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Rock Band flumpool Goes on Indefinite Hiatus

Rock band flumpool's agency Amuse announced on the band's official website on Wednesday that the group is going on indefinite hiatus. The hiatus will allow vocalist Ryūta Yamamura (seen below left) to undergo medical treatment for his throat, and the group plans to resume its activities after he has recovered.

Yamamura's throat was in poor condition after the band's tour concert at Pacifico Yokohama on Sunday. He wrote on his blog that he had dystonia, and that was the first that his fellow band members and staff had heard of him having the condition. The staff then took Yamamura to a doctor, and he was diagnosed with "functional dysphonia when singing."

Yamamura wanted to continue to perform at the band's five remaining scheduled concerts this month. However, after discussing the matter with his fellow band members and staff, they decided that "as a professional, [Yamamura] should not sing in public with his current throat condition." The band hopes the hiatus will allow Yamamura to devote himself to recovery, and Amuse and the band apologized to fans.

Yamamura underwent surgery to remove throat polyps in June 2010, and his recovery period lasted about one month. His throat condition had begun to worsen again, but he recovered around this summer. The band began its national tour on September 16, but Yamamura's condition worsened toward the planned end of the tour.

The band was scheduled to perform in Fukui on December 9, in Mie on December 10, in Hiroshima on December 15, and in Tottori on December 16 as part of its "Re:image" national tour. In addition, the "flumpool COUNTDOWN LIVE 2017→2018" concert was scheduled to be held in Osaka on December 31. The band's official website will announce details for ticket refunds in the future.

The group will release its latest single, "Tōtoi" (Precious), on December 26.

The band was founded in January 2007, and the group had its major debut in October 2008. The band appeared on Kōhaku Uta Gassen (Red and White Song Battle), NHK's annual New Year's Eve singing contest program, from 2009 to 2011. The band has performed theme songs for anime such as Ajin, Infini-T Force, and Captain Earth, as well as the second live-action Sakurada Reset film.

Yamamura also made his acting debut in Fuji TV's Totsuzen desu ga, Ashita Kekkon shimasu (Everyone's Getting Married) live-action television series in January. The series adapts Izumi Miyazono's manga of the same name.

Source: Oricon (link 2, link 3) via Hachima Kikō