Charlotte (band)
Encyclopedia
was an oshare kei
rock band with their concept based around "school"; their official homepage titled "Yokohama Charlotte School" and their visual style consisting of school uniforms. This was reflected in their music which was light hearted punk rock.
Arena Sound Hole in December 2000. The line-up consisted of Kazuno on vocals, Ruka on bass, Takane on drums along with Mitsujou who joined as a support guitarist.
Mitsujou joined as an official member in February 2001 and this was the official beginning of Charlotte. Their first 'real' concert was on February 21 at the Yokohama 7th avenue. In May they released their first demo-tape, simply called "Charlotte" which was limited and only sold at their concerts. Touya joined the band in November 2001 as the second guitarist. Around this time they also changed the spelling of their name from Charlotte in western characters to "しゃるろっと", which is pronounced the same but written in hiragana
.
The band started to perform at various concerts next to bands like DuelJewel, Kra
, Kalimero, Loz’a veria and others. In September, they released their first maxi-single, "B Kyuu Idol Densetsu". A few months later in December, they were featured on the compilation album Yougenkyou –Star-.
2003 started, and they contributed to various compilation albums, like Hysteric Media Zone IV and Loop of life III. In April they released their second maxi-single "Yokohama Love Story" which sold out on pre-order, leading to a second pressing. The second pressing, as well as their next single "Otona no Kijun," sold out immediately.
The band's very first one-man (a concert with no opening act) on August 17 at the Takadanobaba
area was completely sold out. They followed with a second press of "Otona no Kijun" which included an extra song. In September and November they continued to participate in various concerts, and in October they released a coupling CD with the band Mask, called "Tobe, Tobe Oyuuki". This maxi-single managed to rank 4th on the Oricon indies charts.
On January 1, 2004 Charlotte released their first mini-album, Gakuen Jigoku. On the 11th of the same month they had another one-man concert, this time in the Yokohama Arena Soundhall. In May they released another single, "Koi shinbou mansee!!" which ranked 6th on the Oricon indies charts. They had a one-man tour in August, and they distributed a single on these concerts. The band performed at various events in the following months, and in November they released another coupling CD, this time with the band R*A*P. It was called "Uchuu Gakuen", and it came with an 8 page booklet.
In January 2005 the band released their first set of DVDs called Natsuyasumi no Omoide ga Oppai - Saigo no XX Happyo and released in two versions: Yoko ban and Hama ban. Both DVD’s contained live footage and PV’s of the band, but the content of both DVDs were different from each other. The band released another mini-album in April 2005, called Ryuunen Kettei.
Kazuno, Charlotte's vocalist died after a sudden illness on April 5, 2011.
Singles
DVDs
Demos
Visual Kei
is a movement among Japanese musicians, that is characterized by the use of make-up, elaborate hair styles and flamboyant costumes, often, but not always, coupled with androgynous aesthetics. Some sources state that visual kei refers to a music genre, or to a sub-genre of Japanese rock, with its...
rock band with their concept based around "school"; their official homepage titled "Yokohama Charlotte School" and their visual style consisting of school uniforms. This was reflected in their music which was light hearted punk rock.
History
Charlotte started their activities with a concert at the YokohamaYokohama
is the capital city of Kanagawa Prefecture and the second largest city in Japan by population after Tokyo and most populous municipality of Japan. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of Tokyo, in the Kantō region of the main island of Honshu...
Arena Sound Hole in December 2000. The line-up consisted of Kazuno on vocals, Ruka on bass, Takane on drums along with Mitsujou who joined as a support guitarist.
Mitsujou joined as an official member in February 2001 and this was the official beginning of Charlotte. Their first 'real' concert was on February 21 at the Yokohama 7th avenue. In May they released their first demo-tape, simply called "Charlotte" which was limited and only sold at their concerts. Touya joined the band in November 2001 as the second guitarist. Around this time they also changed the spelling of their name from Charlotte in western characters to "しゃるろっと", which is pronounced the same but written in hiragana
Hiragana
is a Japanese syllabary, one basic component of the Japanese writing system, along with katakana, kanji, and the Latin alphabet . Hiragana and katakana are both kana systems, in which each character represents one mora...
.
The band started to perform at various concerts next to bands like DuelJewel, Kra
Kra
Kra or KRA can refer to:Kra Sowjet Russian truck* Kra * Kra *Kra Isthmus*Kra Peninsula*Kra River, Malay Peninsula*Kra languages*Kra *Kamen Rider Agito, television series.*Kenya Revenue Authority*Macaca fascicularis...
, Kalimero, Loz’a veria and others. In September, they released their first maxi-single, "B Kyuu Idol Densetsu". A few months later in December, they were featured on the compilation album Yougenkyou –Star-.
2003 started, and they contributed to various compilation albums, like Hysteric Media Zone IV and Loop of life III. In April they released their second maxi-single "Yokohama Love Story" which sold out on pre-order, leading to a second pressing. The second pressing, as well as their next single "Otona no Kijun," sold out immediately.
The band's very first one-man (a concert with no opening act) on August 17 at the Takadanobaba
Takadanobaba
Takadanobaba is a neighborhood in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan.-History:Originally, the area's name was read Takatanobaba and many Tokyo residents in their 50s or older pronounce it as such. However, younger Tokyoites and residents who have come from outside Tokyo, use the pronunciation Takadanobaba...
area was completely sold out. They followed with a second press of "Otona no Kijun" which included an extra song. In September and November they continued to participate in various concerts, and in October they released a coupling CD with the band Mask, called "Tobe, Tobe Oyuuki". This maxi-single managed to rank 4th on the Oricon indies charts.
On January 1, 2004 Charlotte released their first mini-album, Gakuen Jigoku. On the 11th of the same month they had another one-man concert, this time in the Yokohama Arena Soundhall. In May they released another single, "Koi shinbou mansee!!" which ranked 6th on the Oricon indies charts. They had a one-man tour in August, and they distributed a single on these concerts. The band performed at various events in the following months, and in November they released another coupling CD, this time with the band R*A*P. It was called "Uchuu Gakuen", and it came with an 8 page booklet.
In January 2005 the band released their first set of DVDs called Natsuyasumi no Omoide ga Oppai - Saigo no XX Happyo and released in two versions: Yoko ban and Hama ban. Both DVD’s contained live footage and PV’s of the band, but the content of both DVDs were different from each other. The band released another mini-album in April 2005, called Ryuunen Kettei.
Kazuno, Charlotte's vocalist died after a sudden illness on April 5, 2011.
Members
- Kazuno - Vocals (Deceased)
- Touya - Guitar
- Mitsujou - Guitar
- Ruka - Bass
- Takane - Drums
Discography
Albums & Mini-Albums- Gakuen Jigoku (学園地獄) 2004-01-01
- Ryuunen Kettei (留年決定) 2005-04-01
- Osharu no Gakkou Ichigoukan (おしゃるの学校 壱号館) 2005-08-10
- Osharu no Gakkou Nigoukan (おしゃるの学校 弐号館) 2005-12-11
- Sharu de Nashi Blues (しゃるでなしブルース) 2006-12-13
Singles
- "B Kyuu Idol Densetsu" (B級アイドル伝説) 2002-09-26
- "Yokohama Love Story" (横浜ラブストーリー) 2003-04-21, 2nd Press 2003-05-21
- "Otona no Kijun" (大人の基準) 2003-07-21, 2nd Press 2003-08-21
- "Koi Shinbou Mansee!!" (恋辛抱マンセー!!) 2004-05-14
- "Yokohama Love Story / Diamond Busaiku" (横浜ラブストーリー/ダイヤモンドブサイク) 2006-09-06, Oricon Single Weekly Ranking: 79
DVDs
- Natsuyasumi no Omoide ga Oppai - Saigo no XX Happyo (Yoko Ban) (夏休みの思い出がおっぱい-横盤-) 2005-01-08
- Natsuyasumi no Omoide ga Oppai - Saigo no XX Happyo (Hama Ban) (夏休みの思い出がおっぱい-浜盤-) 2005-01-08
- Shinban : Bangumi Hajimarutte Hontou Desuka!? (新盤: 番組始まるって本当ですか!?) 2006-04-09
- Jukuban : Bangumi Hajimarutte Hontou Desuka!? (宿盤: 番組始まるって本当ですか!?) 2006-04-09
Demos
- "Charlotte" 2001-05-26
- "Oyuugi Tape" (お遊戯テープ) 2002-02-13