Fake began as a Japan-based supergroup consisting of Oblivion Dust vocalist Ken Lloyd and Inoran, the guitarist for visual kei legends Luna Sea. Early on, the band mixed alt-rock with some trippy electronic elements, but after a while, it became a solo vehicle for Lloyd, who gave it a heavier rock slant. Lloyd and Inoran teamed up in late 2001, but Fake only debuted live the next year, playing in Shinjuku. Soon, the band released its first single, Taste Maximum, and the first full-length Breathe In... came out the same year, charting at number 30 despite the virtual absence of promotion. After a high-profile live tour which even took them to Hong Kong, Fake got back in the studio to record Tomorrow Today, which featured singer/songwriter Kokia on one track. The EP New Skin, and third album The Art of Losing Touch came out in 2004, after the band switched from Warner to Tokuma Japan Communications; the same year Fake released the single Praise, which provided the theme song for the anime #Aqua Kids. A stream of singles and DVDs followed, leading to the fourth album Made with Air (2005), but then Inoran left due to creative differences, proceeding to establish the more J-pop oriented Tourbillion, leaving Lloyd, with whom he remained on amicable terms, to pursue his punk interests. 2006's Songs from Beelzebub, ironically, featured a collaboration from another Luna Sea member, drummer Shinya. The band kept to its tight schedule for a while, with another nationwide tour and a gig at the Korean Pentaport festival following the album's release, and another full-length, Marilyn Is a Bubble, coming out before the end of 2006; for it, Lloyd roped in even more guests, including Anna Tsuchiya and members of Monoral and Buck-Tick. Then Fake was put on a hiatus, as Lloyd restarted Oblivion Dust, but the group returned with some shows in 2008 and a stint at the AnimeNEXT in New Jersey in 2009. In 2010 Fake released its seventh studio album, Switching on X. ~ Alexey Eremenko, Rovi