BEAT CRUSADERS
BEAT CRUSADERS was formed in 1997 with Toru Hidaka as leader. Hidaka started wearing a mask to hide his face in public when he was a salaryman, and he has kept this style to this day. They bursted into the indie scene with their unique way of blending the essence of pop melodies with the speed of punk music, but in 2003 the entire lineup besides Hidaka was changed. BEAT CRUSADERS then made an equally sensational as immoral(?!) move, joining the major label DefStar, in June 2004. Their first album "P.O.A - POP ON ARRIVAL (May 2005)", a complete compilation of their first major season, became an immense hit, making "the Mask" a household name. They kept up their intensity through their second season in 2006 as well and "DAY AFTER DAY/SOLITAIRE", the official theme song of X-TRAIL JAM'05, was released in April. The following month, the split mini album "BOOOOTSY" with YOUR SONG IS GOOD was released, making up the the first part of the split trilogy. In Sep of the same year they gave out, "TONIGHT TONIGHT TONIGHT" which was used as the theme song for the popular anime "BLEACH". The music video contained the shocking image of joint appearances of 5m balloon masks (condoms) and Kaela Kimura as roadie. In Oct, "CELL No.9" with TROPICAL GORILLA, the 2nd part of the split trilogy was released. Even following their major debut, BEAT CRUSADERS songs made with their powerful indie spirits are still greeted enthusiastically by fans during tours. In the making of "NIGHT ON THE PLANET", the 3rd part of the trilogy, BEAT CRUSADERS teamed up with their close friend ASPARAGUS and together they opened the doors to a totally unique world of melancholia. In April 2007, they released their first ever CD+DVD single (limited edition) "GHOST" and only a month later they put out the original new album "EpopMAKING − Pop to no Sogu - ". On the 4th of June this year, the year that marks BEAT CRUSADERS' tenth anniversary, their next original album "popdod" will be released (FYI... June 5th is Toru Hidaka's 40th birthday). There's no question that their average age of 36 won't stop this masked gang from rocking on full throttle all through 2008!
