Band-Maid is a Japanese rock band formed in 2013, consisting of singer Saiki Atsumi, guitarist/singer Miku Kobato, lead guitarist Kanami Tōno, bassist Misa, and drummer Akane Hirose. The band combines a rock sound with a maid image modeled on Japanese maid cafés. They are currently signed to Pony Canyon. Their most recent studio recording, the EP Unleash, was released in September 2022.
Band-Maid performing at House of Blues in Dallas, October 2022 (L-R: Misa, Miku Kobato, Akane Hirose, Saiki Atsumi, Kanami Tōno)
Band-Maid performing at Gramercy Theatre in New York City, September 2019
During live performances, referred to as "servings", band members wear elaborate maid costumes (L-R: Misa, Kanami Tōno, Miku Kobato; Boston, 2022)
Miku Kobato
Maid cafés are a subcategory of cosplay restaurants found predominantly in Japan and Taiwan. In these cafés, waitresses, dressed in maid costumes, act as servants, and treat customers as masters as if they were in a private home, rather than as café patrons. The first permanent maid café, Cure Maid Café, was established in Akihabara, Tokyo, Japan, in March 2001, but maid cafés are becoming increasingly popular. The increased competition drove the cafes to employ more diversified themes, gimmicks and even unusual tactics to attract customers. They have also expanded overseas to several countries around the world.
Interior of a maid café in Osaka
A maid distributing flyers in Akihabara
Waitresses at a maid café in Toulon, France
Entrance of a maid café in Taipei