Harajuku dance-rock unit An Cafe last played in the UK over a decade ago, but this February, vocalist MIKU returns—this time as a solo act. As part of his MIKU Around the World tour, he’ll bring “NYAPPY PARTY EUROPE” to London and Paris for two intimate performances.
Their 2014 show at London’s O2 Academy Islington turned out to be their last UK appearance—at least for now. With MIKU set to return this month, we’re revisiting our original live report from that night. Here’s how it all went down.
RELATED: An Cafe vocalist MIKU to play intimate London show in February
An Cafe live at O2 Academy Islington, London – March 7th, 2014
After another successful tour around Europe, An Cafe hit the stage at London’s O2 Academy in Islington on March 7th with as much energy as they brought to their last show [in 2012].
Fans had been queuing from late morning until the evening. After posing for photos for the latest Facebook fashion parade—the band staff have been photographing fans’ vibrant outfits for each show throughout the tour—they finally poured in through the open doors.
Although the crowd was not as large as it had been at previous UK shows, they definitely made up for it in noise and movement! MIKU (vocals) looked delighted each time the crowd mirrored his dance moves perfectly, and the sound levels at the end of each beloved older track raised the roof.
As for the setlist, An Cafe selected a wide range of songs from every era of the band’s history, appealing to older and newer fans (and there were plenty of both). Opening with a crowd favourite, ‘Smile Ichiban Ii Onna’, the band then began exploring some new tracks from the latest album, ‘Hikagyaku Ziprock’. Beginning with ‘RoMAN ~let’s make precious love~’, they turned to ‘Bee Myself Bee Yourself’ and ‘Itai Onna ~No Pain, No Love? Japain Girls in Love~’ later in the set. The second two in particular showed the contrast between their cutesy, slower pop-rock style and their occasional heavier songs.
Both styles featured throughout, from the older, heavier ‘Snow Scene’ to 2012’s popular track, ‘Amazing Blue’. Yuuki (keyboard) took his place in the spotlight for the latter, arriving at the front of the stage with his ‘Nyappy’ star-shaped glow wand and a big smile on his face. He, along with the other members, taught the audience a few routines to use throughout the setlist. This brought everyone together and created a fantastic atmosphere.
Clearly, they were keen to encourage the audience’s singing and dancing this time, and a few tracks stood out as a result. ‘Wagamama Koushinkyoku’ and ‘Maple Gunman’, classic tracks from the first incarnation of the band, got everyone jumping from side to side and waving their arms for the choruses. The more recent ‘NATSU KOI NATSU GAME’ brought the whole band (aside from drummer Teruki, for obvious reasons) to the front, waving their hands with cute gestures and stepping back and forth in (near) perfect unity!
As an older fan (which becomes increasingly noticeable with each concert!), I enjoyed the first generation tracks, and those from the early stages of the new lineup, the most. ‘Escapism’ and ‘Tekesuta Kousen’ were full of emotion and energy. ‘Ryuusei Rocket’ and ‘Kakusei Heroism’ were hugely uplifting, with their spirited lyrics and simple but moving guitar solos. However, if I had to choose a song to take the title of “Best Performance”, there really could be no other than ‘Kimi No Machi’. A favourite of both the band and their fans, the voices of everyone in the room joined together in the choruses, while MIKU gave his clearest, most touching vocals.
Of course, there had to be space in the long setlist for one of their most popular songs, ‘CherrySaku Yuuki!!’. It came appropriately placed at the end, the lyrics pondering the end of an era and beginning of the future. As ever, the periodic table rap was the highlight- if they knew none of the other tracks, every member of the audience could join in here, “Sui He Li Be Bo Ku No Fu Ne!”.
The band left the stage for a short while, before returning to the chanting fans in their tour t-shirts, ready for a two track encore. Surprisingly, their usual ending song ‘BondS’ came first. One of An Cafe’s most iconic tracks, it got everyone waving their towels in time. Finally, ‘MY HEART LEAPS FOR ‘C’’ saw the concert to a cheerful conclusion, with the band offering a final show of love for their fans before taking a photo with us and leaving the stage.
Overall, An Cafe fulfilled what they set out to do- they came on stage, and made the audience live in the moment. It was great to feel myself getting lost in the music I’ve loved for so long once more. Hopefully we will have the same opportunity many more times in the future.
Photos by Charles Shepherd
Catch MIKU live in London for a special show at The Water Rats on February 26th 2025. Tickets are available here.
An Cafe
BEST 2015～2018
Release Date: 05/12/2018
Label: White café / Being Inc
Stream: Spotify | Apple Music
CD: CDJapan
