Vocal : Tatsurou
Guitar : Miya
Bass : YUKKE
Drums : SATOchi
Bass : Hiro [gone : 1999]
PROFILE
MUCC, though not exhibiting this since late 2004, is considered a visual band. Their music ranges from punk to hard and soft rock, and with the release of Horizont they have also incorporated a saucy tango/disco sound. MUCC isn't afraid to experiment and dive into different sounds showing their fans they're not just any rock band.
All four band members contribute toward the development of the music, and all, with the exception of YUKKE, have contributed toward the lyrics.
MUCC have already performed in various countries throughout Europe, and it seems they’re making it a yearly tradition to continue performing there. They’ve also performed in the USA at the anime convention Otakon in Baltimore, Maryland in August 2006.
BIOGRAPHY
MUCC, whose name originated from a character of a children's TV show, was formed in May 1997 with the line-up of TATOO on vocals, Miya on guitar, Hiro on bass, and SATOchi on drums. Having caught the attention of Ao, leader of cali≠gari, they received a deal on the label Misshitsu Neurose.
Not wasting much time, they released their first demotapes within a few months of each other: NO! (December 1997) and Aika (March 199 cool ; these were distributed at their live performances. At the end of 1998, they released their third demo, which had a limitation of only 100 copies and was given away for free at their live.
The beginning of 1999 seemed very promising for MUCC as they had their first one-man live at the Mito lighthouse in Ibaraki in February and released their fourth demo Shuuka. Around this time, Hiro decided to leave the band, but was quickly replaced by YUKKE. In December, they released their first album entitled Antiiku.
In 2000, MUCC received attention from the press, making their first appearances in magazines such as Fool's Mate and SHOXX. That August showed two major changes for the band. TATOO changed his name to Tatsurou, claiming that TATOO was dead, and wanted to be called by his real name from then on. They also changed their name from MUCC to ムック (MUKKU in katakana).
The next two years were very busy for the band as they had several releases and were also featured on some TV shows such as Hot wave and Jee jee trap. MUCC's popularity was quickly growing; their album Homura Uta (2002) sold out so quickly that a 2nd pressing was released only a month later. In 2002, they began their own record label, Shu, under Danger Crue, Inc. after leaving Misshitsu Neurose.
In 2003, MUCC signed a contract with UNIVERSAL MUSIC and made their major debut with the release of their album Zekuu, dubbed a disappointment to fans who preferred their older work. Even with the new contract they did not leave their label, but rather distributed their releases through UNIVERSAL. They toured to promote the new album with the last concert being at Tokyo Bay NK Hall; a DVD of this memorable concert was released a few months later. At the end of the year, MUCC participated in the Beautifool’s festival, which was organized by Fool’s Mate, amongst bands such as Gazette, deadman, and Miyavi.
2004 started off successfully with a 10-concert live house tour in and around Tokyo. This was only the beginning of a myriad of tours and releases. By the end of the year they had released two singles, three albums, and one DVD. That DVD, entitled MUCC history DVD the worst, contained many extras for MUCC fans including footage of live performances, indies and major, their discography, PVs, and much more!
In August 2005, MUCC was invited to perform in Germany and France; one of the performances in Germany being Wacken Open Air, which is the largest heavy metal music festival in the world. 2005 also saw the release of three singles and one new album.
In 2006, MUCC stayed busy with the release of their single Gerbera in February, and a tour of Germany and France that spring. That year, they traveled even further to perform at the anime convention Otakon in the USA. This year also marked an experimental phase in the band's music, which was shocking to many fans. They released their album Gokusai and updated and fresh take on some of their olders sounds combined with their new style, producing an extremely varied album.
Constantly moving forward with performances in and out of Japan, along with a fast-paced release schedule, MUCC's activities have yet to cease or slow down. The band is going strong and, with their growing popularity and success, it is likely that they will continue in this manner for a long time to come.
