Bassist
Shindo Wataru has announced that he will be leaving
LIPHLICH in 2019.
Wataru's last show with the band will be titled
PATH OF LIFE, and it will be held at TSUTAYA O-WEST on January 12th, 2019. In a message on the band's
official website,
Wataru expressed his gratitude for all of the experiences he has had during his eight years as a member of
LIPHLICH and stated that while the current line-up of the band only has a few activities left, he hopes the fans will support them.
This has been an odd year for the usually prolific band, as their new album
SMELL STAR, which was originally scheduled for release in July, was postponed without notice and still has not come out.
In a
blog post in August, vocalist
Kuga Shingo revealed that this was due to issues with
Wataru.
Kuga stated that
Wataru has been acting different since 2017, and the situation worsened following their live on April 8th, 2018 to the point that it began affecting their schedule. The band members have been performing live with
Wataru in recent months, and
Kuga had stated previously that he hoped that they would be able to work things out and continue with the same four members, but unfortunately it seems that it was not possible.
In another
blog post, guitarist
Arai Takayuki stated that the band members are saddened by this result, but that they respect and accept
Wataru's decision, and they hope the fans will do the same and give him a good send-off at the O-WEST show.
