The history of L'Arc~en~Ciel began in 1991 when Tetsu, after hearing Hyde singing in “Jerusalem’s Rod”, asked him to join his band. In the beginning the band was comprised of Tetsu (leader and bassist), Hyde (vocalist), Hiro (guitarist) and Pero(drummer). In the first show, at Yanta Rakumeikan, they presented themselves as “unknown session band”. At this point only the name of the band was missing. Tetsu remembered a movie he liked called "L'Arc en Ciel" (rainbow in French) and after he checked the meaning of the name, he decided it was the right name for the band.

So they held their first live at “Nanba Rockets” in Osaka, on 30th May 1991, with the name "L'Arc en Ciel". All was going well, but on the eve of their first single recording in 1992, Hiro left the band. They needed someone who could replace him and Tetsu remembered one of his childhood... read more