PROFILE
Made up of five members, The GazettE is one of the most popular bands on the PS Company label, home to such other bands as Kagrra and alice nine. Although rock music is definitely the soul of this group, they're not afraid to experiment with their sound and their songs range widely from soft ballads to punk rock to even some songs with hip-hop elements. The GazettE is a visual band, their look varying wildly from single to single and album to album, but their sound is always unmistakably 'Gazette' and rock.
BIOGRAPHY
(A quick side-note : When the band first formed, The GazettE was originally known simply as Gazette and will be referred to as such in this biography up until their formal name change.)
Gazette began in early 2002, comprised of five men all of whom, despite their youth, had quite a bit of experience in the music scene. Three of the members had worked together on previous bands (Ma'die Kusse and Kar+te=zyAnose); vocalist, Ruki, one of the guitarists, Uruha, and bassist, Reita. Two ex-members of Arita completed the early line-up; Aoi on guitar and Yune on drums. Originally signed to the Matina label, they released their first single, Wakaremichi, and a video on VHS in April before immediately working on getting their name out there through various events and omnibus releases. It worked, and the band held their first real one-man in October of that year. At the end of the year, they took part in "FINAL PRELUDE 2002～2003 Matina PRESENTS" as the Matina label then dissolved.
When 2003 began, Yune announced he would be leaving Gazette. He was immediately replaced by Kai (ex Mareydi†Creia) and the band signed onto the PS Company label. They took part in their first real tour then with fellow indie band Hanamuke, and released their first mini-album, Cockayne Soup, which was then immediately followed by two other mini-albums in the next two months. They continued to do joint-tours and events for the rest of the year, such as 2003's Beauti-Fool's Fest with other acts such as Merry and D'espairsRay.
When 2004 came, Gazette kicked the year off by holding a one-man at the Shibuya AX (the concert was later released on DVD) and opening their official fan club. Nearing the end of the year, the band released a second live DVD and then gave their fans what they'd been waiting for for nearly two years, their first full album, Disorder. In December, they took part again in that year's Beauti-Fool's Fest and held a short tour.
In 2005, Gazette seemed to spend most of their time either on a tour bus or on the stage as they nearly constantly toured the country. They released a few items in between their touring and their first photobook, "Verwelktes Gedicht", went on sale in September. They finally seemed to take a brief break until December when they took part in the "PEACE & SMILE CARNIVAL TOUR 2005" put on by their label and released the single, Cassis, which would be the last single to be released under the Gazette name.
2006 was an extremely busy year for Gazette. Changing their name from 'Gazette', written in Japanese characters, to The GazettE, written in English, the band kicked off the year by releasing a new album, Nil. They immediately launched into an absolutely massive tour, spanning all of Japan and with over thirty shows. The tour final was held at the Nippon Budokan, one of the largest venues in Japan, and sold out. They also made their first European appearance in Germany at the end of July, to the delight of their many international fans. In October, an English version of their official homepage went up, lending those fans hope that we'll see this group overseas once more.
They finished 2006 and brought in 2007 with even more tour dates and new singles before announcing the release of a new summer album, STACKED RUBBISH, and two nearly back-to-back tours. The first tour will begin in July, stretching over the summer and into the autumn, and the second tour will cover the winter months.
Ruki (ルキ) – Vocalist
Real Name: Matsumoto Takanori (松本 たかのり）
Birthdate: February 1st 1982
Bloodtype: B
Height: 162cm (5'3")
Birthplace: Kanagawa
Favorite Colors: gold, red, black, purple, silver
Favorite Animals: dogs (Chihuahua), cats
Favorite Season: Winter, because he says he can make lots of songs during winter.
Favorite Drink: Kirin Koiwai Apple
Favorite Person: cute, wonderful
Disliked Person: dingy and stupid
Best Subject in School: English and Japanese
Favorite Phrase: "Did you lose it? Hah?"
Perfume: Bvlgari
Piercings: 5 on the right ear
Family: Parents, older brother, dog ( the late Sabu-chan ) and cat ( Mr. Squidge )
Smokes: pianissimo (he failed to quit.)
Facts: Likes shopping and renting movies. Dislikes peppers and strawberries.
He tends to sing in English and curse quite frequently
Uruha (麗) – Guitarist
Real Name: Takashima Kouyou (高島 宏陽)
Birthdate: June 9th, 1981
Bloodtype: O
Height: 177cm (5'9")
Birthplace: Kanagawa
Favorite Colors: purple, black, grey/silver
Favorite Animals: dogs, penguins, ducks, polar bears
Favorite Season: Spring
Best Subject in School: Art
Favorite Phrase: "Eh? You're being serious?"
Perfume: Gucci Rush and Blvgari
Peircings: 4 right ear, 5 left ear
Facts: Collects rings and perfume. Enjoys bowling and soccer. Likes to drink Smirnoff. Is the uncle of two nephews. Thinks he looks smart in glasses. Dislikes eating olives.
Equipment: ESP Japan's signature models
Guitar playing: Uruha is the guitar player of Gazette. He recently played acoustic in their latest album NIL. Uruha's guitar playing can be heard through the right speaker. Also, Uruha plays most guitar solos in Gazette.
Aoi (葵) – Guitarist
Real Name: Shiroyama Yuu (シロヤマ ユウ)
Birthdate: January 20th, 1979
Bloodtype: A
Height: 171cm (5'7")
Birthplace: Mie
Favorite Colors: white, black
Favorite Animals: dogs, cats, etc
Favorite Season: Winter
Favorite Phrase: "No."
Best Subject in School: Home Economics
Perfume: Bvlgari, Davidoff, Sculpture, Samourai
Piercings: 1 lip, 1 right ear, 3 left ear, and 1 navel
Facts: Likes Asahi super dry and coffee and collects sunglasses, cologne and accessories. Enjoys surfing and kendo. He wears clothes fans send to him.
Equipment: ESP (Japan's signature models), K-Yairi.
Guitar playing: Aoi is the guitar player of Gazette. His playing can be heard through the left speaker. Aoi plays solos and he plays the most acoustic in Gazette.
Wanted to be a pro motorcycle driver during his childhood.
Reita (れいた) – Bassist
Real Name: Suzuki Akira (鈴木 亮)
Birthdate: May 27th 1981
Bloodtype: A
Height: 172cm (5'7")
Birthplace: Kanagawa
Favorite Colors: red, white, purple
Favorite Drama: Tokyo Love Story
Favorite Movie: FACE OFF
Favorite Season: Spring
Best Subject in School: Japanese
Family: grandmother, mother, older sister
Perfume: seldom uses any (recently Bvlgari)
Peircings: 1 left ear, 1 right ear
Facts: Likes to drink "Lifeguard", reads Initial D comics and collect anything that has to do with Sex Pistols. Dislikes vegetables, very sweet stuff with the exception of pudding and cake). Frequently flips people off from time to time. Wanted to be a soccer and football player as child.
Pick Up Line: "Since I like you a lot, will you go out with me?"
Likes to Eat: Kit Kats and tarakosupa
Dislikes Eating: Vegetables, mushrooms, shellfish, Kai's cooking
Treasures: fans
Spends Days Off: sleeping, playing games, Watching T.v and playing bass.
Kai (戒) – Drummer
Real Name: Uke Yutaka (うけ ゆたか)
Birthdate: October 28th 1981
Bloodtype: B
Height: 172cm (5'7")
Birthplace: Prefers New Jersey (but he actually comes from Tokushima)
Favorite Colors: black, red, white, green, silver, gold
Favorite Animals: dogs, tiger, crocodiles
Favorite Season: Winter, because he likes Christmas.
Favorite Phrase: "Ha! What's this!? I wonder what it is."
Best Subject in School: Mathematics
Family: mother, grandmother
Pick-up Line: "Stick with me!"
Likes to Eat: Bananas, Kopan , nattou , mayonnaise
Dislikes Eating: Eggplant, taro root
Cooking Specialty: doria, omelette rice, pasta
Perfume: Jaguer, Sculpture, Blue for Men
Piercings: Two left ear
Treasures: band members
Facts: Dislikes eggplants and taro root. Enjoys soccer and cooking. Likes to drink apple juice. Makes all of the band members' lunches. Likes to collect Zippos. Enjoys One Piece and HunterxHunter. Wanted to be soccer player as child.
Spends Days Off: watching videos and making songs
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