GLIM SPANKY

Overview

GLIM SPANKY (グリムスパンキー) is a Japanese rock duo from Nagano Prefecture, made up of vocalist and guitarist Remi Matsuo and guitarist Hiroki Kamemoto. They are signed to Virgin Music (formerly EMI R), an in-house label of UNIVERSAL MUSIC JAPAN. Their retro sound, rooted in 1960s and 1970s rock and blues yet filtered through a modern sensibility, has drawn praise from artists such as Yumi Matsutoya, Maki Nomiya, Motoharu Sano, Keisuke Kuwata and Yuzo Kayama. Their stated ambition is to take on the world with Japanese-language songs. They have released seven studio albums, with 2017's Bizarre Carnival their highest-charting to date.

Career

Formation and early years (2007–2014)

Matsuo formed the band in 2007 as a first-year student at Matsukawa High School in Nagano to play covers at the school's cultural festival. Apart from the drummer, everyone was a beginner. After the festival the guitarist and bassist quit, and upperclassmen including Hiroki Kamemoto joined. They began by covering ELLEGARDEN, BUMP OF CHICKEN and ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION, but soon turned to original songs, with Matsuo writing from the start. The band name comes from Matsuo's love of Celtic culture and fantasy literature.

The band won Sony Music's Rock Banchō in December 2008, played the Famers' Heaven 09 outdoor festival in Iida in May 2009, and were among 14 finalists out of about 5,500 entrants at Senko Riot in August 2009, making their recording debut with "Shōsō" on the festival's omnibus. Kamemoto, then at Aichi Gakuin University, returned to Nagano weekly for rehearsals.

In February 2010 the bassist (Kazuya Ozawa) and drummer (Taku Mishima) left. Matsuo enrolled in Nihon University's art department and Kamemoto re-enrolled at a university in Saitama, moving to Tokyo; the duo resumed activities in April 2010, initially performing as an acoustic two-piece. After opening for FoZZtone they signed with the agency Amnis. They appeared in the documentaries ROAD SIDE#2010 and ROAD SIDE#2011, played Seiji Kameda's "Kogame Matsuri" in December 2012, and on December 4, 2013 released their first nationwide mini-album, Music Freak, through Space Shower Music, followed by the Freak on the Hill tour in March 2014.

Major debut and breakthrough (2014–2015)

On June 11, 2014, they made their major-label debut on EMI R with the mini-album Shōsō, produced by Junji Ishiwatari and including covers of Adele's "Rolling in the Deep" and Yumi Arai's "Hikōki Gumo". Their first one-man show took place at Chelsea Hotel on August 7. After Matsuo sang Janis Joplin's "Move Over" for a Suzuki commercial, the band recorded its own version as a 300-copy 7-inch vinyl on November 28. Matsuo also guested on Analogfish's "Nightfever" that year.

Kamemoto cites 2015 as the turning point in the band's popularity. Their first single "Homero yo" (February 18, 2015) was the theme of the TV Tokyo drama Taiko Mochi no Tatsujin. In May they issued the limited vinyl single "Otona ni Nattara," a film theme, and in July "Real Onigokko," then played Fuji Rock Festival's Red Marquee. Their first full-length album, Sunrise Journey (July 22, 2015), was produced by Ishiwatari and Seiji Kameda and includes "Wonder Alone," the ending theme of the anime Himitsu Kessha Taka no Tsume DO, for which the pair voiced characters based on themselves. They sold out Akasaka Blitz in October, received a Miura Jun Award, and were nominated for Next Break Artist at the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards Japan.

2016 onward

They released the mini-album Wild Side wo Ike in January 2016, hosted the first Virgin Rocks event at Shibuya eggman on March 21, and had "Yoake no Folk" chosen as the ending theme of the anime Himitsu Kessha Taka no Tsume GT, appearing in its live-action segments. They contributed a cover of "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" to a Beatles tribute album and released their second album Next One on July 20. The third album, Bizarre Carnival, followed on September 13, 2017, with the Bizarre Carnival Tour 2017–2018 beginning October 14.

Matsuo and Kamemoto have also worked outside the band. Matsuo has sung on commercial songs and as a guest vocalist, and Kamemoto appeared in Keisuke Kuwata's "Nagisa Hotel" video (2022). The duo received the 25th Shinmai Award on October 18, 2020, and appeared on NHK's The Covers: The Beatles Night II on November 20, 2025. In October 2025 Matsuo announced she was withdrawing from scheduled events due to poor health.

Musical Style

Centered on classic rock, the duo aims for a sound that is neither a mere replica of the past nor a bid for current trends. They do not insist on vintage gear, preferring modern equipment to create sounds that thrill contemporary listeners. The name combines "glim" (a faint light, evoking a goblin's fantastical image) with "spank" (an aggressive slap at the music industry), reflecting music that is at once fantastical and aggressive.

Matsuo writes most of the lyrics and music, starting with lyrics and a short acoustic demo that the pair refine together; Kamemoto then shapes the guitar riffs, bass and drum phrasing and the beat. Matsuo cites influences such as The White Stripes, The Beatles and Jack White, while Kamemoto cites Jimi Hendrix, Cream, Led Zeppelin and Radiohead. They sing in Japanese, blending world-class rock sound with Japanese elements.