was the audience response: whereas BiS had a main support base of core music fans, mainly in live venues, BiSH gained a larger audience . As the idol scene matured, listeners’ musical curiosity grew and those who had not seen the legendary BiS discovered BiSH and were attracted by their musicality and live performances.

The scale of their live performances and the enthusiasm of the audience grew at an accelerated rate, and on 29th June 2023,at the height of their popularity, the group disbanded, attracting around 50,000 people to the Tokyo Dome.

CENT CHiHiRO CHiTTiii who was a member of the group, said on the NTV music programme MUSIC BLOOD why the group disbanded at the height of their popularity.

Many people asked why the timing was chosen, but producer Watanabe, who has a history of creating and then destroying things, wanted BiSH to disband when they were at their brightest and coolest. BiSH’s predecessor group, BiS, also disbanded at the height of their popularity. When Mr Watanabe told us about these thoughts, he asked us, ‘What do you think? After that, the members discussed it over and over again, and in the end we all decided together.

It is truly an event that shows the aesthetics of Junnosuke Watanabe, and a symbolic disbandment that demonstrates his ability to perform.

Since its inception in 2014, WACK has produced a number of idol groups in addition to BiSH. BiS, which disbanded once, has been revived twice with different members. Other groups with different characteristics include GANG PARADE, ExWHYZ (ex EMPiRE), MAMESHiBA NO TAiGUN TONAI BOUSHO a.k.a. MONSTER IDOL, ASP, BiTE A SHOCK, and many more. WACK is characterized by the freedom to cross musical genres in a very flexible way: not only rock, but also EDM, house music, and techno, as well as using idol-like idol songs as a motif.

Ten years have passed since the formation of WACK. Junnosuke Watanabe left his position as WACK’s representative and went to graduate school in the UK. While studying British culture, he regularly holds the live event “WACK in the U.K.” at live houses in the U.K. He invites idol groups that belong to WACK and tries to convey Japanese idol culture. In his column on this website, Watanabe writes about his thoughts on successfully completing BiSH’s farewell concert. The Japanese idol scene is very diverse.

The idol scene in Japan is very diverse and interesting. WACK’s journey has only just begun.