I

f there is one group that can make both males and females audience members go hysterical for bananas, it’s probably Japan’s L’Arc-en-Ciel.

When bassist Tetsuya conducted his famous habit of throwing bananas into the audience during the band’s Jakarta show on Wednesday, screams of “Tetsu! Here!” were made from female as well as male voices.

Rumor has it that the habit begun when he discovered a banana, meant for a snack, backstage during a show and played a gag by stuffing it into his pants and asking the audience “would you like to eat my banana?” before throwing it to them.

How that also appeals to the male — and possibly heterosexual — crowd, is perhaps part of the great Laruku (L’Arc-en-Ciel) charm.

One audience member, Dio, was almost speechless when asked about what he thought of the show.

“[Guitarist] Ken has inspired me a lot … Tetsuya too,” he said.

The band’s songs are mostly in Japanese, yet that has failed to stop fans around the world from memorizing their lyrics, and some have even learned Japanese to master the songs. A search on the web reveals a long list of fan sites, dedicated to the band as well as to individual members: Singer Hyde, guitarist Ken, bassist Tetsuya and drummer Yukihiro.

These fan sites can include a range of information, from the usual timelines and discography, to trivia and rumors such as Ken’s pet cat, Tetsuya’s love for shopping, Hyde’s love interest, and so on.

The love for L’Arc-en-Ciel, which was formed in 1991 and has undergone several lineup changes, apparently extends beyond their music, although the latter of course plays an important role.

The band’s songs are mostly energetic and emotional — although they are famous for ballads as well, at some times symphonic and at other spiced with heavy chords and riffs but not quite heavy enough to deter those who are into pop from listening.

One can faintly hear the influences of old-school metal and alternative rock such as Radiohead at times but these echoes are seldom obvious or overpowering.

L’Arc-en-Ciel’s lyrics mostly play on emotions and states of mind, often incorporating scenes and elements of nature as well as English words.

They are not ones to shy away from experimenting, such as through making an alter-ego band called P’unk-en-Ciel, which plays more straightforward punk-sounding music.

Aside from their songs, however, is their image.

The members have a quite powerful presence on stage, with Tetsuya’s bananas and Hyde’s habit of blowing kisses to the hysterical audience, but fans also like to discuss about what they are like offstage — the playful Ken or the quiet Yukihiro, for instance.

Sometimes it’s the mysteries surrounding them that make them all the more addictive. Hyde, for example, has been said to have confirmed his real name and revealed his background to the public only recently.

That is why, perhaps, the banana has so much appeal, or why the female crowd was thrilled to see Hyde looking awkward and losing his cool for a brief moment when Ken presented him with gifts on stage — if that was not part of the show, of course.

Nevertheless, it is quite hard to survive on image alone as a band.

“It’s the music. That’s the thing I like about them,” said Ica, who had traveled from Bandung to attend the band’s concert.

— JP/Dina Indrasafitri