BiS Return: Here’s 12 Facts You Never Knew About BiS

/ chris

It seems like only last month that BiS split up.  Again.  And now they’re coming back.  Again.

This time we didn’t have to wait first for Pour Lui to get bored of being in an unpopular band; no it will not be long at all until Mr. Watanabe welcomes us back to enjoy BiS and their wonderful world of marathons, audition dramas, similar-sounding songs and marathons.

But while we celebrate their return, let’s also take a chance to look back fondly at the previous incarnations of BiS.  Here are 12 facts you never knew about this legendary idol group.

1

BiS were the first unsigned group to appear on UK music show Top of the Pops.  In this video, a six year old Pour Lui and her two brothers can be seen performing the kawaii ditty “Kandy Pop”, their signature tune until the release of “nerve” several years later.

2

Of the many members that have been in BiS, both Nakayama Yukiko and Toriaez Hana were both completely fluent in Japanese!  Unfortunately, they were unable to practice the language with each other as there was a gap of over six years between their respective stints in the group.

A Japanese dictionary

3

Former member First Summer Uika, now of BILLIE IDLE, is known for her powerful singing — but there’s a secret to her success!  She always eats a toasted Fisherman’s Friends sandwich before every recording or performance and insists it makes her airways super-clear and aids her vocal delivery.  However, it also gives her powerful stomach cramps and she has to have a reserved toilet in which she can pebble dash the porcelain afterwards.

A packet of Fisherman's Friend throat lozenges

4

If you play the song “IDOL is DEAD” backwards, you can make out the words, “Marathons, Marathons, I Love Marathons, Yum Yum, They So Good” — a hidden message placed there by balding BiS führer Junnosuke Watanabe.  However, as this song was released several months before the first of his tedious girly runfests, it is thought that Watanabe may be referring to his enjoyment of the peanut and caramel chocolate bar “Snickers”, which was formerly known as “Marathon” in some markets.

An old British advert for Marathon chocolate bars.

5

Since leaving BiS, Rinahamu has gone on to form countless beloved idol units like CY8ER, BPM15Q and some band with Strawberry in their name.  But her many adoring fans don’t know about her near miss with tragedy that may have meant that none of these important groups ever existed. In 2007, during a school trip to Paris, Rinahamu visited the famous Notre Dame cathedral — which subsequently burnt down in a terrible fire just 12 short years later!

Notre Dame Cathedral on fire, 2019

6

In 2017, Tsubasa Records commissioned a bespoke joke to market the group’s fifth album. It went as follows:

“Knock Knock”
“Who’s there?”
“BiS”
“BiS who?”
“BiSsides [besides] myself with anticipation for the new BiS album, ‘Re:STUPiD‘, on sale February 22nd!”
© Tsubasa Records 2017

It did not get used.

Cover of BiS's 2017 album "Re:STUPiD"

7

Foetus-themed member Momoland was seldom seem smiling in any photos during her time in the group.  This was due to a traumatic experience in which her tamagotchi developed cancer on her birthday and had to go in the bin.  Since then, she can only smile if someone softly sings PSY’s “Gangnam Style” in her presence, as her mother used this as a bedtime lullaby and it reminds her of happier times.

A still from the 2012 KPop video "Gangnam Style" by PSY

8

Avant-garde short-arse Tentenko‘s full name is Tennyson Tennessee Kodak.

Former BiS member Tentenko

9

In French speaking areas “Bis!” is an interjection equivalent to “Encore!” in English speaking ones.  If BiS ever had to play somewhere French, this would be likely to cause no confusion whatsoever as chanting the group’s name is also an acceptable way to request an encore.

An outline map of France

10

But the French connection does not end there!  The original BiS disbanded on 8th July 2014 before reforming on 8th July 2016.  8th July was also the birthdays of many famous Frenchmen: like Jean de La Fontaine, author and poet; Alfred Binet, inventor of the IQ test; Dominique Nohain, actor, screenwriter and director; and many more that you can look up on Wikipedia.

French actor, screenwriter and director, Dominique Nohain

11

Newer BiS fans often assumed that Kika Front Frontale was the clown themed member but her white face was actually due to Shironuri makeup — it was meant to be elegant rather than humorous.  Despite this, she is an accomplished juggler, wears size 24 shoes and traveled to concerts on a unicycle.

Former BiS member Kika Front Frontale

12

First generation member Hirano Nozomi had an unusual pet as a child — a micropig named Stuart!  Known by the family as Stu Pig, Non-chan would later go on to write a song about him late in her BiS career.  However, by all accounts it was terrible and “Porky Cuddles” remains unreleased to this day.

A black micropig by an indoor pen

One thought on “BiS Return: Here’s 12 Facts You Never Knew About BiS”

  1. So that BiS in the UK was BiS. I have “I Love Bis” but I thought they were a different group because they were a UK group. It’s not too unusual to have groups with the same name like Japanese Vamps and British Vamps. I Love Dance To The Disco Beat. It’s back in my rotation.

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