Bursting onto the stage with a riotous, chaotic energy, Hanabie. systematically tore Academy 2 apart on the second night of their UK and European tour. Straight from the vibrant streets of Tokyo, this all-female four-piece launched into ‘Warning!!’ with the heart-stopping bass, electronic noises and feral screams typical of their self-described genre Harajuku-Core, which draws influences from metal, Japanese pop culture and hardcore punk.
Hanabie. boast a particularly tenacious fan-base who travelled from all over the North West and queued down the street fill the sold out venue. Already hyped up from support by Lake Malice who led the crowd in a boot-stomping, hand-waving scream-a-thon, the crowd roared their approval throughout, and unsurprisingly, it wasn’t long before the crowd-surfing started and people moshed their hearts out in the large pit.
The band is made up of vocalist Yukina, Matsuri on guitars and backing vocals, Hettsu on the bass and Chika on the drums. During the opening song it became clear that Matsuri was not singing. The reason was quickly explained with a Love Actually style reveal that she had lost her voice after an 8-hour phone conversation with Yukina, and came with a request that the crowd sing extra loud on her behalf – which they gladly took responsibility for.
Striking huge poses and running around the stage with unlimited energy, Yukina roared her way through songs including recent new single ‘Spicy Queen’, and bounced through their latest single ‘Karu Garu Everyday!!’ – the theme song to short TV anime series Araiguma Calcal-dan, produced by Nippon Animation.
The rest of the tour continues with dates in London, Dublin, Paris and Madrid among many other great cities, this is a band not to be missed!
Read our review of Bucchigiri Tokyo