Old school: Notable for Koichi Makigami's distinctive, Kabuki-influenced vocal style, Hikashu were, alongside P-Model and The Plastics, one of the defining bands of Japanese new wave and technopop, although from their poppy debut they quickly tacked in a more experimental direction. At Drive to 2010 they are notable for being one of only a handful of artists to perform at all three "Drive to . . . " events.
One of the key bands of the "Tokyo Rockers" compilation as well as Drive to '80s, Lizard's brand of keyboard-led new wave and sneering vocals brought obvious comparisons with U.K. punks The Stranglers, whose bass player Jean Jacques Burnel produced Lizard's debut album. After the album "Gansei Teien" in 1987 the group went quiet, but have re-emerged in time to play a much-anticipated show on the closing night of Drive to 2010.
Another artist who has taken part in all three "Drive to . . . " events, punk-poetess Phew has passed, chameleonlike, through numerous guises in her time, appearing at Drive to '80s as part of the avant-garde group Aunt Sally, then at Drive to 2000 with the postpunk band Big Picture. This time round she is performing as the "P" part of B.E.P. alongside Bikke from Lovejoy and multi-instrumentalist Eiko Ishibashi from Panicsmile.