is a Japanese visual kei rock band, formed in Ibaraki Prefecture in 1997. The classic line up of Tatsuro on vocals, Miya on guitar, Yukke on bass, and Satochi on drums was solidified in 1999 following the departure of original bassist Hiro. After 24 years, Satochi retired from the music business in October 2021, leaving Mucc a trio. They have released 16 studio albums, with 2020's Aku being their highest-charting. History Early years and releases (1997–2005) Mucc was formed in 1997 by guitarist Miya, vocalist Tatsuro (then called "Tattoo"), bassist Hiro, and drummer Satochi. High school students who had been friends since primary school. They had their first concert at the Shimamura Music store in Mito, Ibaraki on May 4. Satochi was only a support musician, but decided to officially join after the concert because of how much fun he had. Mucc was named after a character from the children's TV show Hirake! Ponkikki. The band is also known by the nickname "69" since the numbers six and nine can be pronounced "mu" and "ku", respectively, in Japanese. They have played with this number throughout their career, such as dubbing June 9 "Mucc Day", and providing live broadcasts that last 690 minutes. Fans of the band are known as . Originally playing covers of bands such as The Blue Hearts and Glay, Mucc handed out their first demo tape, No!?, in December 1997. After graduating high school, the band moved to Tokyo. On March 3, 1998, they handed out copies of their second demo tape, Aika, and on December 1, they gave out a limited 100 copies of their third, Tsubasa wo Kudasai. In 1999, Hiro left the band on February 14 and was replaced on bass by Miya's childhood friend Yukke on February 22. In July, Mucc had their first tour, where they handed out demo tapes of Aka at every venue. On December 25, they had their first official release, the EP Antique. On June 8, 2000, Tattoo changed his stage name to his current name of Tatsuro. They released their first album, Tsūzetsu, on January 7, 2001. It was followed by the EP Aishū on December 25. In 2002, the band signed to Danger Crue, establishing their own sublabel , and released their second album, Hōmura Uta. That year they held a concert titled , which featured acts from different genres. They have continued to hold En