8otto

8otto took shape as an Osaka-based outfit back in 1999, yet the quartet did not attract wider notice until 2004, when a name change finally brought them into view. Their sound pulls equally from overseas acts like Franz Ferdinand and from domestic peers such as Ogre You Asshole and Monobright. The band first turned heads through high-energy live sets and the uncommon sight of Masaki Maenosono handling both lead vocals and drums; under his direction the lineup—Tora on bass, Ryo on guitar and vocals, and Seiei Yoshimura on guitar—embarked on a three-month stay in the United States. After returning to Osaka they headed back across the Pacific in 2006, this time to lay down their first album, We Do Viberation, issued later that same year. The following year brought a slot at the Rising Sun Rock Festival along with the release of Real.