Biography
~KONO MUNE NO NAKA OMOIDE SAKI TSUZUKETE KURE~
written by: kuutamo
Fatima was formed in Tokyo in April 1998 and at the time the band consisted of 4 members:
Vocals : Hitomi (ex-Alicia and Le'Cheri),
Guitar : Mizuha (ex-Le'Cheri),
Bass : Lay (ex-Le'Cheri),
Drums : Daisuke (ex-Le'Cheri).
Later in December they released their first single 「Downer」. The CD included 2 songs: the title track 'Downer' and 'Love Me'. Presently this item is rare and really hard-to-find.
Next year Fatima drummer Daisuke decided to quit the band (June 12, 1999) and later joined 蜉蝣－Kagerou－ (September 1999), however this time as a vocalist. Fatima stopped activity and there has been no news from the band for the long 1 year and 2 months.
The situation changed for the better in early August 2000 when almost simultaneously 2 new members joined the band. First they welcomed a new drummer, Nao. A little later right after the disbandment of his own band, Zen (ex-fellow and Blanc:Noir) became the 5th member of Fatima. In his previous bands, Zen was a vocalist. But in Fatima, he decided to try his hand at playing the guitar. At the very same time the vocalist Hitomi changed his stage name and became Sanaka.
On August 9 Fatima performed with the new lineup at ON AIR WEST.
However, after a year spent in Fatima, Zen left the band (September 3, 2001). In October 2001 he formed Vanilla where he returned to the position of a vocalist (Vanilla disbanded on July 13, 2003). Presently he has his own band, Zen's deadstocktoy, which is still active but in May 2005 he announced the formation of a new band called オトガデッド－otogadead－.
It took the band only 2 months to fill Zen's position. Their new guitarist, 4ge (ex-Lure+Selene), first appeared on stage with Fatima on November 30, 2001.
While the band was playing numerous gigs and gradually forming their own fanbase, the situation with the releases was far from ideal. It has already been 3 (!!!) years since the release of their first and so far only single 「Downer」. Finally, on December 9, 2001 their new maxi single 「SSB」 came out. This time there were 3 songs on the CD including a lovely ballad 'Blue Velvet'.
Between official Fatima releases they took part in various compilations. Fatima's repertoire increased by one more song 'Anachronism' with the release of the V.A. compilation ?「Yougenkyou-mirrors of new generation-」 (Omnibus CD) on December 12, 2001.
Furthermore, the guys found time for a live side project named after their old song, Downer. However, it did not mean that the band wrote new stuff. At Downer lives they played good old Fatima songs, though with considerably heavier arrangement.
A new maxi-single came out much faster than its predecessors. The release of 「M:I-44」 was scheduled for April 5, 2002, but already on Sanaka's birthday (March 30) at their Oneman at Ikebukuro CYBER the fans were able to get a brand new copy of the single.
One of M:I-44 songs 'Shoujo to kuroozetto' (Girl and closet) appeared on the compilation of various artists, 「Shock Edge 2002」 (Omnibus CD), that came out on October 21, 2002 and consisted of 2 CDs. Other bands that participated in this release were Vanilla, Nightmare, +D'espairsRay+, Shulla, Karimero, Jinkaku radio, etc.
Sadly in October 2002 Fatima drummer, Nao, decided to give up the band. After his last and very emotional live with the band on October 27, 2002 at ROPPONGI Y2K he joined RusH (disbanded on October 26, 2003). In April 2004 he formed a new band, アリス九號-ArisuNine-.
The new drummer was introduced to the fans only 4 days later on Halloween (October 31) during the Downer live at Takadanobaba AREA. It turned out that Towa was related to Fatima in a way: in his first band, Lure+Selene, he played together with 4ge; moreover, before joining Fatima, he was the drummer of RusH! "Casting" performed, Fatima's present lineup was formed and complete.
Although Nao was loved and his decision to quit rather painful for the fans, the new guy received a most hearty welcome.
Fatima never stopped experimenting with their look. Throughout the years they tried almost everything, from medical fetish outfits to blatant sexual look (tights, leather shorts, tiny dresses, heavy makeup, hair dyed impossible colours, etc.) to fantastic fancy dresses and faerie costumes, to classic black suits. Some loved it, some hated, but no one remained unmoved.
One more year separated the release of 「M:I-44」 and Fatimafs new maxi-single ? 「Noble King Snake」, which had been sold out long before it was released. The CD came out on March 08, 2003, and divided the fans in two. While some of them considered this release to be the weakest so far, the others immediately accepted the band's desire to try different musical styles.
Apart from their own side project, Downer, which involved all Fatima members, some of them managed to get into other acts as well. Lay together with Tatsurou (MUCC), Aie (Deadman), Yuu (Merry) and Tsuyoshi (Karimero) played in a project Bluck Tlick. Mizuha took part in the recording of the CD called 「S.T.F. Session to Future」 (came out on April 1, 2003). This release contained 2 tracks, eKaroriif (Calorie) and eAtsuryokunabe (Pressure cooker), recorded by 2 session bands, The Shining Wizard and Poke, correspondingly. Mizuha played in the latter.
Since all Fatima singles (even the latest ones) were out of print, thus really hard-to-find, it was high-time for the band to make additional copies of some releases. No later than on April 5, 2003 eager fans were able to lay their hands on the 2nd presses of 3 Fatima singles simultaneously! 「SSB」, 「M:I-44」 and 「Noble King Snake」 did not differ from the corresponding 1st press editions musicwise, but were united by the style of the cover art created by 強-kyou-.
Indeed, the year of 2003 was rich in events. Releases trod on each other's heels. Already on May 5 Fatima and Vanilla presented their collaboration work - 「Korabudisuku」. It was a maxi-single containing 3 songs: Fatima's 'Mr:Imbalance-44' (Vanilla version), Vanilla's 'Carnival' (Fatima version) and a new track 'BLANCxNOIR' (performed by both bands). As a matter of fact this release was preceded by the Fatima/Vanilla [Collaboration Oneman show] at Shibuya On Air West on January 11. During this live they performed each other's songs as well as covers of other bands.
In late June - early July Fatima had a small tour together with Deadman. At the concerts people had the chance to hear Mako sing 'Blue Velvet' and Sanaka perform Deadman's 'Sakura to ame', 'Blood' and 'Mirrors'.
And in August Fatima presented their Oneman tour [Gokusaishiki Yume Esoragoto] (rough translation: Colourful dreams). And the tour was colourful indeed! Each live had a name: in Osaka - [Pink Flamingo], in Nagoya - [Betty Blue] and in Tokyo - [Golden Boy] (the latter was sold out). Moreover, the band released a one-coin CD 「Blind」 that contained one track and was sold only at these lives. For each show the CD had a different cover, although the contents were the same.
It should be noted that in spite of rather scanty discography Fatima always had a certain variety of songs to play at lives (even at long Oneman shows). Some of them have never found their way into official releases (Persona, Marvelous); others came out on various CDs (Blind, Peanut, Candy Tripper, Fortune). On August 31, 2003 one of these songs 'Peanut' was released on the compilation 「Shock Jam CD Edition.3」. Other artists presented on the CD were Doremidan, Hanamuke, Hotaru and Vidoll.
The tight live schedule for autumn 2003 was cut short by Sanaka's unexpected disease. On November 14 he was hospitalized right before the start of 7 long-awaited concerts (November 14-20 [Countdown to Premium Night]). Later it was officially announced that Sanaka had a lung disease called pneumothorax. As a result Fatima started canceling shows one after another up to December 13. Fortunately in the beginning of December Sanaka was discharged from hospital and after a couple of weeks rest he appeared at Mana's Last Year Party (December 17 at Club CITTA) as a guest where he sang Malice Mizer's 'Baroque' together with Kamijo (Lareine).
On December 25, the band performed at Takadanobaba AREA「X'mas night」LIVE＆DINNER SHOW marking their comeback. At the gig they announced the future release of a new single which was to be followed by a Oneman show.
As it was promised the new maxi-single 「Shizumu Taion」 came out on March 14, 2004. It consisted of 3 songs, including another ballad 'Shizumu Taion' and a very old track 'Candy $trippers' that was familiar to those who had seen Fatima live. Besides there also was a hidden track, which was basically an instrumental mix with bits of 'A Clockwork Orange' movie. And all that was wrapped in an awesome stylish digi-pack with the lyrics and b/w pictures of the band.
「Shizumu Taion」 reached the 5th position in the Indies single chart ORICON.
Three months later the 2nd press of the single was already on sale (June 2, 2004). Unlike the 1st press it came out in a regular CD case, had a thinner booklet and did not include the hidden track.
In October Fatima's official site Fatima Online was considerably renewed. They added a few interesting sections. Now the other members together with Towa contributed to the site in their own way. In the goods section one could buy different Fatima merchandize ? CDs, photosets, lighters, etc. (NB: orders from overseas are also accepted!). On the page they announced the future release of two new singles in 2004 and of the first mini-album in spring 2005. Moreover, on January 1, 2005 Sanaka was planning another name change.
At the lives of the Oneman tour [Taiyou wa yoru mo kagayaku] on November 15 (Nagoya), 17 (Osaka) and 26 (Tokyo) another one-coin CD 「Tsumugi Ito」 went on sale (it had a different cover for each show). Only two weeks later on December 8, 2004 they released their 6th single 「Kesenai Ame / Muchina Inochi e」. The music on these 2 singles had an absolutely different feel from their previous releases. In the interviews the members said that it was the new Fatima sound. However, a number of fans were disappointed with the new Fatima and dropped the band for good. Nevertheless, the awesome arrangements, the superb lyrics and Sanakafs improving voice attracted even more new people to Fatima.
On December 24 in Takadanobaba AREA Fatima gave a present X-mas show (it was free of charge) which they had to divide into 2 equal parts due to the fact that so many people were willing to spend their Christmas evening with the band [a live report is available in nakigoe's reports section].
A few days later Fatima Online unveiled Sanakafs new name - Kanoma. In his regular Shoxx column (which also changed the name from Dandadida to Mabuta together with its owner) Kanoma made a contest according to which people were supposed to apply for the name 'Sanaka' for their pets and all kinds of other weird things. Kanoma has made a decent choice - a piano.
New sound, new website, Sanaka's new name, the upcoming release of the first mini-album, frequent appearances in all visual kei magazines (Shoxx, Fool's Mate, Cure, etc.) and sometimes on TV (HotWave), numerous shows ? all this made the fans think that Fatima was heading in a new direction and was possibly planning to go major in the near future. However, in the midst of all these activities there came a blow! On March 30 at Beautiful Freaks #10 show in LIQUID ROOM Ebisu after the fans sang "Happy birthday!" to the vocalist, Kanoma made an important announcement that came like a thunderbolt from a clear sky: June 2005 will witness Fatimafs Last Oneman Tour [to EXIT] and the ultimate disbandment on June 28 at their Last Live ~Grand Finale~ in Shibuya O-East.
The kaisan (disbandment) decision seemed to come out of nothing. Everything went so well that it was difficult to come up with any adequate explanation for it. Moreover, the members did not provide any reasons for quite a long time which did not help to 'digest' the fact.
Still, there were 3 months left until the Last Live and a lot of concerts to perform. In April they gave 5 awesome shows united by the name [The contamination of the Kantou region project: solo performances]. Each live was dedicated to one of the members. The members themselves chose the live house, composed the setlist, made up the concept of their own show. Each live was individual and reflected the leanings and the likes of the corresponding member. One of the surprises was Zen who appeared on stage on Kanoma day (the last show) and even performed 'BLANCxNOIR' and 'Humiliate me more, Darlin' ' together with Fatima. Reports on each show are available in nakigoe's reports section.
On April 17 after the Towa live in Yokohama Fatima Online posted kaisan comments from the members. The most striking thing was that each member seemed perplexed, a bit lost and evidently not ready to accept it as a fact. Click here for the translated comments.
On April 27, 2005 Fatima finally released their first and last mini-album ? 「EXIT」. The kaisan decision had been made before they started composing songs and writing lyrics. Therefore, the whole concept of the album reflects the band's desire to say good-bye and to do it as best they can. The album consists of 7 songs: 3 absolutely new tracks ('Sakura Meiro', 'Dorii.Maazu, 'Ajisai'), 2 tracks from their latest singles ('Tsumugi Ito' and 'Kesenai Ame'), the re-mastered, highly-strung and tense version of 'Peanut' and a superb bonus track ('Fortune').
'Sakura Meiro' ("Sakura maze") sets the mood of the whole album. This beautiful and sad composition with Layfs profound melody and Kanomafs deep and complex lyrics delivers the feeling of losing and of being lost.
'Dorii.Maazu' ("Dreamers") is a magnificent piece very characteristic of Fatima. Both the melody that has the feel of the exotic Middle East composed by 4ge and Kanomafs funny lyrics bring you to the crazy and eccentric world of Fatima. An interesting fact: each member has his own vocal part in this song (even if it's just a yell).
'Ajisai' ("Hydrangea") is a kind of a farewell song which combines the upbeat melody and the sad, yet giving hope, lyrics. Bringing forth a parallel between the flower and the band, the song represents another example of Kanoma's poetic imagery which never fails him.
'Fortune', previously a live-only song and one of their best compositions both lyric-wise and music-wise, was an unexpected and most precious surprise.
A number of events took place before the Last Live.
In May Fatima gave three 2man shows in Takadanobaba AREA [Fatima vs Lareine], [Fatima vs KuRt], [Fatima vs Doremidan].
Kanoma appeared on the pages of Gothic & Lolita Bible vol.17 presenting two mythical creatures: Lamia and Hamadryades. Furthermore, he cast some light upon his after-Fatima plans. Nothing definite though, except the desire to remain in visual kei and to form a new band which would allow him to do interesting things visually and musically new for the current scene.
The last Oneman shows in Nagoya and Osaka, as well as the Last Live were quickly sold out. The tickets to the live in Takadanobaba AREA (June 26), which was added to the schedule only a few days before the start of the final tour, were sold out during only 1 hour (!!!). People who failed to buy those had to pay a fortune at online auctions for the last chance to see the band.
The night before the Last Live on Asahi TV in the digest program [Ashita Maniana] there was a super brief mentioning of the approaching event. It still seems weird that such a huge channel had to announce the disbandment and the Last Live of an indies band fairly unknown to the masses.
On June 28 a few hours before the performance Fatima Online underwent the final changes. Together with the redesign of the website they deleted the news and schedule sections.
Everything was ready for the very last show.~LAST CHAPTER~June 28, 2005, Shibuya O-East, [to Exit～Grand Finale～] Last Live. The concert began an hour later than it was scheduled. The fans had a hard time waiting to enter the hall in the super high humidity and heat. Quite a few vkei musicians made their way inside, among such there were Aya (Psycho le Cemu), Tatsurou (MUCC), Zen (ex-Fatima, Zen's deadstocktoy). The farewell show was a superb combination of cheer and sadness which was so characteristic of Fatima. Kanomafs words "it was so long, but it was so short", the acoustic Muchina inochi e with Towa on piano, the "sea" of artificial ajisai, the ballad version of Love Me with new lyrics, the nostalgic live footage projected on 2 huge screens presenting the history of Fatima, Shizumu Taion's snowfall and tears, the encore madness - these are just a few of the numerous moments that will stick in the memory for long. They left the stage through the door installed in the centre in the most heartbreaking way. After the concert the light rain started, washing away the heat but not healing the wounds.
However, it's early to draw the line yet. After the live Kanoma, 4ge and Lay posted their comments on the official BBS (click for the translation). Soon after that the 'news' section was back on the OHP and some announcements were made. Kanoma contributed a few poems and Towa continued updating "Towa no me". According to his words it is yet unclear whether the official page will stay up for long, but as long as it is running he will be adding entries on everyday life matters.
On July 21 Kanoma performed with a session band at a Lareine memorial event. The band consisted of Kanoma (vocal), Kamijo-Lareine (guitar), Michiru-MASK (guitar), Rame-Vidoll (bass), Kazumi-Lareine (drums). On August 31 he appeared in Takadanobaba AREA with another session band "ko to ko no go". Currently no details provided on who the musicians were. At the live he mostly did the covers (songs by BUCK-TICK, The Yellow Monkey, EGO-WRAPPIN' and Blankey Jet City), but ended the show with Candy $trippers.
Kanoma will continue Mabuta - his column in Shoxx (the usual practice is: when a band stops the activity its member who had a column in Shoxx automatically loses it). Shoxx editors couldn't but follow the requests of many people who asked to preserve this interesting serialization.
Currently the Fatima members are working on the DVD of the Last Live. The release date is yet to be announced, but according to Towa it is supposed to come out before the year ends.
The end of Fatima is surely the beginning of something new. However, at the present moment there is no information whether all the members are going to stay in music. The world of music would surely be empty without these five truly talented people. Towa with his shiny smile, proficient drumming and gentle piano. Lay with his devotion to music and great composing talent. Mizuha with his bright personality and flirtatious play. 4ge with his fantastic guitar skills, awesome arrangements and peculiar nature. Kanoma with his poetic gift, hypnotizing voice and fertile imagery. We love you all!
It was a beautiful dream. The memory of Fatima will always be blooming deep inside.
心からありがとう!!!
