And breaking out of boxes exactly what X Japan have been doing for all these years. They started a revolution for Japanese music that continues to this day ? and Yoshiki is proud to see ‘visual kei’ newcomers Babymetal getting similar adoration from the western world…
“I actually went to see Babymetal when I was in London - they played The Forum,” he remembers.
“They’re an amazing live band and just so cool. In rock ’n’ roll, you don’t need to follow any rules. As long as it’s heavy and edgy, that’s all that matters!”
Here, the multi-instrumentalist talks us through the 10 records that changed his life…