WANDS

Overview

WANDS (ワンズ) is a Japanese rock band formed in 1991 by keyboardist Kosuke Oshima, guitarist Hiroshi Shibasaki and vocalist Show Wesugi through producer Daiko Nagato. They debuted in December 1991 with the single "Sabishisa wa Aki no Iro". Their collaboration with Miho Nakayama, "Sekaijū no Dare Yori Kitto", broke them into the mainstream, and in 1993 they won the Artist of the Year award at the 8th Japan Gold Disc Award. The band disbanded in 2000 and reunited in 2019.

Name

Producer Daiko Nagato named the band after the Ace of Wands in tarot, which stands for ideals and moving toward one's passion. Another account says the name came from the initials of Wesugi and Shibasaki: "Wesugi AND Shibasaki".

Career

1991–1996: First and second periods

Wesugi was a fan of Axl Rose, Shibasaki joined through the BAD Audition, and Oshima had toured the US as a support musician for Loudness. They formed in September 1991 and debuted on 4 December 1991 with "Sabishisa wa Aki no Iro", Wesugi's first lyric. Oshima's song "Furimuite Dakishimete" became their first self-written single, and he left around the time of the third single "Motto Tsuyoku Dakishimeta Nara" to form SO-Fi.

Shinya Kimura joined as keyboardist. The collaboration "Sekaijū no Dare Yori Kitto" with Miho Nakayama came first; when Nakayama performed it at the 1992 Kōhaku Uta Gassen, WANDS appeared in support. "Motto Tsuyoku Dakishimeta Nara" reached No. 1 on Oricon in its 28th week of charting and became a million-seller.

In 1993 the fourth single "Toki no Tobira" sold over 1.44 million copies, and the fifth single "Ai wo Kataru yori Kuchizuke wo Kawaso" also sold a million. The second album Toki no Tobira, released the same day as that single, sold over 1.6 million copies and was the second best-selling album of 1993 after ZARD's "Yureru Omoi". Single and album debuted at No. 1 together and held the top spot for four consecutive weeks. The third album Little Bit… was the tenth best-selling album of the year. They held their first live show, "VIDEO SHOOTING", at Shibuya ON AIR EAST in December, and that year's sales of 4,112,008 singles and 3,187,564 albums earned the Japan Gold Disc Award.

The June 1994 single "Sekai ga Owaru made wa..." is WANDS's last million-selling single. From the 1995 single "Secret Night (It's My Treat)" and the fourth album Piece of My Soul, the band moved toward alternative rock, and the Piece of My Soul tour played 11 hall shows across Japan. "Same Side" (December 1995), the first title track composed by Wesugi and Shibasaki, pursued a grunge sound. After the February 1996 single "Worst Crime", Wesugi left over differences between the style the label wanted and the music he wished to make, and Shibasaki followed; they later formed al.ni.co.

1997–2000: Third period

Kimura re-formed the group with vocalist Jiro Waku and guitarist Issei Sugimoto. Their September 1997 single "Sabitsuita Machine Gun de Ima o Uchinukō", written by Miho Komatsu, was the ending theme of the anime Dragon Ball GT. "Ashita moshi Kimi ga kowaretemo", written by Izumi Sakai, was used as a closing theme for Yu-Gi-Oh!. The band disbanded in 2000.

2019 onward: Fifth period

Nineteen years after the breakup, Shibasaki, Oshima and new vocalist Daishi Uehara discussed a revival. Kimura joined in place of Oshima, and the band restarted in November 2019. Beginning with the 16th single "Makka na Lip" in January 2020, they kept releasing music steadily, appeared at JAPAN JAM and Animelo Summer Live, and played a joint show with BREAKERZ in 2022. On 22 July 2026 they announced that the fifth period would end with a tour in March 2027.

Musical style

The band first won wide popularity with pop-oriented love songs, then, under Wesugi's direction, moved toward alternative rock and grunge from the mid-1990s. Wesugi admired Guns N' Roses and Loudness.