Alice Nine (アリス九號., or alicenine.) is a visual kei band, formed in 2004 and originally signed to PS Company , a sub-division of Free-Will . They were formerly signed to King Records until 2010. As of 2010, the band is signed to both PS Company and Tokuma Japan Communications in Japan, as well as to German label CLJ Records in Europe and has released three full-length records, along with several EP s, singles and DVD s.
History
2004-2005: Conception and early work
In August 2004, Alice Nine formed after the disbandment of the band Givuss, and the band's vocalist, Shou, and guitarist Tora continued on to search for members to form a new band. Saga, the bassist for the band Delta Ark, and Nao, drummer for the bands Fatima and RusH, were also seeking bandmates as well, and the four members eventually joined together. Hiroto was the last member to join after Shou, Tora, Saga, and Nao spotted him at a performance with his band at the time, Baquepia. Shou explains that the "Alice" in the band's name was something that they believed sounded "very visual kei" to them, while the "Nine" is written in kanji and represents their origins as a Japanese band.
Their first concert was held at the Ikebukuro Cyber on May 11, 2004 and soon after they released their first single, Namae wa, Mada Nai in July, and they soon toured with fellow PS Company band BIS . In November, their first EP , Gion Shouja no Kane ga Naru , was released, and later that month, they did a nation-wide tour with the band Karen from Under Code Production s.