Hanabie is an all-female band hailing from Tokyo, Japan. They brand themselves "Harajuku-core" based on the Shibuya district, made famous for fashion and creativity. The band blends a variety of musical genres, with its underlying roots being metalcore and punk with a bit of electronica thrown in for good measure.
The band consists of lead vocalist Yukina, guitarist Matsuri, bassist Hettsu, and drummer Chika. The founding members of Hanabie created the band in 2015 while they were in high school. Chika is the junior member of the group, having joined in 2023. The group is signed to Epic Records Japan, which is under the Sony Music umbrella.
This marks the second time I've seen the band, with the first having been last year in Sacramento alongside Kim Dracula. I first learned of the band after the release of the music video for "Osaki ni Shitsureishimasu." Like a lot of music, it came across my YouTube algorithm, with that time being on the drive back from Las Vegas in January 2023. This song is part of what helped the band's global popularity grow, and as of the present time, it has over 11 million views. The band has performed at festivals around the world like Wacken Open Air, Summer Breeze, Poland Rock, Knotfest, and Lollapalooza.
Hettsu
Matsuri
August Hall plays host tonight. A relatively new concert venue, August Hall, helps fill the mid-size venue niche in San Francisco. The building was built more than a century ago in the early 1910s by its namesake, architect August Headman. It's served as an auditorium, USO club, and theater, amongst other things. For almost three decades, it was the nightclub Ruby Skye before converting to its current format in 2017. This marks the first time the band has visited San Francisco, and thankfully for me, it is a lot closer to home (but I was willing to drive two hours to see them last time).
Chika
For this tour, the band is accompanied by Enterprise Earth and Nekrogoblikon (who I've covered at previous shows in San Francisco). If anyone wasn't aware of what kind of show they were about to see, this should have clued them in. Well, the goblin singing about bodily functions might have thrown them for a loop. I'll give the goblin and company points in that they know the area. Most bands are only known in San Francisco, but they rattled off plenty of cities up and down the Bay Area and even ones farther east that aren't really in the Bay Area. That's the kind of thing one appreciates, to see that someone did some research or otherwise actually has knowledge.
The tour did have a hiccup earlier on when Yukina had issues with her throat, resulting in the cancellation of their New York and Silver Spring dates. This is something all screamers have to face and, on a long-term basis, need to adapt to in order to prevent further damage. Being in her mid-20s, Yukina still has time to change her technique. For a touring band with short downtime between shows, this is important.
Hanabie's fans blend the lines between fans of Japanese pop culture with that of more traditional metal fans. Mixed in with the beards and black t-shirts were anime fans and cosplayers, including one dressed as Hatsune Miku. I saw another person with their penlights (usually reserved for anisongs and not metal) using them like traffic signals in the middle of a mosh pit. There's a lot of crossover, and you'll see lots of Hanabie fans at Babymetal and Band-Maid shows, but if I had to say, Hanabie is musically much farther along towards the harder side of the metal spectrum than either of those groups.
Hanabie's most recent album is 2023's Reborn Superstar!, but their most recent release is the EP Hot Topic, which was released earlier this year. Hot Topic features multiple singles, including "Tasty Survivor," "Spicy Queen," and "Iconic." The band played music with the bulk coming from the above two releases, as well as their first album, Girl's Reform Manifest.
The band's frenetic energy makes you want to move, and the crowd responded well. Bands feed off the crowd, and seeing everyone pumping their fists, jumping, and a good-sized pit going on are all things any metal band wants to see. We even saw a bit of crowd surfing. Yukina brought out a phone for the opening segment of "Iconic." She's quite the showman and is very active on stage, bouncing and jumping around back and forth.
The final song of the normal set was "Osaki ni Shitsureishimasu," and as mentioned, this is the song that started me in the band. I personally do not think any show's set can be called complete without it.
After a short encore call, the band came back out. Yukina was wearing a Giant's jersey, which is something I can appreciate. The final song of the night was "Today's Good Day and So Epic," and after seeing tonight's show, I can't argue with that.
One thing Japan has in spades is a bevy of girl bands, and Hanabie stands on its own. They've capitalized on their popularity, riding a wave across the world that few bands in Japan really get to experience. They managed to grind their way through the live house circuit until they were noticed and flagged for bigger things. There are a lot of bands that never make it onto the world scene, or even the national scene. For a lot of bands, you will have to go to Japan if you want to see them.
And speaking of Japan, Hanabie will be playing at the Viva La Rock festival on May 5th if you happen to be in the Tokyo area. It's part of the many Golden Week festivities taking place around the country. They'll also take part in the Daikaihou Festival in Yokohama on May 10th. And if you're stateside? Well, there's nothing on the books for now, but I wouldn't be surprised if we see the band again next year.
Some of the most hearts I've seen at an American show. And yes, that's a cow.
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