Alice Nine
-Background information-
Origin Tokyo, Japan
Genre(s) Rock
Years active 2004–present
Label(s) PS Company/King Records
Website www.pscompany.co.jp/alicenine
-About the band-
Formed in April of 2004, alice nine is the new sensation taking the J-rock indies scene by storm.
Drummer Nao (formerly of Fatima and RusH) stole former Givuss members Shou and Tora for his vocals and guitar. Hiroto (guitar, formerly of BAQUEPIA) and Saga (bass, former Delta Ark) were added as well, and developed alice nine. (always in lower case) We also discovered alice nine. has a period at the end of it, but for clarification purposes, we will typically leave it out.
For anyone who has heard the terms "Visual Kei", "Visual Rock" or "VK", alice nine is a VK band for the new era.
alice nine is armed with melodious sound, elaborate looks, and full of passion for their music. Their instant success is most encouraging for a fresh VK-style band. Please stick around to enjoy more of their music as the band grows!!
2004
The band was formed in April and after they had their first live at Ikebukuro Cyber in May 11th and many performances, they performed in the event Ps Company present: Tribal Arivall Vol.81 in June which was a pretty important event and they have gained publicity. They released their first maxi singl"Namae wa, imada muhi"and the first press (July 5th) was limited in 1,000 copies. The second press (August 11th) was 3,000 copies, and all were all sold out. In the summer of 2004 alice nine had a short tour with another band called Ayabie. The tour includes 6 live performances at different cities across Japan. The final concert was in August 24th at the Shibuya O-crest, and it was a sold out too. On September 2004, the fast growing alice nine got a contract with PS Company, the label of other indie bands and soloist such as Kagrra, Miyavi, Kra, and Gazette. The first mini album ?§Gion seija no kaneganaru?? was released in November and it was limited in 5,000 copies. The mini album was also a success, and it ranked 3rd on Indies Oricon chart. In the same month they also had a two-men tour with a band called Karen, and it was a pretty big because they had 12 concerts across the nation. The final performance was on November 25th at Club Holiday Shibaura.
2005
On January 21st 2005 they had their first live of the year, and they distributed a video for free.
There are so many events going on during February and March for the band, and they released a single (the first of the three so far)on March 30th "Gin no tsuki, Kuroi hoshi." They released 5,000 copies, and the CD came with a DVD that contains a PV (promotion video, similar to music video).
In April alice nine toured with Kagrra and performed as the opening act. On April 27th alice nine released the 2nd single ?§Yami ni chiru sakura?? which also came with a DVD that contained a PV.
On May 25th the 3rd single "Yuri wa aoku saite" was released and they had in-store events to promote it throughout May and June.
The band had many event scheduled over the summer, and in June they had a 2-man tour with Ayabie. In July they participated in a tour organized by their label PS Company called "Ps Company presents: Tribal Arivall Tour 2005" with Kra and bis. On July 27th they released their 2nd mini album called "Alice in Wonde?land".
They had their first solo tour"Alice In Wonder Tour" throughout August including 6 concerts in different cities, and the final concert was August 31st at Shibuya-AX. In between the concerts on the road they also had many in-store events for their 2nd mini album.
On November 23rd their 3rd mini album "Kasou musou shi" was released, and starting December 11th to 22nd was the Peace & Smile Carnival tour 2005 , a 6-cities tour event organized by PS Company and performers included Miyavi, Kagrra, Kra, Gazette, and alice nine. The official alice nine fan club opened on December 23rd. On December 25th the "White Silent X'mas Premium life" took place at Shibuya O-East.
2006
The first big thing for alice nine of the year: On January 12th, the live DVD "ALICE IN WONDE? FILM" goes on sale! On the 25th of the same month the new maxi single "Kyuu Ryuu -NINE HEADS RODEO SHOW-" goes on sale.
In February they released two maxi singles : "Akatsuki/Ikuoku no Chandelier" which are the theme songs for anime series "Ginyu Mokushiroku Meine Leibe -wieder"; and also on the 22nd is "FANTASY." On Feb 26th, alice nine performed live on TV! They were featured on Beat Motion, and performed Fantasy, dressed up in their PV outfits.
Starting March is alice nine's first FC (fan club) only ONEMAN TOUR: "Kachoukuugetsu vol.1" (for members of the official fan club only). The FC only tour includes Osaka Muse, Nagoya ell.FITS ALL and Shibuya O-EAST.
On April 26th the band's first ever full album "Zekkeishoku" goes on sale!!! The album came with the PV Velvet, a fresh glittery video that anticipates stardom.
Starting May 3rd the band's 2nd ONE MAN TOUR "Kimi no Hitomi ni Utsuru wa Zetsu Keshiki" will start off at Shibuya-AX and ends at Zepp Tokyo on May 31st, total 10 live performances. The band's busy schedule doesn't stop here. Starting August 11th the band's 3rd ONE MAN TOUR "HELLO,NEW SUPER VIEW" kicks off at Shibuya-AX and ends at Yokohama Arena Sound Hall on September 5th. Tour Final "HELLO,DEAR NUMBERS" will take place at Shibuya Koukaidou
New single [NUMBER SIX.] slated for release on October 4th!
Lineup
Shou
Part: Vocalist, tracklist-order-decider!
Real name: Kohara, Kazamasa.
Dob: July 5th
Blood type: O
Height: 5' 8"
Weight: 130 lbs.
Hobbies: Playing video games (like Final Fantasy!), thrift-store/vintage shopping, being a coffee addict
Perfume: Bvlgari Black
Favorite Brand: DIET BUTCHER SLIM SKIN, UNDER COVER, And A, Vivienne Westwood, ZooL, LHP
Favorite Music: Luna Sea, Korn, Atari Teenage Riot, The Used, MUSE
Phrase: I know, yo!!
Strength/Weakness: Length/shortness.
Cannot do without: Sleep!
My latest boom: Taking walks.
Ambition: I want to be an artist who can give alice nine fans good feelings and inspiration. I'll do my best.
Past bands: Lost Age, Givuss (with Tora)
One interesting thing about Shou is that his talking voice is much deeper than when he sings. His voice has a nice medium of lightness and richness between high and low tones. It sounds like he has to force a vibrato on his long notes, because he sings with a pure, clear tone, which is still evident when he screams. An enjoyable aspect of his singing is his wonderful pronunciation; Shou doesn't mumble when he sings, a trait Bob-chan is very grateful for! His lyrics are incredibly romantic and packed with emotions that can lift spirits or crash them down again just as easily. Luckily for us Shou is a nice guy.
Shou is a very focused person. In interviews, he's the polar opposite of Hiroto; Shou is serious and honest about his job, his honesty evident in his nervous blinking. It's also evident in PV's, where Shou takes center stage, his face lighting up the camera. Nothing's gonna stand in this guy's way, so watc
Hiroto
Part: Guitarist
Real name: Ogata, Hiroto.
Dob: May 4th
Blood type: O
Height: 5' 4"
Weight: 108 lbs.
Hobbies: Going to famous places in Japan, Photography
Perfume: None
Favorite Brand: effect clothes, adidas
Favorite Music: Hot Post-Rock genres (He's mentioned Audioslave before..)
Phrase: Do it~
Strength/Weakness: Not breathing in lies. Getting hot.
Cannot do without: Faith, convictions, and guitar.
My latest boom: Skateboarding and collecting shoes.
Ambition: It goes without saying... you will understand when you see it. (hm...)
Past Bands: BAQUEPIA
The first time Miyabi saw alice nine's picture, Hiroto immediately grabbed Miyabi's attention cause he's so damn adorable. He's really fun to watch in video clips because he's always fooling around and really energetic. For some reason he likes to flip people off. In random pictures of the band, Hiroto is always making faces, posing, and generally having a good time in front of the camera.
Being the youngest member of a new indie band, Hiroto is a nice fresh face among Jrock. He writes many of alice nine's catchiest songs; definitely a creative mind! Hiroto's guitar playing is light and rhythmic and always a pleasure to listen to.
Tora
Part: Guitarist, backup vocals
Real name: Amano, Shinji.
Dob: September 17th
Blood type: O
Height: 5' 11"
Weight: 154 lbs.
Hobbies: Skateboarding, BMX
Perfume: Burberry
Favorite Brand: Gucci
Favorite Music: Korn (His style is very American metal..)
Phrase:
Strength/Weakness: Secret.
Cannot do without: Faith.
My latest boom: Authority's apparent lack of power.
Ambition: 2006 is the year for alice nine.
Past Bands: Karasu, arakune, Givuss(with Shou)
Although being really different from Hiroto, Tora is another of Miyabi's favorite in alice nine. He's not as hyper as Hiroto, but he's more mature looking and has a taste of elegance in PV, interview, and photoshoots. Somehow he reminds me of my dear Shinya (Shin-chan~~~) from Dir en grey because despite his quiet appearance, Shinya has amazingly powerful performance. Same with Tora and I think that's why I like him alot. I enjoy feeling the quiet tiger ("tora" means "tiger") explode with music. The songs Tora writes tend to be very heavy, obviously an influence from his favoritest band ever, Korn. A recent discovery: Tora sings backup vocals. We always thought it was Shou harmonizing with himself! Looks like Tora is good at blending his voice in.
Bob-chan thinks Tora's a badass too, but in a different way than Saga. Tora describes himself as a Lone Wolf, and that's what he is. He likes to do his own thing; he rarely blogs, probably because he likes to keep to himself. Tora's also... interesting. In one interview, after he finished a one-on-one session, he randomly gets up and sprints away, leaving viewers confused.. @_@ Aside from that, Tora is a lot like those hot manga guys; if you read manga you'll probably agree too!!
Saga
Part: Bassist, backup vocals
Real name: Sakamoto, Takashi.
Dob: June 24th
Blood type: AB
Height: 5' 7"
Weight: 115 lbs.
Hobbies: Walkin' the dog.
Perfume: Dolce & Gabbana
Favorite Brand: NCYHAIT, abx
Favorite Music: UNDERWORLD, downy, NUMBER GIRL, among other things..
Phrase: Okusan!!~ (Meaning, "someone else's wife" or "Mrs." Makes us question what Saga does exactly.. O_O )
Strength/Weakness: Patience and endurance/Change.
Cannot do without: The things I can be proud of.
My latest boom: Clothes.
Ambition: Crossing over; seeing the world.
Past Bands: Visage, Delta Ark
Saga is awesome because he is Bob-chan's favorite. :9 He is easily recognizable because he always covers one eye with his long bangs (a while ago he used to wear flashy butterfly eyepatches!), and he always wears lace, or high cut shirts that show off his nice abs. Visually and musically, he can be compared to the lovely Toshiya of Dir en grey. His lines are on the melodic side, and interesting enough to stand alone. Bob-chan specifically has her equalizer's bass settings up to max for this purpose.
Saga is your typical badass bassist, except he plays a five-string bass, whereas most other bassists play the regular four-string. Bob-chan has seen many photoshoot pictures of Saga discreetly flipping off the camera. Gasp! Don't let the lipgloss and girly-ness fool you, kiddies! Joking aside, Saga can be a gentleman... He's known for giving his seat on the bus to old grannies. <3 And he hangs out a lot with Nao, especially on Nao's odd food-expeditions... Maybe Nao rubs off on him? Saga is also extremely loving of his fans! He reads every bit of fanmail and constantly reminds fans that he "wants to marry us all". WE WISH.
Nao
Part: Drummer
Real name: Murai, Naoyuki.
Dob: July 31st
Blood type: A
Height: 5' 5"
Weight: 112 lbs.
Hobbies: Hikikomori. (Social Withdrawal!!!)
Perfume: Bvlgari black, bvlgari blue.
Favorite Brand: Patrick Cox, Rupert.
Favorite Music: .
Phrase: I knowwww~!
Strength/Weakness: Weakness/Strength.
Cannot do without: My hikikomori-time!
My latest boom: My buddy system.
Ambition: Be enthusiastic!
Past Bands: Fatima, RusH
Miyabi has to give huge huge thanks to Nao because he was the one who put the band together! Nao didn't really catch my eyes at first because he's more cutesy and he's always stuck there behind the drums... =p But after listening to their songs over and over, Miyabi finds so much more. Bob-chan likes Nao's drumming because it's so bouncy. Rather than pounding the crap outta his drums, Nao hovers over his cymbals, much like his favored jazz style. Nao's drumming is an interesting feature to find in rock music.
As a person, Nao is quite funny, but in a cute childlike (but not childish..) way. He always blogs about food... XD In fact, on the member blogs on their Official Page, he's always posting a picture of a new drink he's trying out or something... That's why little Nao is so cute and chubby! Because he feeds himself well! XD Just kidding, but Nao is known to complain about gaining weight and whatnot. It's okay, Nao! We still love you!!
Wed Aug 29, 2007 9:17 am
