Scene and heard: Visual kei

"People can't help but love beautiful things," said Kamijo, singer of Versailles, when asked to explain his band's popularity. This summer, the Japanese quintet drew more than 700 fans to their London concert and sold out venues in France and Holland. Versailles' international success is yet another indication that the flamboyant "visual kei" genre has now gone global.

Visual kei, a mix of glam rock, metal and punk, has been popular in Japan since the late 80s. Its rallying call is "psychedelic violence crime of visual shock", created by the band X Japan, has been adhered to by many other ostentatiously attired acts. Visual kei bands admit that a good deal of time goes into pre-performance preening; a guitar is merely a last-minute accessory to ornate brocade jackets, frilly sleeves and, most importantly, fountains of hair carefully cascading over heavily made up faces.

This effeminate look is one of the reasons visual kei has recently captivated overseas audiences, as band members closely resemble the swooning stars of Japanese pop culture. "Because of the success of anime and manga, the bands that resemble those characters, including visual kei artists, gradually become more popular," says Versailles manager, Mayumi Kojima.

A visual kei fan, who has adopted the moniker Kairi Chan, explains the appeal: "It's escapism for people like me, I enjoy being so visually expressive." The 22-year-old, who lives in Wrexham, north Wales, often goes to visual kei gigs. "I went to see Dir en Grey twice (on the same tour) and I'm hoping to catch An Cafe and Miyavi on their next international tour."

Veteran visual kei artists are capitalising on the increased interest: X Japan are currently touring the States for the first time and Luna Sea, one of the first successful visual kei bands, will begin their world tour this December.

Meanwhile, eastern Europe is also about to get a heady whiff of extra-hold hairspray courtesy of Guild: four pretty lads with cheekbones as sharp as samurai blades and eyebrows that appear to have been tweezed almost to the point of extinction. Promoter Roxanna Ravenor, explains her motivation for organising the October tour: "Western Europeans fans have had their fill with Japanese visual kei, while Eastern European fans only dream about it."