Japanese rock legends Yoshiki, Hyde, Sugizo and Miyavi join forces to form The Last Rockstars

(Image credit: The Last Rockstars)

A new Japanese supergroup, The Last Rockstars, was introduced to the world during a joint press conference at the Grand Hyatt hotel in Tokyo today.

The new band is made up of band leader Yoshiki – composer, pianist and drummer with X Japan, who formed 40 years ago this year – alongside L'Arc-en-Ciel and Vamps singer Hyde, former Dué Le Quartz axeman and solo star Miyavi (known as the "samurai guitarist" and for his unconventional "slap style" of playing) and Luna Sea and X Japan composer, guitarist and keyboard player Sugizo. There is no bassist.

"Rock stars are about to go extinct," said Sugizo during the press conference, "and this situation must be recovered." Later he added, "The most important thing is innovation and evolution. Rock is not just a genre, it is a philosophy.”

Asked to describe themselves using a single word, the four musicians responded with "explosion", "glamour"," potential" and "love", while Yoshiki explained the band's sound by saying, "our members are all each their own genre.”

The Last Rockstars showed a pair of teaser videos for two upcoming singles, The Last Rockstars and Psycho Love, during the press conference, and announced that the'll make their live debut with a run of four Japanese shows in January, before heading to the US the following month to perform in New York and Los Angeles. Full dates below.

Yoshiki, Miyavi and Sugizo were previously in another supergroup, S.K.I.N., who played a single show at the Long Beach Arena in Los Angeles in June 2007 – advertised as the "J-Rock concert of the century" – before calling a halt to all activity. A planned album never materialised.

The Last Rockstars: 2023 tour dates

Jan 26: Ariake Arena, Japan
Jan 27: Ariake Arena, Japan
Jan 29: Tokyo Garden Theatre, Japan
Jan 30: Tokyo Garden Theatre, Japan
Feb 04: New York Hammerstein Ballroom, NY, USA
Feb 10: Los Angeles Hollywood Palladium, CA, USA

The Last Rockstars tour poster — (Image credit: The Last Rockstars)

Online Editor at Louder/Classic Rock magazine since 2014. 40 years in music industry, online for 27. Also bylines for: Metal Hammer, Prog Magazine, The Word Magazine, The Guardian, The New Statesman, Saga, Music365. Former Head of Music at Xfm Radio, A&R at Fiction Records, early blogger, ex-roadie, published author. Once appeared in a Cure video dressed as a cowboy, and thinks any situation can be improved by the introduction of cats. Favourite Serbian trumpeter: Dejan Petrović.