Strawberry Fields weren’t proto-visual. They were one of the first-wave official VK bands, alongside guys like BY-SEXUAL, LUNA SEA and Eins:Vier, and one of the first bands to make visual kei a mainstream mainstay.

disagree, I still think they can be proto-kei since the term vkei wasn't used before october 1990.

Do they are simply

protokei and visual kei.

But the common story about VK getting its name is from X releasing the “Blue Blood” album in April of 1989. I assume your placedate for October 1990 refers to the first issue of Shoxx, which got its famous slogan “Visual and Hard Shock” from that album. SF are widely regarded, though, as one of the earliest VK bands to bring it to mainstream recognition (the first wave). Although their legacy has indeed been buried over time due to them breaking out at the same time as much, much more popular groups like the aforementioned bands.

Strawberry Fields was active beyond 1990, so we'll call them vkei regardless. Same for those other Free-Will bands.

Why not proto-kei also? To me proto-kei are also those who were active before and after 1990. So to me the tag proto-kei cant harm. Since it just says they were active as vkei before the term vkei became official.

Or do we only call bands proto-kei until 1988? (And need to be disbanded before (1990 or so?)

and don't forget Hide was not the first who used the term visual since we have a band named VISUAL SCANDAL 😂

Absolutely, that's why VISUAL SCANDAL can be called proto-visual, and I can definitely see where someone is coming from if they called X proto as well lol. But to me, proto-visual is exactly like proto-punk: bands that were vastly significant to the structure a certain genre. In other words, were bands like Question Mark and the Mysterians, MC5 and The Stooges punk? No, not necessarily. But they were indeed ridiculously important to the scene, hence being proto-punk. That's how I see proto-visual bands: and Strawberry Fields were not proto, but were rather instead out right when visual kei was coined, alongside the first wave of VK. Similar to the first wave of punk bands in the mid 70's, more-or-less.

That's why I believe bands like BY-SEXUAL (who began releasing demos in 1989), Eins:Vier (who released their first mini-album in 1990), LUNA SEA (who, despite being active since 1986, released their first demo in August of 1989), GLAY (who released their first demos in late 1989) and Strawberry Fields (who began releasing material in late 1989) to be in the first-wave, after proto-visual was a thing.

Personally speaking, I would consider a band that were already active and releasing demos and singles and whatnot before 1989 to be proto-visual. If they were releasing material starting in 1989 onward through the mid 90's (maybe 1994?), even if they formed years prior, they would be a part of the first wave VK scene. But those are just my two cents.

I agree however,

it's still difficult, if a band starts in 1989 they already have music, just not put on CD/TAPE yet, but they do play live. also their label was not really a visual kei label? Here are only 2 bands listed on it one of them is The MAGNETS and the label doesn't feel visual kei... G.D.FLICKERS was also on the label? but for how long? I think they switched labels when they went official visual kei They were on so many labels.

I think we gotta dig in more into "labels" which helps us for sure out, since it's also interesting to mention when a proto-band or a "first wave" made the step to "visual kei" point and when they kinda "left" But once they stepped in, I agree there is no use to not call them visual kei.

I digged more in WONDER FORCE and I can say that it wasn't a visual kei label, , however Strawberry Fields changed the label fast after their 2nd release? So we can assume that they didn't felt that the label was something for them. however they signed up to PIONEER LDC which well isn't a vkei label also perse.... If you check out discord WONDER FORCE feels more as a normal ROCK band label as also CAPTAIN RECORDS was.

So they feel for me now as a non-visual band, however they didn't mind to be called visual kei and liked to play along... But can we call them visual kei, sure... because they surely don't mind to be called like that also they did do a lot for visual kei, so I agree seeing them as visual kei band.

To me, the label issue is basically irrelevant, because there weren't any 100% visual labels until the mid 90s - only indies and rock labels. Strawberry Fields had a visual look, came after the visual scene had developed from its baby stage, and were a part of the early visual scene - so what is the problem here?

PIONEER LDC doesn't really have visual bands at all... it is even until today not really a visual kei label. However, Strawberry looks really visual kei etc so yes no problem. It's more the issue... when to call a band visual kei and when proto-kei...