MANILA, Philippines — Japanese rock band Scandal is set to disband next year with a 47-prefecture local tour and a final solo concert in August 21, 2027.
In a statement posted on their official Instagram account, the band noted that it celebrated its 20th year with a concert at the Osaka Jo Hall, where they said is the stage where the "four of us dreamed of standing on when we had just formed the band."
Scandal is composed of Haruna on lead vocals and rhythm guitar, Mami on lead guitar, Tomomi on bass guitar, and Rina on drums.
"Over the years, we have celebrated many important days on the stage here at Osaka-Jo Hall. On this important day marking 20 years as a band, we are proud to be standing here once again, still the same four members we were back then," the band said.
They thanked everyone who watched the concert in person or through a livestream, and then announced that they will end their 20-year journey as a band next year.
"Over these years, we have traveled throughout Japan and around the world. Through the places we have been able to visit, the people we have met, and the many experiences we could only have had by living our lives as SCANDAL, the four of us feel that we have truly done all that we could together," the band said.
They said that it was "difficult" to decide how to bring a band that has been together for this long to a close, but after talking it over many times, the four members of the band came to this conclusion.
The group said that they will hold a tour in all 47 prefectures in Japan beginning in October, and hold a final solo concert next year at the Yokohama Arena.
"Over this final year together, we'll cherish every show and every day, and we'll keep playing as the four of us until the very last moment," the group said.
The band was formed in 2006 and began by playing in live street performances until they were discovered in 2008 by an independent music label.
The band performed anime theme songs for anime such as Bleach, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Loups-Garous, Highspeed Étoile, Star Driver, GeGeGe no Kitarō, Pokémon the Movie: Diancie and the Cocoon of Destruction.
The band performed in Manila on June 24, 2018 and was supposed to perform last June 2020, but it was cancelled due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
