Artists

ハートバザール (Heart Bazaar)

Biography

Combining a fragile mix of 60s crooner pop and 90s post-punk, Heart Bazaar veers from sweetness and light one minute, roaring and aggressive the next.

Singer Ishii Satsuki's huksy voice simultaneous sounds child-like and mature. Think Chara and Marianne Faithfull in one voice.

Ishii and guitarist Suzuki Akihito first met in the winter of 1996 at a donut shop. In the summer of 1997, the two started Heart Bazaar and began playing live in Harajuku at the start of 1998.

Drummer Kokubo Takemi started out as in a supporting role later that year and became a full time member in 1999. Bass guitarist Nagai Noriko also joined that year.

Heart Bazaar signed on to Toshiba-EMI and released a series of singles in 2000, culminating into the band's debut album Saihate in 2001. That year, the band played in the SXSW festival and toured with the Japan Nite bill that included Love Psychedelico and Bleach.

The band released one last single, "Ai", in September 2001 before announcing it was spliting up in May 2002.

Members

Ishii Satsuki: vocals
Suzuki Akihito: guitar
Nagai Noriko: bass
Kokubo Takemi: drums