is a Japanese

pop rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre and form of rock music characterized by a strong commercial appeal, with more emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than standard rock musi ...

band formed in 2003 and signed to

Sony Music Japan , often abbreviated as SMEJ or simply SME, and also known as Sony Music Japan for short (stylized as ''SonyMusic''), is a Japanese music arm for Sony. Founded in 1968 as CBS/Sony, SMEJ is directly owned by Sony Group Corporation and is opera ...

. Their visual image is oshare kei,''Shoxx Bis'' No 3 October 2004 issue, pg 69 and they describe their music as "

Harajuku is a district in Shibuya, Tokyo. Harajuku is the common name given to a geographic area spreading from Harajuku Station to Omotesandō, Tokyo, Omotesando, corresponding on official maps of Shibuya, Tokyo, Shibuya ward as Jingūmae 1 Japanese a ...

Dance Rock Dance-rock is a dance- infused genre of rock music. It is a post-disco genre connected with pop rock and post-punk with fewer rhythm and blues influences. It originated in the early 1980s, following the decline in popularity of both punk and disc ...

". The group has released six full-length albums, two compilation albums, and four EPs. On September 1, 2009, the band announced that after their live show on January 4, 2010 at the

Nippon Budokan The , often shortened to simply Budokan, is an indoor arena in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. It was originally built for the inaugural Olympic judo competition in the 1964 Summer Olympics. The Budokan was a popular venue for Japanese professional wres ...

, they would suspend activities and put the group on hiatus, however they stated they will not disband. In 2012, after a two-year break, the team announced the resumption of activities. In June 2018, the band announced the departure of all members but Miku and a hiatus beginning in January 2019. On September 16th, 2024, they announced their return, with a re-recorded version of a song, plus the announcement of a 2025 tour, with all members returning except for Bou.

History

An Cafe was formed in May 2003 by vocalist Miku, guitarist Bou and bassist Kanon. Miku's former band, Revirii, had disbanded two months earlier in April, and even though the band did not have a drummer at this point, they started to perform at several events. They were joined by drummer Teruki in 2004 after he left his former band, Feathers-Blue. In 2004, An Cafe released their first demos and signed a record deal with

Loop Ash Loop or LOOP may refer to: Brands and enterprises * Loop (mobile), a Bulgarian virtual network operator and co-founder of Loop Live * Loop, clothing, a company founded by Carlos Vasquez in the 1990s and worn by Digable Planets * Loop Mobile, an ...

. Their first release, " Candyholic", was released in March and reached the second spot on the

Oricon , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics Statistics (from German language, German: ', "description of a State (polity), state, a country") is the discipline that ...

indies single chart. The band continued touring and releasing, including their first album, ''

Shikisai Moment is the first full-length studio album released by An Cafe on November 9, 2005. The album peaked at No. 39 on the ORICON, Japanese albums chart. Track listing Personnel * Miku – vocals * Bou – guitar * Kanon – bass guitar * Teruki – ...

'', in 2005. The band released even more singles in 2006 until their second studio album, ''

Magnya Carta is the second studio album by An Cafe, released on November 29, 2006, in Japan and on May 21, 2007, in South Korea. A limited edition was released as well, containing an additional DVD with several music videos. The album, which was also Bou's la ...

'' (a play on "

Magna Carta (Medieval Latin for "Great Charter"), sometimes spelled Magna Charta, is a royal charter of rights agreed to by King John of England at Runnymede, near Windsor, on 15 June 1215. First drafted by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Cardin ...

"). In 2007, the band announced their first overseas appearance at Project A-Kon. The announcement of this was followed shortly by the departure of guitarist Bou. The last performance with Bou was on April 30, 2007, and was featured in a DVD titled ''Hibiya On ☆The☆ 0 New Sekai''. After Bou left the band, two new members were announced: Takuya was to replace Bou as the guitarist and Yu-ki was to join An Cafe as a keyboardist. The first single with their new lineup was announced as "

Kakusei Heroism is the twelfth single by Japanese band An Cafe. The single is available in three types, two including different bonus DVDs, and one with a bonus live track. The title track is the second opening theme of the anime series, Darker than Black. "Kakus ...

" followed by "

Ryūsei Rocket is a single by the Japanese band An Cafe. The title track is the opening theme in the drama '' Fuma no Kojirou''. The song peaked at No. 19 on the Japanese singles chart. Track listing ;Disc one (CD) #"Ryūsei Rocket" (流星ロケット) – 4 ...

". At the end of 2007, An Cafe announced their first overseas tour, taking place in

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

in 2008.

In the opening weeks of 2008, An Cafe announced their upcoming single, "

Cherry Saku Yuki!! A cherry is the fruit of many plants of the genus ''Prunus'', and is a fleshy drupe (stone fruit). Commercial cherries are obtained from cultivars of several species, such as the sweet ''Prunus avium'' and the sour ''Prunus cerasus''. The name ...

", in February, as well as their next studio album, ''

Gokutama Rock Cafe is the third studio album released by An Cafe on March 14, 2008 in Europe and April 9, 2008 in Japan. The European release of the album also featured three bonus tracks which were previously only available as B-Sides on their last three singles, ...

'', which was released on April 9, 2008. An Cafe's EP, ''

Harajuku Dance Rock ''Harajuku Dance Rock'' is an EP released by An Cafe on March 13, 2009. Available only in North America and certain parts of Europe as an overseas mini album, "Harajuku Dance Rock" includes seven audio tracks and three music videos on a separate D ...

'', was released by the

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

based

Maru Music Maru may refer to: People * Maru (given name), a Spanish given name, a shortened form of Maria Eugenia * Maru (surname), a surname of Indic origin * Maru (mythology), a Māori war god * Ngāti Maru (disambiguation), several Māori tribes of Ne ...

on March 13, 2009. This special release was made exclusively for overseas fans in North America and Europe. ''

BB Parallel World is the fourth studio album released by An Cafe on September 9, 2009, in Japan and on October 2, 2009, in Europe. A limited edition was released as well, containing an additional DVD with several music videos. The album peaked at No. 20 on the Jap ...

'', An Cafe's fourth studio album, was released in Japan on September 9, 2009; and in Europe on October 6, 2009. It contains title track singles "Aroma", "Summer Dive" and "Natsu Koi ★ Natsu Game", and eight other songs. In 2010, An Cafe announced that they would be taking an indefinite hiatus. The message, issued on their official homepage, claimed that "after the Budokan show, each member will concentrate on their own activity to be prepared for the band to restart in the future". The aforementioned

show took place on January 4, 2010. During the hiatus, several members were involved in other projects. Kanon started his own label, StudioBlue3, and created a cell phone game called Pinky☆Distortion. Moreover, he formed a duo with singer and cellist

Kanon Wakeshima is a Japanese musician and singer. Originally produced by musician and fashion designer Mana, Wakeshima debuted under the DefStar Records label on May 28, 2008 with the single " Still Doll", the ending theme for the anime adaptation of the manga ...

, which he named KanonXKanon. Kanon was also a guest at Otakon 2010 as a panelist and a guest DJ, as well as pairing up with Kanon Wakeshima to form a duo act called kanonxkanon. Miku served as the vocalist for the new visual-kei band, Lc5, which started in June 2010. Teruki played as a support drummer for the band Dog in the Parallel World Orchestra. On April 1, 2012, An Cafe announced that they will be resuming activities and will be doing a world tour in November in Europe and the UK, the tour being named "An CaFesta '12 Summer Dive". On 30 May, An Cafe announced that they will be releasing a mini-album titled ''Amazing Blue'' on August 8, their first release since returning from their two-year hiatus. Later in the following year, they announced a three-month consecutive single release coupled with a large tour to celebrate the band's 10th anniversary. The singles would be released in the months June, July, and August, the tour finale being on January 4, 2014 at the

. The band performed for first time in Canada at

Animethon Animethon is a three-day anime convention held annually at Edmonton Convention Centre in Edmonton, Alberta and organized by the non-profit organization Alberta Society for Asian Popular Arts (ASAPA). It is Canada's longest-running anime conven ...

on August 9, 2014.''An Cafe - Animethon 21 Guest''
, retrieved April, 2014 Also they performed in Brazil at Anime Friends Convention in July and in Mexico in November for their third solo concert in the country. Their first major debut studio album under White café, a subsidiary of

Being Inc. (aka B ZONE Group), formerly known as (aka Being Giza Group), is a Japanese private entertainment conglomerate and recording label based in Tokyo's Roppongi district, founded on November 1, 1978, by music producer Daiko Nagato. The company a ...

was released in 2017, titled ''Laugh Song''. On June 22, 2018, An Cafe announced they would enter an indefinite hiatus, after all members were leaving the band except for Miku. They held their last concert ''Live Cafe 15th Anniversary Year Grand Finale'' at the EX Theater Roppongi, in Tokyo on January 9, 2019. The last concert was released on DVD on April 24, 2019.

Members

* –

vocals Singing is the art of creating music with the voice. It is the oldest form of musical expression, and the human voice can be considered the first musical instrument. The definition of singing varies across sources. Some sources define sing ...

(2003–2023) * –

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Wood * Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...

backing vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are us ...

(2003–2023) * –

drums The drum is a member of the percussion instrument, percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel–Sachs classification system, it is a membranophones, membranophone. Drums consist of at least one Acoustic membrane, membrane, c ...

(2003–2023) * – guitars, backing vocals (2003–2007) * –

guitar The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...

s, backing vocals (2007–2023) * – keyboards,

synthesizer A synthesizer (also synthesiser or synth) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis a ...

s (2007–2023)

Equipment

Yu-ki (keyboards) uses a

Korg X50 The Korg Triton is a music workstation synthesizer, featuring digital sampling and sequencing, released in 1999. It uses Korg's "HI (Hyper Integrated) Synthesis" system and was eventually available in several model variants with numerous upgrade o ...

and a

Yamaha MO6 The Yamaha MO6/MO8 is a music production synthesizer that comes in two sizes. The MO6 is the 61-key while the MO8 is the 88 weighted key version. The two versions use Yamaha's AWM2 (Advanced Wave Memory 2) tone generator also used in the Motif and t ...

in a firm Ultimate AX48B rack. His speaker is a Roland Jazz-Chorus 120 and he has a Mackie 1202-VLZ PRO mixing panel as well. A lot of functions are used, for instance the excessive use of pitch bend in Respect Mommy on the Yamaha MO6 and the use of his arpeggiator (on the Yamaha MO6 as well) in

. Takuya (guitar) uses many guitars, among those being a Royal Blue Paul Reed Smith Custom 24, Black Gibson Les Paul Custom, Candy Apple Red Fender American Standard Telecaster, Dean Z, and guitar pedals, including a Korg Pitchblack, Vox Wah, Boss Super Chorus CH-1,

TC Electronic TC Electronic (sometimes stylized as t.c. electronic) is a Danish audio equipment company that designs and imports guitar effects, bass amplification, computer audio interfaces, audio plug-in software, live sound equalisers, studio and post-pro ...

ND-1 Nova Delay, MXR Phase 90, Musicom Lab EFX MK III + Audio Controller, and previously a Boss Delay DM-2. He runs his signal through Hughes and Kettner amps. Kanon (bass) uses two basses, a Sunburst Fender American Deluxe Jazz Bass and a Black Fender Custom Shop Jazz Bass, along with an EBS Multi Comp, Providence Vitalizer, MXR D.I.+ M80 Preamp/D.I., and Basson amps. Teruki (drums) has the following setup: one Splash Cymbal (Paiste 10"), two Crash Cymbals (Paiste 16" and 18") Cymbals, one China Cymbal (Paiste 18"), one Ride Cymbal (Zildjian 20"), one Hi-Hat (Zildjian 14"), onei-Hat stand (Pearl), a Bass Drum (Pearl 22" x 16"), a Snare (Pearl 14" x 5,5"), one Mid Tom (Pearl 12" x 8"), one Floor Tom (Pearl 16" x 16"),two Pedals (Pearl) and Behringer amplificat.

Endorsements

An Cafe has been a longtime supporter and endorser of popular Japanese

fashion label The term "fashion brand" (or "fashion label") includes all the brands that operate within the fashion industry. A fashion brand combines symbolism, style, and experiential elements, and it needs to differentiate its products and coordinate its supp ...

Sex Pot Revenge, and they are frequently seen wearing clothing from that label. They have appeared on the cover of Sex Pot Revenge free company magazine, ''V!nyl Syndicate''. In 2008, An Cafe

vocalist Singing is the art of creating music with the voice. It is the oldest form of musical expression, and the human voice can be considered the first musical instrument. The definition of singing varies across sources. Some sources define singi ...

Miku hosted Volume 2 of

Visual Kei DVD Magazine The visual system is the physiological basis of visual perception (the ability to detect and process light). The system detects, transduces and interprets information concerning light within the visible range to construct an image and build ...

alongside the magazine's

mascot A mascot is any human, animal, or object thought to bring luck, or anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, sports team, university society, society, military unit, or brand, brand name. Mascots are als ...

, Biju.

International recognition

An Cafe has gained great success in

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. It has also gained moderate success in

, mainland

Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

(

Korea Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

and the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. In 2008, the band visited Finland, Sweden, Germany, France, the UK, Spain, the US, and Korea on their first overseas tour, "Live Cafe-Tour '08 - Nyappy Go Around World". They played a total of twelve concerts in the eight countries. As of November 2008, An Cafe confirmed an overseas tour, "Live Cafe Tour '09 Nyappy Go Around the World II -Harajuku Dance Rock Night-" which encompassed twelve countries: Russia, Finland, Sweden, Germany, the UK, France, Spain, Argentina, Chile, Brazil, Mexico and the USA. This tour took place over March and April, playing a total of 17 dates. In 2014, An Cafe had many overseas concerts in several countries of Europe, Canada, Brazil and Mexico.

Discography

;Albums * ''

'' (色彩モーメント, November 9, 2005) * ''

'' (マグニャカルタ, November 29, 2006) * ''

'' (極魂ROCK CAFE, April 9, 2008) * ''

'' (September 9, 2009) * ''Hikagyaku Ziprock'' (非可逆ZiprocK, November 6, 2013) * ''Laugh Song'' (ラフ・ソング, February 22, 2017) ;EPs * '' Amedama Rock'' (飴玉ロック, February 23, 2005) * '' Ko Akuma Usagi no Koibumi to Machine Gun'' (小悪魔USAGIの恋文とマシンガンe.p., October 29, 2008)

Singles Weekly Chart: No. 12Oricon.co.jp
''Antic Cafe Single Rankings'' Retrieved Nov 4, 2010 * ''

'' (March 13, 2009, North America and Europe only release) * ''Amazing Blue'' (August 8, 2012) ;Compilations * ''

Antic Cafe is a Japanese pop rock band formed in 2003 and signed to Sony Music Japan. Their visual image is oshare kei,''Shoxx Bis'' No 3 October 2004 issue, pg 69 and they describe their music as "Harajuku Dance Rock". The group has released six full-len ...

'' (December 9, 2009) * ''Best 2015-2018'' (December 5, 2018) ;Singles * " Candyholic" (キャンデーホリック, March 24, 2004) No. 75 * "

√69 is a Japanese pop rock band formed in 2003 and signed to Sony Music Japan. Their visual image is oshare kei,''Shoxx Bis'' No 3 October 2004 issue, pg 69 and they describe their music as "Harajuku Dance Rock". The group has released six full-len ...

" (June 6, 2004) No. 88 * " Komou Cosmos" (孤妄, November 24, 2004) No. 91 * " Karakuri Hitei" (カラクリ否定, March 30, 2005) No. 64 * " Tekesuta Kousen" (テケスタ光線, July 20, 2005) No. 67 * "Escapism" (エスカピズム, August 24, 2005) No. 75 * " Merrymaking" (メリメイキング, September 21, 2005) No. 63 * " 10's Collection March" (10's コレクションマァチ, March 1, 2006) No. 42 * " Bonds ~Kizuna~" (BondS ～絆～, May 17, 2006) No. 39 * "

Smile Ichiban Ii Onna is the tenth single by Japanese band Antic Cafe. The title track is featured on the album ''Magnya Carta is the second studio album by An Cafe, released on November 29, 2006, in Japan and on May 21, 2007, in South Korea. A limited edition was ...

" (スマイル一番イイ♀, September 20, 2006) No. 32 * "

Snow Scene is the eleventh single by Japanese band Antic Cafe. The title track is featured on the album ''Magnya Carta is the second studio album by An Cafe, released on November 29, 2006, in Japan and on May 21, 2007, in South Korea. A limited edition ...

" (スノーシ一ン, October 18, 2006) No. 26 * " Kakusei Heroism ~The Hero Without a "Name"~" (覚醒ヒロイズム～THE HERO WITHOUT A "NAME"～, August 22, 2007) No. 13 * "

" (流星ロケット, November 7, 2007) No. 19 * "

" (Cherry咲く勇気!!, February 27, 2008) No. 20 * " Summer Dive" (August 30, 2008, live distribution only) * "Aroma" (March 11, 2009) No. 16 * "Natsu Koi ★ Natsu Game" (夏恋★夏GAME, August 12, 2009) No. 13 * "Bee Myself Bee Yourself ~Jibun Rashiku Kimi Rashiku Umareta Story wa Hajimattenda~" (Bee Myself Bee Yourself ~自分らしく君らしく生まれたストーリーは始まってんだ~, June 12, 2013) * "Itai Onna ~No Pain, No Love? Japan Girls in Love~" (イタイ女〜NO PAIN,NO LOVE? Japan GIRLS in LOVE〜, July 10, 2013) * "Roman ~Let's Make Precious Love~" (狼MAN 〜Let's make precious love〜, August 14, 2013) * "Mōsō Mo Mō Sorosoro" (モウソウモモウソロソロ, September 24, 2014) * "Sennen DIVE!!!!!" (千年DIVE!!!!!, August 26, 2015) * "JIBUN" (March 16, 2016) * "Atsukunare/Ikirutame no 3 Byo Rule" (熱くなれ/生きるための3秒ルール, September 14, 2016) * "Ikenai Moso x Abunai Monster" (イケない妄想×アブない珍獣, October 4, 2017) * "Negaigoto wa Hitotsu sa" (願い事は1つさ, March 28, 2018) * "Fly Again" (October 25, 2023) ;DVDs * ''Like An Cafe'' (ライカ・カフェ, October 10, 2004) * ''20051203 Shikisai a On'' (20051203色彩亜音, December 3, 2005) * ''Yagai de Nyappy'' (野外でニャッピー, December 17, 2006) * ''Hibiya on ★the★ o New World'' (HIBIYA ON★ザ★御NEW世界, July 2, 2007) * ''Nyappy Go Around Fever'' (April 25, 2008) * ''AnCafesta '08 Summer Dive'' (December 24, 2008) * ''Live Cafe - Tour '08 Nyappy Go Around the World'' (March 11, 2009) * ''Finale of Nyappy - Kawayusu Rock de Go Gogo!!'' (November 4, 2009) * ''Live Cafe 2010 King of Harajuku Dance Rock Ikinari Nyappy Legend'' (August 22, 2010) * ''AnCafesta '12 Summer Dive - Daikoukai Jidai - (March 27, 2013)

References

External links

*
Official blog

MusicJapanPlus profile
{{Authority control Gan-Shin artists Sony Music Entertainment Japan artists Visual kei musical groups Japanese dance-rock musical groups Japanese power pop groups Musical groups established in 2003 Japanese musical quintets Japanese pop rock music groups