MUCC

MUCC

Genres: J-rock, japanese, visual kei, rock, jrock

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D'espairsRay MERRY DIR EN GREY 蜉蝣 lynch.

About MUCC

ムック (MUCC) is a Japanese Visual kei band from Ibaraki. They formed on May 4th 1997. Members: Vocals: 逹瑯 (Tatsurou; 岩上達郎/Tatsurou Iwakami; since 1997.05.04) Guitar: ミヤ (Miya; 矢口雅哲/Masaaki Yaguchi; since 1997.05.04) Bass: YUKKE (福野優介/Yusuke Fukunou; since 1999.02.22) Support keys: 吉田トオル (Tooru Yoshida; since 2017) Ex members: Bass: HIRO (from 1997.05.04 to 1999.02.14) Drums: SATOち (SatoCHI/Satochi Takayasu; from 1997.05.04 to 2021.10.03, already inactive since spring 2021) Support drums: Allen (アレン/Allen "Michael" Coleman; ex Serenity in murder, support for Leda and KIRITO) (2021.10.14 to 2025.12.31) Biography: 1997–2000: Beginnings and early days MUCC was formed on May 4, 1997, by vocalist Tatsurou and guitarist Miya, with HIRO on bass. The band began performing in their hometown of Mito, covering songs by THE BLUE HEARTS and GLAY, and was initially part of the “Mishitsu-kei” scene. In 1998, moved to Tokyo, and in February 1999, HIRO left and was replaced by YUKKE. Later that month, MUCC held their first solo live at Mito Lighthouse. In 2000 the band had their first interview in the monthly publication FOOL’S MATE, issue 221. TATTOO (on vocals) changed his name to Tatsurou and the band’s name MUCC was changed to ムック (pronounced MUKKU). On 6/9 ("MUCC day") they released their first CD single Shoufu/Hai and a second press of their album "Antique". 2001–2004: Establishing their sound In 2001, MUCC embarked on their first solo tour, "Gekitsuu―――――." They founded their independent label, Shu, under Danger Crue Records in 2002, and hosted their first self-organized event, "En." By 2003, MUCC signed with Universal Music and made their major debut with the single *Ware, Arubeki Basho*. Their early music blended Showa-era Japanese pop melodies with heavy metal intensity, characterized by dark, satirical, and emotionally raw lyrics, mostly written by Tatsurou and Miya. The band’s songwriting was collaborative, with Miya composing much of the music, while Tatsurou increasingly contributed compositions from 2010 onwards. 2005–2009: International expansion In 2005 they were signed by the French label Soundlicious, which released their full albums. That's why they began performing internationally in 2005, starting with concerts in France and at Wacken Open Air festival in Germany, accompanied by their first overseas solo shows. In 2006 they were contacted by the German label GAN-SHIN which released most of their catalogue and toured Europe again. In 2006, they held their first solo performance at sold out Nippon Budokan on 2006.6.6 as their WORLD TOUR FINAL. In August of 2006 they performed at Ram's Head Live for Otakon, their first United States performance. One of their biggest European tours was in spring 2007 when they released their album Gokusai. They visited the United Kingdom, Sweden, Finland, France, Switzerland Germany. Some of their concerts in Germany were a coupling tour with befriended horror punk band BALZAC. MUCC opened for Guns N’ Roses during their Japan tour in 2007 and continued to expand their reach with tours across Europe, North and South America, and Asia. In May they performed in the United States for the second time during the J-rock Revolution Festival. Musically, the band broadened their style beyond metal and rock, incorporating pop, electronica, dance, and world music elements. They collaborated with artists across genres and increasingly produced their music themselves. In 2008 their album Shion also released in Europe and the United States. The band performed on the touring festival "ROCKSTAR Taste of Chaos 2008" in the United State from March through April, headlined by Atreyu, Avenged sevenfold and Bullet for my valentine. MUCC were joined by VK bands the Underneath and D'espairsRay. In June they performed at the hardrock festival Sweden Rock Festival 2008. In late July through October 2008 they continued the "ROCKSTAR Taste of Chaos 2008" tour in Europe. The tour was originally limited to the UK with a different lineup than the US tour. However, shows were extended to Scandinavia, Netherlands and Germany. In August 2008 they worked together with Ken from L'arc~en~Ciel. Ken produced their single Ageha, which was released on August 27th, 2008. On January 28th, 2009 they released a new single Sora to ito, produced by Ken. On March 4th, 2009 their 9th album Kyuutai was released and was followed by a national and world wide tour including Europe, USA and South America in late 2009. It also got a European release. 2010–2017: Milestones and anniversary celebrations In 2010 they released the Singles "Yakusoku" and "Falling down" accompanied by a Japan tour and followed by their full album "Karma" which came along with the "CHEMICAL PARADE" tour at the end of 2010 and a European "CHEMICAL PARADE" tour in Europe in January 2011 and some Asian dates in May. The 2010 release of Karma marked a period of intensified creative output. In the following time they released the singles "Arcadia" which also featured DAISHI DANCE and Nirvana before their 15th Anniversary concert named “-MUCC 15th Anniversary year Live- MUCC vs ムック vs MUCC” at Makuhari Messe International Exhibition Hall1-3 and their short "-MUCC 15th Anniversary year Live(s) – “97-12″ tour. In 2011, they announced a major re-debut with Sony SMAR, and in 2012 celebrated their 15th anniversary with a five-hour solo concert at Makuhari Messe. They participated in a tour called "J-ROCK EVOLUTION" together with girugamesh, alice nine, D=OUT and more for an Asian tour and announced a new single called "MOTHER" and a new album called "Shangri-la" for the end of 2012. In 2015 they released the mini album "T.R.E.N.D.Y. -Paradise from 1997-" accompanied by the Europe tour "F#CK THE PAST F#CK THE FUTURE ON WORLD -Paradise from T.R.E.N.D.Y.-" which was also the name of the live DVD. The band celebrated their 20th anniversary in 2017 with special events, two Budokan performances, and a temporary hiatus announced for 2018. They maintained a connection to their hometown, with Tatsurou and Miya becoming local ambassadors for Ishioka and Mito. In 2017 it was announced that Tooru Yoshida (keyboard/piano) would preliminary join the band for their "Kowareta piano to living dead" mini album and tour and was included in their official promo pictures. He has been a support member for recordings and concerts/tours since then (especially from 2019 on). 2018–2021: Return and drummer Satochi's departure MUCC had a short hiatus and returned in March 2018 with live events including "Vans Warped Tour Japan". They continued touring and releasing music, marking the departure of drummer SATOchi in 2021 after final performances in October. The band embraced a new lineup with support from keyboardist Tooru Yoshida. Allen (ex Serenity in murder) has been their support drummer ever since. 2022–Present: 25th anniversary and going major (again) MUCC celebrated their 25th anniversary in 2022 with the release of "Shinsekai" and accompanying tours. They released a follow-up mini-album, "Shinsekai Bekkan", featuring tracks that were initially left out of the main album. Their anniversary tours spanned multiple months and revisited older albums conceptually, with exclusive singles sold at venues. During their "Timeless" tour, followed by an album release, they went through the different eras with themed tours. In 2024, MUCC released their first single under Tokuma Japan Communications, "Ai no Uta", and launched the "Love Together" tour with the support of young bands like RAZOR, CHAQLA., FUKURO or XANVALA. They released their album "1997" in April 2025, followed by a nationwide tour. In December 2025, it was announced that the band will appear at B7Klan J-Rock Festival in July 2026 in Paris as the second headliner on the first day alongside bands like Moi dix Mois, Versailles, JILUKA, LM.C and others marking their first gig in Europe in 11 years (after canceling their tour in 2020 due to COVID). On December 20th the band announced at a concert that their gig COUNTDOWN JAPAN 25/26 will be the last one with Allen as their support drummer. In February 2026 they announced their support drummers for the upcoming shows. 山内康雄 (Yasuo; ex acid android support, 杉本善徳 (Yoshinori Sugimoto) and WAIVE support) will support them for their shows on March 1st and April 16th, 庄村聡泰 (Satoyasu Shomura; ex. ［Alexandros］, Dr.DOWNER) will support them for their shows on April 5th and April 19th while Natsu (NOCTURNAL BLOODLUST) will support them on June 13th for their coupling show with MERRY and on July 11th at B7KLAN J-ROCK FEST in Paris. They also announced, that they will play at Anime Friends convention in São Paulo on July 3rd which will be their first gig in Brazil ever and the first performance on the American continent since 2009 (Chile & Mexico). Labels: Seishun neurose (1998-2001), DANGER CRUE RECORDS (2002-2003, 2009-2011, 2017-2024), Universal music Japan (2003-2009), Sony music entertainment records (2011-2017), TOKUMA Japan Communications (2024 - present). Musical Style and Legacy: MUCC is known for blending heavy metal with melodic Japanese pop and later expanding into electronica, dance, and world music. Lyrics often explore social critique and human emotion. Over the years, they have collaborated with a wide range of artists, performed at international festivals, and maintained a strong DIY ethos in production. Critics have praised their lyrical beauty and innovative approach to Japanese rock, cementing MUCC as a significant and influential presence in the scene. The band’s name, decided upon by guitarist Miya, was originally the name of a character from the Japanese children’s program "Ponkickies". It's also a play on words, since "six-nine" can be pronounced "mu-ku" (六九) but also "ro-ku" (rock) in Japanese. June 9th (6/9) is also known as "MUCC day" by their fans. Their fans are called 夢烏 (ムッカー; Mukkaa/MUCKER). MUCC has played over 800 gigs worldwide so far. The concerts in May 2011, the band achieved Nippon Budokan concert 2 days in a row with 15,000 audiences in total. They’ve also performed in more than 100 events abroad and make frequent visits to Europe and Asia for one-man shows. The band is now well known and very popular for their overwhelming live performances and the unique emotional expressions around the world. And for such reasons, MUCC is often invited to perform opening acts when overseas artists like GUNS N’ ROSES and Smashing Pumpkins come on tour in Japan. Recently MUCC is seeking much attention for the new challenges of the musical diversity with other genres such as electro. Yet their musical principle of lyricism and nostalgia are still recognised as their solid characteristic through its process. Miya has also played DJ sets (DJ Masaaki Yaguchi) as his another project and Tatsuro has been a radio DJ over 5 years, which explains that MUCC also plays an active role beyond their musical performances as a rockband. Tatsuro has also been active solo as 逹瑯. Although MUCC is categorised as Visual-kei, this band is very conspicuous and has an extraordinary figure in Japanese music industry. http://www.55-69.com

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