X Japan to make Japan festival debut at Summer Sonic this year

Japanese rock band X Japan have announced on their official homepage that they are to play live at Summer Sonic this year. The performances will mark their first ever appearances in a Japanese music festival.

Summer Sonic will take place on Aug 13 and 14 in both Chiba and Osaka simultaneously. X Japan will play at both venues. It will mark 24 years since they played in Chiba as "X" back in 1987. It is also 15 years since they last played in Osaka.

Sources close to the band say that the Summer Sonic organizers invited X Japan via leader Yoshiki Hayashi, 45, earlier this year, but as plans had been made to tour North America, the band could not commit to the festival. However, after seeing the scale of the destruction caused by the Tohoku earthquake on March 11, Yoshiki said, "I want to put some energy and spirit back into my country with our music."

The band has also endorsed the festival organizers' plans to donate part of the proceeds to earthquake relief charities.

© Compiled from news reports