An Cafe

History

An Cafe came together in May 2003, with vocalist Miku, guitarist Bou, and bassist Kanon at its core. Miku had just come from the disbanded Revirii, which had split up two months earlier in April. Even without a drummer, the trio started playing shows. Drummer Teruki joined the following year, in 2004, after leaving his own previous group, Feathers-Blue.

That same year, An Cafe recorded their first demos and inked a deal with Loop Ash. Their debut single, "Candyholic," hit shelves in March and climbed to number two on the Oricon indies singles chart. The band kept up a busy schedule of touring and releasing music, putting out their first full-length album, Shikisai Moment, in 2005. More singles followed through 2006, leading up to their second album, Magnya Carta, a playful twist on the historical document's name.

In 2007, the group announced their first show outside Japan at Project A-Kon. Not long after that news, guitarist Bou decided to leave. His final performance with the band took place on April 30, 2007, and was captured on a DVD called Hibiya On ☆The☆ 0 New Sekai. Following Bou's exit, two new members stepped in: Takuya took over on guitar, and Yu-ki joined as a keyboardist.

The first single with this refreshed lineup was "Kakusei Heroism," followed by "Ryūsei Rocket." By the end of 2007, An Cafe had revealed plans for their first overseas tour, which would take them across Europe in 2008. Early in 2008, they announced the single "Cherry Saku Yuki!!" for February and their next studio album, Gokutama Rock Cafe, which came out on April 9, 2008. In 2009, the Los Angeles-based label Maru Music released an EP titled Harajuku Dance Rock on March 13, made specifically for fans in North America and Europe.

Their fourth studio album, BB Parallel World, dropped in Japan on September 9, 2009, and in Europe on October 6, 2009. It included the singles "Aroma," "Summer Dive," and "Natsu Koi ★ Natsu Game," along with eight other tracks.

In 2010, An Cafe announced they would go on an indefinite hiatus. A statement on their official website explained that after their show at the Nippon Budokan, each member would focus on their own projects to prepare for the band's eventual return. That Budokan concert happened on January 4, 2010.

Members

An Cafe was active from 2003 to 2023. Miku handled vocals, Kanon played bass and sang backing vocals, and Teruki was on drums. Bou played guitar and sang backing vocals from 2003 to 2007, after which Takuya took over those roles from 2007 onward. Yu-ki joined in 2007 on keyboards and synthesizers.

Yu-ki’s keyboard rig includes a Korg X50 and a Yamaha MO6, both mounted in a firm Ultimate AX48B rack. He uses a Roland Jazz-Chorus 120 speaker and a Mackie 1202-VLZ PRO mixing panel. He makes heavy use of certain functions, such as the pitch bend on the Yamaha MO6 in the song Respect Mommy, and the arpeggiator on the same keyboard in Cherry Saku Yuki!!.

Takuya plays several guitars: a Royal Blue Paul Reed Smith Custom 24, a Black Gibson Les Paul Custom, a Candy Apple Red Fender American Standard Telecaster, and a Dean Z. His pedalboard includes a Korg Pitchblack tuner, a Vox Wah, a Boss Super Chorus CH-1, a TC Electronic ND-1 Nova Delay, an MXR Phase 90, and a Musicom Lab EFX MK III plus Audio Controller, with a Boss Delay DM-2 used previously. He runs his signal through Hughes and Kettner amplifiers.

Kanon uses two basses: a Sunburst Fender American Deluxe Jazz Bass and a Black Fender Custom Shop Jazz Bass. His gear includes an EBS Multi Comp, a Providence Vitalizer, an MXR D.I.+ M80 Preamp/D.I., and Basson amplifiers.

Teruki’s drum setup consists of a Paiste 10-inch Splash Cymbal, two Paiste Crash Cymbals (16 and 18 inches), a Paiste 18-inch China Cymbal, a Zildjian 20-inch Ride Cymbal, Zildjian 14-inch Hi-Hats on a Pearl Hi-Hat stand, a Pearl 22-by-16-inch Bass Drum, a Pearl 14-by-5.5-inch Snare, a Pearl 12-by-8-inch Mid Tom, a Pearl 16-by-16-inch Floor Tom, two Pearl pedals, and Behringer amplification.

International recognition

An Cafe found its biggest audience in Japan, but also built a following across Europe, parts of Asia like Korea and China, and in the Americas including Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Canada, and the United States. Their first international tour kicked off in 2008 under the name "Live Cafe-Tour '08 - Nyappy Go Around World," hitting Finland, Sweden, Germany, France, the UK, Spain, the US, and Korea with twelve shows total. By November of that same year, they had already lined up a second overseas tour called "Live Cafe Tour '09 Nyappy Go Around the World II -Harajuku Dance Rock Night-," which covered twelve countries: Russia, Finland, Sweden, Germany, the UK, France, Spain, Argentina, Chile, Brazil, Mexico, and the USA.

That run happened in March and April of 2009 and featured seventeen dates. In 2014, the band performed numerous shows abroad across several European countries, Canada, Brazil, and Mexico.

Did You Know?

• An Cafe's debut single "Candyholic" reached number two on the Oricon indies singles chart in March 2004.
• During their 2010 hiatus, bassist Kanon created a cell phone game called Pinky☆Distortion and formed a duo with singer and cellist Kanon Wakeshima named KanonXKanon.
• On September 16, 2024, An Cafe announced their return with a re-recorded song and a 2025 tour, with all members returning except Bou.