Antic Cafe

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AN CAFE
Antic Cafe
Background information
Origin	Japan
Genre(s)	Visual Kei Oshare Kei
Years active	2003 – present
Label(s)	LOOP ASH
Website	ancafe-web.com
Members
Miku (vocals) Bou (guitar) Kanon (bass guitar) Teruki (drums)

AN CAFE (アンティック-珈琲店-), is a Japanese Oshare kei band formed in 2003 and signed to the independent label LOOP ASH. The band is composed of four members, all of whom are from the Kantō region of Japan.

Contents 1 Brief History 2 Band Name 3 Members 4 Musical Style 5 Discography 5.1 Studio Albums 5.2 Singles 5.3 Demo Tapes 5.4 Distributed CDs 5.5 Omnibus Albums 6 References 7 External links

[edit] Brief History

An Cafe was formed when Miku, Kanon and Bou found each other through an internet website while searching for people with similar interests. Teruki was not yet a part of the band, although they still released their first demo Oopu-ngu (Ope.ning) on June 17 2003. Not long after on July 2 2003 they released a second demo called Uzumaki Senshokutai/Hatsukoi. During this time Teruki was in his former band 'Feathers Blue' before meeting the other members and joining Antic Cafe.

The line-up for the band has not changed since the bands start, and is Miku on vocals, Bou on guitar, Kanon on bass, and Teruki on drums. An Cafe's lyrics are written about daily life and love. The band started work under an indie label Loop Ash and released their first single Candyholic on March 24 2004. Later that year they also released several other singles called Hatsukoi, √69, Touhikairo and Cosmos. A big step for the band was playing their first oneman in May 2004. Since then they have played many live shows throughout Japan and are known for having fun and playing their own instruments. Their first mini-album debut Amedama Rock was released on February 23 2005 and featured 7 songs including their already well-known singles.

[edit] Band Name

On official sources the band name has been written in many different ways. The most consistent has been "アンティック-珈琲店-" (antikku -kōhīten-), which appears on all releases and on the official website.

The band’s original official website had the name written as "アンティックカフェ" (antikku Café) [1], but the COSMOS single (released in 2004) had the name written as "ANTIC CAFE" Antique Cafe (with "アンティック-珈琲店-" written underneath). All releases since then have had the name written as "AN CAFE" (but still with "アンティック-珈琲店-" written underneath). Due to the amount of material released containing this version of the name it seems as though this is now the preferred choice of the band.

Initially, vocalist Miku believed that the band should be called Athletic Cafe, but a quick search through the dictionary proved to him that Antic Cafe would be a much more appropriate name.

[edit] Members

Miku (みく)

• Real name: Tsukiyama Akiharu

• Date of birth: January 5th, 1984

• Horoscope: Capricorn

• Chinese zodiac: Rat

• Bloodtype: A

• Height: 164cm (5'5")

• Weight: 54kg (119 lbs.)

• Shoe size: 24.5cm (10)

• Family: Father, mother, younger sister, Miruku (hamster, has since died)

• Hobbies: Cooking, shopping, guitar, jogging

• Favorite food: Sushi, hamburgers, ramen

• Favorite brands: L.H.P, JACKROSE, BVLGARI, ROYAL ORDER

• Favorite colors: White, black and red

• Favorite band: Kagerou

• Admired person: Daisuke from Kagerou

• Perfume: QUASAR

• Smokes: KOOL nights

• Shampoo: BRETAGNE

• Piercings: 6 in left ear, 3 in right ear, 2 around mouth, 1 in his left eyebrow-he hardly wears any rings in it, however.

Bou (坊)

• Real name: Saitou Kazuhiro

• Date of birth: September 16th, 1983

• Chinese zodiac: Pig

• Bloodtype: O

• Height: 156-157cm (5'1"-5'2")

• Weight: 45-47kg (99-104 lbs.)

• Shoe size: 24-24.5cm (9-10)

• Family: Father, mother, and older sister

• Hobbies: Sleeping

• Favorite food: Pork and rice, japanese pasta, gelatin cheesecake

• Favorite brand: Paul Smith

• Favorite colors: Purple, Black and gold

• Favorite band: LUNA SEA

• Perfume: Pink sugar

• Smokes: Buoyantly, Pukapuka

• Piercings: 1 in left ear

Kanon (カノン)

• Real name: Sano Shinya

• Date of birth: July 5th, 1984

• Horoscope: Cancer

• Chinese zodiac: Rat

• Bloodtype: O

• Height: 165cm (5'5")

• Weight: 53kg (117 lbs.)

• Shoe size: 24.5-25.5cm (10)

• Family: Grandmother, father, mother, older sister, younger brother

• Hobbies: Shopping, games

• Favorite food: Gurasse, Sake

• Favorite brands: Vivienne Westwood, Bibi anh, Square enix

• Favorite colors: Black, purple, white, silver and gold

• Favorite band: Plastic Tree

• Perfume: CK ONE

• Smokes: Kodawari Nashi, anything but menthol is good

• Shampoo: LUX

• Piercing: One in lips, though said to be fake.

Teruki (輝喜)

• Real name: Nagata Teruki

• Date of birth: December 8th, 1980

• Horoscope: Sagittarius

• Chinese zodiac: Monkey

• Bloodtype: A

• Height: -

• Weight: 45kg (99 lbs.)

• Shoe size: 24.5cm (10)

• Family: Father, mother, two older sisters

• Hobbies: Sake, nature appreciation

• Favorite food: Alcohol, apples

• Favorite brands: PAISTE and Pearl

• Favorite colors: Colors which fits to the mood

• Favorite band: Dir en grey

• Perfume: COOL WATER WOMAN

• Smokes: Doesn't smoke

• Shampoo: LUX

• Piercings: 13 in left ear, some in right. Formerly had others, including nose, nipple, eyebrow, multiple lip piercings, and a belly-button ring.

( Real names and year of births as of yet confirmed to be official )

[edit] Musical Style

An Cafe is a typical Oshare kei band. They feature colorful clothing and sparkly visuals, as well as a very bishōnen-featured appearance-- or, in the case of Bou, a very girlish appearance.

An Café’s material ranges from fast rock songs with screaming vocals and catchy choruses, such as 3p’ and Candyholic, to cute, pop-like songs about love, such as Hatsukoi, Smile Ichiban ii Onna, and Merimei King (Merrymaking).

[edit] Discography

[edit] Studio Albums

1. amedama ROCK (飴玉ロック)
2. shikisai MOMENT (色彩モーメント)
3. MAGNYA CARTA (マグニャカルタ)

[edit] Singles

1. CANDYHOLIC (キャンデーホリック)
2. √69
3. COSMOS (孤妄)
4. karakuri hitei (カラクリ否定)
5. tekesuta kousen ~kurayami o terasu hikari wa houseki no youni~ (テケスタ光線～暗闇を照らす光は宝石のように～)
6. ESCAPISM ~amai MILK o sutta kohitsuji-chan~ (エスカピズム～甘いミルクを吸った子羊ちゃん～)
7. MERRYMAKING ~dekoboko na mainichi to, aikawarazu na bokura~ (メリメイキング～凸凹な毎日と、あいかわらずな僕ら～)
8. 10’s COLLECTION MARCH (10's コレクション マァチ)
9. BondS ~kizuna~ (BondS ～絆～)
10. SMILE ichiban ii onna (スマイル一番 イイ♀)
11. SNOW SCENE (スノーシ一ン)

[edit] Demo Tapes

1. OPE.NING (オープ●ング)
2. uzumaki senshokutai / hatsukoi (ウズマキ染色体/ハツコイ)

[edit] Distributed CDs

1. hatsukoi (ハツコイ)
2. tōhi kairo (逃避回路)
3. ame no hankagai (雨の繁華街)
4. kirikiri (キリキリ)
5. Shelly Tic Cafe (Shelly Tic -珈琲店-)
6. Aurora

[edit] Omnibus Albums

• Loop of Life IV
  • 10. uzumaki senshokutai (ウズマキ染色体)
• Shock Jam CD Ed. 4
  • 1. hisōkyō (悲想橋)
• AX da yo! zenin shūroku (AXだよ!全員収録)
  • 6. uranai shi (占い師)
• Cure Japanesque Rock Collectionz
  • 5. hatsukoi (ハツコイ)
• Cross Gate 2004 ~Neo Locus~
  • 10. 3P
• Shock Edge 2004
  • 5. CANDYHOLIC (キャンデーホリック)
• Shock Wave CD the Select
  • 5. hisōkyō (悲想橋)

[edit] References

• Third Stage - Store that sells Visual Kei and other music, information in this article taken from this website. (English)

[edit] External links

• Official Site (Japanese)
• AN CAFE’s blog (Japanese)