Japan Today: 25th June 2013
TOKYO
Legendary Japanese rock band Southern All Stars on Tuesday announced
that they will reunite five years after they split. The announcement was
such big news in Japan’s entertainment world that some newspapers
handed out extras in front of train stations such as Shimbashi and
Shibuya in Tokyo. Tuesday marked the 35th anniversary of the band’s debut.
Southern All Stars will release a new CD single called “Peace and
Highlight” in August as well as play nine concerts in five
cities—Yokohama (Aug 10-11), Kobe (Aug 17-18), Chigasaki (Aug 31-Sept
1), Toyota City (Sept 7-8) and Miyagi (Sept 22).
The band announced they were splitting up in 2008 to pursue solo
projects. Frontman Keisuke Kuwata canceled a scheduled nationwide tour in 2010 to undergo surgery for cancer of the esophagus. After the
operation, he made a triumphant comeback on NHK’s New Year’s Eve program
“Kohaku Uta Gassen” on Dec 31, 2010, and in 2011, released a solo album
which rocketed to the top of Japan’s Oricon album chart. Last summer,
Kuwata released a double-CD album of 30 singles he released as a solo
artist. He has also taken part in many activities to help victims of the
March 11, 2011 disaster.
“I was wondering when they would come back. But I knew that it would
be this year. It’s their 35th anniversary, that’s why,” one excited fan
told Sports Nippon paper.
