By-Sexual
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1988 in Osaka, Japan |
| Defunct | 1998 (original disbandment) |
| Fate | Disbanded (1998), reunited (2011) |
| Headquarters | Osaka , Japan |
| Products | Music albums, singles, live performances |
By-Sexual (presented as BY-SEXUAL) was a Japanese visual kei punk rock ensemble originating from Osaka, active between 1988 and 1995. Following the departure of lead singer Sho in 1995, the band went on hiatus but recommenced activities in August 1996 under the name By-Sex (styled as BY-SEX), with Ryo assuming vocal and guitar duties. The group ultimately disbanded in February 1998 after Nao left the lineup.
On September 3, 2011, By-Sexual reunited for a charitable performance at Shinagawa Stellar, benefiting those affected by the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. At the same time, Ryo and Den joined forces with their Zigzo colleague Sakura to perform under the name By-Sex. The full original lineup came together once more for the Visual Japan Summit on October 14, 2016, and later appeared at the Chain the Rock Festival on August 26, 2017.
History
Established in April 1988 in Osaka, By-Sexual released their demo tape "Bad Boy Blues" via Free-Will records that same year. They signed with Pony Canyon and launched their major debut with "So Bad Boy" in February 1990. Their debut album, Culture Shock, was released in April and climbed to number 6 on the Oricon chart, earning distinction as one of the top albums from 1989 to 1998 according to Band Yarouze magazine.
Their song "Bakumatsu Junjoden" was chosen as the theme for the 1991 film of the identical title starring Riho Makise, achieving sales exceeding 100,000 copies.
Sho’s exit in January 1995 caused a pause in band activity; during this interval, the remaining members performed under the name Alzheimer before rebranding as By-Sex in August 1996 with Ryo taking over vocals. The band ceased operations in February 1998 following Nao’s departure.
After disbanding, Sho briefly pursued solo work before shifting to music management and eventually retiring from performing. Ryo and Den established several projects including Zigzo, Pt. (Platinum), and Test-No.. Meanwhile, Nao became part of Nitro (later Food), Nakata Band (which evolved into The Heavenly Curve), and Badub. Den and Nao also contributed as supporting musicians for Machine, a duo comprising members from Penicillin (band) and Spread Beaver.
On May 9, 2011, By-Sexual announced a one-off reunion concert with all proceeds directed to the Japanese Red Cross for earthquake relief efforts. Their first live show in sixteen years attracted an audience of around 2,000 at Shinagawa Stellar on September 3. Concurrently, Ryo and Den revived By-Sex alongside Sakura, releasing the mini-album Ago on August 17 and performing at the Chain the Rock Festival two days later.
In August 2014, Ryo and Sho delivered an acoustic performance together at Chain the Rock Festival.
By-Sexual regrouped once again for the Visual Japan Summit held at Makuhari Messe on October 14, 2016, featuring a guest appearance by Hisashi from Glay. They also took part in the second evening of Chain the Rock Festival’s tenth anniversary celebration on August 26, 2017.
Members
- By-Sexual
- Sho Yamanoi – vocals (1988–1995, 2011, 2016, 2017)
- Ryoji "Ryo" Okamoto – guitar (1988–1995, 2011, 2016, 2017), (Zigzo, Pt., Test-No.)
- Hiroyuki "Den" Onishi – bass (1988–1995, 2011, 2016, 2017), (Sister's No Future, Zigzo, Pt., Test-No.)
- Naoyuki "Nao" Fujimoto – drums (1988–1995, 2011, 2016, 2017), (Nitro/Food, Nakata Band/The Heavenly Curve, Badub)
- By-Sex
- Ryoji "Ryo" Okamoto – vocals, guitar (1996–1998, 2011)
- Hiroyuki "Den" Onishi – bass (1996–1998, 2011)
- Naoyuki "Nao" Fujimoto – drums (1996–1998)
- Yasunori "Sakura" Sakurazawa – drums (2011), (L'Arc~en~Ciel, Zigzo, Sons of All Pussys, Lion Heads, Rayflower)
Under the name By-Sexual
- Studio albums
- Culture Shock (April 21, 1990) achieved a peak of No. 6 on the Oricon Albums Chart
- Sexuality (November 14, 1990), reached No. 5
- Cracker (October 9, 1991), peaked at No. 5
- 4D Pocket (September 18, 1992), attained No. 9
- Coupling Party (November 20, 1992), climbed to No. 14
- Young Spirits (June 2, 1993), positioned at No. 21
- 94 Love (April 6, 1994), also secured No. 21
- Cool (November 18, 1994), reached No. 40
- Compilation albums
- Album (April 5, 1995), peaked at No. 34
- Anthology By-Sexual Best (December 18, 2002)
- Platinum Best (July 19, 2017), charted at No. 256
- Singles
- "So Bad Boy" (February 21, 1990) reached No. 16 on the Oricon Singles Chart
- "Be Free" (March 21, 1990), peaked at No. 14
- "Get, Start, Don't Stop, Go Go!" (July 25, 1990), attained No. 12
- "Flapper" (October 24, 1990), climbed to No. 8
- "Dynamite Girl" (April 24, 1991), reached No. 14
- "Bakumatsu Junjoden/Okita Sousi wa B Cup" (June 21, 1991), peaked at No. 12
- "Hysteric" (September 21, 1991), also attained No. 12
- "Hurry Up! Let It Go!" (January 1, 1992), positioned at No. 20
- "Deep Kiss" (September 18, 1992), reached No. 25
- "Thank You for Smile" (May 21, 1993), charted at No. 56
- "Media Junky" (September 17, 1993), peaked at No. 43
- "Romantic" (March 18, 1994), attained No. 56
- "Cool Heart" (October 21, 1994), reached No. 66
- Demo recordings
- "Bad Boy Blues" (1988)
- Home video releases
- Film By-Sexual series spanning from 1991 to 1999
- By-Sexual MVP '90-'94 Music Video Parade issued on May 20, 1994
- Publications
- Penalty Area released in June 1991
- In and Out of By-Sexual Kaizoku Ban published December 1991
- Kongetsu no By-Chan!! issued September 1993
Under the name By-Sex
- Ago released August 17, 2011