Japan

Japan aren't really from Japan - they're British and formed in London. They don't sound at all Japanese either, which was the point; group leader David Sylvian wanted to "get away from that rubbishy idea that a band's name has to give an idea of its music." Sylvian does admire the country, which influenced the choice of name. "It's and almost uniform country, a lot of people there think the same way - but they're completely open-minded about what's going on," he said in the book A Tourist's Guide To Japan.

David Sylvian and Steve Jansen are brothers - their birth names are David and Steve Batt. They changed their last names in homage to the New York Dolls, with Sylvian named for Dolls guitarist Sylvian Sylvian and Jansen for their frontman, David Johansen.

The group began as a glam rock outfit inspired by David Bowie and T. Rex, but evolved into what became known as "new romantic," with cutting-edge electronic sounds. Other groups in this genre include Spandau Ballet and Visage.