10-Feet

The Japanese indie trio 10-Feet, famed for intense live performances, blends an eclectic style loosely anchored in punk with elements drawn from ska, bossa nova, hip-hop, and metal. Takuma on vocals and guitar, Naoki on bass and vocals, and Kouichi on drums launched the band in Kyoto in 1997, each member already seasoned from prior projects spanning multiple genres. Takuma joked about 10-Feet's formation being "the problem child of each band getting together." Roughly three years of dominating local clubs preceded their wider push across Japan, which began when they issued a nameless debut demo in 2000 and relocated to Tokyo.

Reception there proved chilly at first: the indie label Buddy released the opening singles "April Fool" and May I Help You? in 2001, and the members spent the ensuing national tour living out of their van. Springman, their debut album, arrived in 2002 and fueled a successful touring cycle, yet a subsequent downturn forced a return to Kyoto and departure from the label. The group then founded its own imprint, Badass, whose first release was the 2003 single "Nil?".

They soon sold out a headline date at the storied Shibuya AX, and Realife—their 2004 follow-up—reached Korea in 2007, inaugurating a steady sequence of Japanese releases. 4Rest appeared in 2005 and Twister in 2006, followed by the 2007 remix EP 7 Feet, on which the band reworked its material alongside Minmi and Kj from Dragon Ash. Setbacks struck again in 2007 when Takuma developed a throat illness and a typhoon over Kyoto canceled the comeback show, but 10-Feet rebounded with Vandalize in 2008 and performed across Japan plus Taiwan and the States. Their sixth full-length, Life Is Sweet, surfaced in 2009.