Biography

When someone begins to be interested to the world of modern Japanese music, one of the first groups that meets is just L'Arc~en~ciel. It's because, than their decennial career, every new album is a success and the songs always of optimal.
But we see as this group is born and what is their history from the beginning today...

1991

February: Tetsu decided with his friend Hiro, to put with band in a which he sung and his friend played the guitar. After a session of the "Jerusalem Rod" in which Pero was the drummer and Hyde the vocalist, Tetsu decided to play bass, Hyde sung and Pero would have been the drummer

April: first show at "Yanta Rakumeikan" with name "unknown session band". Than this session Tetsu found, thanks to a film, the name of the group: L'Arc~en~Ciel (rainbow in French. Litteraly "the ark in the sky")

May: first group's show with the name "L'Arc~en~Ciel" at "Nanba Rockets" with this role: Hyde as vocalist, Tetsu as bassist, Hiro as guitarist, Pero as drummer

August - December: they made other lives in Kansai and Kanto. They were all a success.

1992

June: Hiro left the group just after recording of their debut single. Ken repleaced him to record the single and then became a member definitively

October: single "Voice" released

November: single "Flood of Tears" released in limited edition of 1000 copies

December: Pero left the group

1993

January: Sakura joined the group as drummer, to replace Pero

April: first indies album "Dune" released

June-July: L'Arc~en~Ciel first tour "Close by DUNE" with 10 stages

August: live "Close by DUNE FINAL" at Shinjuku Nisshin Power Station

November - December: tour "FEEL OF DUNE" with 14 stages

1994

July: Ki/oon recors released "Tierra" and the group became major. L'Arc~en~Ciel made tour "Sense of Time '94"

October: Ki/oon records released "Blurry Eyes", that was the opening of the anime "Dna2"

1995

February: Official fanclub "Le Ciel" open

May - June: video "And she Said" released and tour "in CLUB '95" with 19 stages

July: single "Vivid Colors" released and the song was the ending of "GuruGuru"

September: second album "heavenly" released and the tour "heavenly tour '95" with 7 stages (tickets sold out)

October: single "Natsu no Yuutsu (time to say good-bye) released

December: minitour "The Other side of heavenly '95" with only 3 stages. In the same month "heavenly christmas box" released and made another live: "heavenly '95 final". The tickets sold out in 28 minutes

1996

March: "Heavenly film", photobook "heavenly Photographs" and "heavenly films" released

April - May: tour "Kiss me deadly heavenly '96" with 24 stages

July: single "kaze ni kienaide" released

November: single "Lies and Truth c/w Sai ha Nagareta" released

December: album "True" released and they began the tour "Carnival of True"

1997

March: erased the release of the single "The Fourth Avenue Café" in which D'ARC~EN~CIEL would had the first recorder

April: Sakura arrestet for drug possession and then he left the band. However the group didn't split up but only suspend thei activity

October: single "Niji" released with Yukihiro as temporary drummer, ex Die in Cries

December: L'Arc~en~Ciel's return live "REINCARNATION" at Tokyo Dome. In this live they presented their new drummer: Yukihiro. The tickets of this live sold out in only 4 minutes; it was the fatest sale since the Dome was opened

1998

January: Yukihiro joined the group officially and the single "winter fall" released

February: fifth album "HEART" released

March: single "DIVE TO BLUE" released

April: video "A PIECE OF REINCARNATION" released and the live video - The Zombies Live Tour "NIGHT MARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS EVE" distribuited by lottery

June - September: L'Arc~en~Ciel tour "Heart ni hi wo tsukero! - Light my Fire". In the same time "HONEY", "Kasou" and "Shinshouku ~ lose control" released

October: singles "snow drop" and "Forbidden Lover" released

December: live video of the tour "Heart ni hi wo tsukero! - Light my Fire" released.

1999

January: photobook "L'Arc~en~Ciel Live" released

February: photobook "L'Arc~en~Ciel LIFE" released

April: single "HEAVEN'S DRIVE" released

June: single "Pieces" released

July: in the same time "ark" and "ray" released in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Thailandia, Malaisia, Singapore, Philippine and Japan. Started "1999 GRAND CROSS TOUR"

August: the tour ended and single "Driver's high" released. The song was the opening of the anime "G.T.O". Dvd "Chronicle" released together with the dvd of "A PIECE OF REINCARNATION" and "Hart ni hi wo tsukero!"

October: single "LOVE FLIES" released

December: dvd/vhs "1999 GRAND CROSS CONCLUSION" released

2000

January: single "NEO UNIVERSE" released

June: album "ectomorphed works" released

July: single "STAY AWAY" released

August: album "REAL" released

October: L'Arc~en~Ciel started the tour "Club Circuit 2000 REALIVE" with 5 stages

November: started the "Tour 2000 REAL"

2001

January: On-line started by fans the vote of the best singles

March: album "Clicked Singles Best 13" released, in which there's the results of the vote

June: dvd/vhs "CLUB CIRCUIT 200 REAL NO-CUT" released. Tetsu started his solo work as the other members of the group

September: single "Spirit dreams inside -another dream-" released

2002-2003

L'Arc~en~Ciel's solo works

2003

June - July: L'Arc~en~Ciel made seven lives in seven days, the "Shibuya Seven Days"

December: dvd "7", "Nemuri ni yosete", "Siesta~Film of Dreams~", "And She Said", "heavenly~films" released and "A PIECE OF REINCARNATION" and "Light My Fire" released at lower price

2004

February: single "READY STEADY GO" released. The song was the opening of "Fullmetal Alchemist"

March: album "SMILE" released

April: album "Dune 10th Anniversary Edition" released with three other tracks: "Flood of Tears", "Yasouka" and "Yokan"

May - June: tour "SMILE" and single "Jiyuu eno Shoutai" released

July: L'Arc~en~Ciel made their first live in United States

September: photobook "LIVE DOCUMENT PHOTOGRAPHS - SMILE TOUR 2004" released

Dedcember: dvd "LIVE IN U.S.A - 1st Mariner Arena" released

2005

January: single "Killing Me" released

April: single "New World" released

May: single "Jyojyoushi" released

June: dvd "SMILW TOUR" and album "AWAKE" released

July: single "Link" released

July - August: tour "AWAKE"

September: L'Arc~en~Ciel made four lives in Korea, China and Japan: the "ASIALIVE 2005"

November: photobook "ASIALIVE 2005 Document Photographs" released

December: dvd "AWAKE TOUR 2005" released

2006

L'Arc~en~Ciel 15th anniversary

June: dvd "ASIALIVE 2005" released and the members continue their solo works

August: single from "Blurry Eyes" to "Forbidden Lover" reissue

November: L'Arc, for their 15th anniversary, made two lives called "15th L'Anniversary Live" at Tokyo Dome. The tracklist made by fans by on-line vote. The tickets sold out and there's about one hundred thousand fans

December: "ark" and "ray" reissue with dvd and the "15th L'Anniversary Live" show in 25 different States

2007

February: dvd "CHRONICLE 0 -ZERO-" released

March: "Feeling Fine" used as commercial song for the Kirin beer in Taiwan

April: dvd "FIVE LIVE ARCHIVES" released

May: single "SEVENTH HEAVEN" released

June-August: tour "Are you ready 2007 - Mata heart ni hi o tsukero!" with other 2 performances

August: single "MY HEART DRAWS A DREAM" released. The song is the theme for Subaru CM

September: dvd "15th L'Anniversary Live" released

October: single "DAYBREAK'S BELL" released. The song is the opening theme of the anime "Gundam 00"

November: single "Hurry Xmas" and album "Kiss" released

December: dvd "CHRONICLE 3" released and the tour "2007-2008 THEATER OF KISS" started

And the story doesn't finish here...