“Do you like… beer?” What happened when we accompanied sugar-sweet Japanese ‘Harajuku-core’ metallers Hanabie to the UK’s biggest rock festival, Download
It’s 7am and Hanabie are loitering on the concrete outside Stansted Airport. While there’s nothing glamorous about the scene, the Japanese nu metalcore quartet are a much-needed burst of colour. Later, they’ll be decked out in the technicolour tulle, flouncy skirts and whimsical ribbons of their stage outfits, but right now their luggage is vibrant enough. The girls roll along a trio of pastel-coloured suitcases, while bassist Hettsu trails behind, lugging a vivid purple holdall, the bag complementing her split pink and blue hair. It’s early, but they babble over one another – they can’t stop thinking about how wild their European tour has been so far.
The foursome are a little bleary-eyed, but tour butterflies seem to be the perfect antidote to exhaustion. Over the last week, they’ve barely stopped to catch their breath. Not even 15 hours ago, the gang were performing to one of their biggest crowds yet, luring in 20,000 punters at Austria’s Nova Rock festival. Soon, a van will whisk them off to Donington Park, where they’ll kick off this year’s Download Festival by opening the Opus stage. It will mark their second gig on British soil, their first being a chaotic, sweaty, sold-out evening at Camden’s Underworld last August. Playing the festival will be a total pinch-me milestone for them all.
“Every Japanese person knows about Download, so the fact we’re performing is so exciting!” guitarist Matsuri grins, before bassist Hettsu chimes in with a howl of, “We want to meet the Download Dog!”
You could be forgiven for misinterpreting Hanabie’s happy-go-lucky veneer. Aesthetically, the group masquerade as tooth-rottingly sweet, with pixie-like outfits, sparkling music videos and anime-inspired artwork. But, if you want to understand Hanabie, their viral hit Osaki Ni Shitsurei Shimasu (‘Pardon Me, I Have To Go Now’) is a good starting point. It’s a monstrously loud protest against Japan’s suffocatingly polite hierarchical corporate culture, pointing a middle finger at the patriarchy. Pop on the video and you’ll see singer Yukina choking her boss, all 4’10 of her seething with rage as she growls squarely into his face.
Pardon Me, I Have To Go Now represents a fraction of the group’s diverse sound. Hanabie have carved out their own lawless land of ‘Harajuku-core’, an unruly clash of sparkling hyperpop electronics, guttural hardcore punk and groove metal ferocity. The girls coined the term themselves, alluding to the diversity and self-expression associated with Tokyo’s Harajuku district. 2023’s space- inspired second album, Reborn Superstar!, features glittering hooks, videogame glitching and ample lashings of blistering metalcore. Even if you don’t understand Japanese, Hanabie are proof that any language barrier can be shattered by a good breakdown. “There’s no particular sonic direction we’re going in, but we always want to pull something new from our pockets,” Yukina explains.
When a van rolls up, Hanabie get inside. Hettsu, Matsuri and drummer Chika plant themselves on a row of seats, while Yukina stakes her claim on the ‘bed’, clambering up onto a raised platform. It’s nothing extravagant, but the thin mattress is a blessing, the singer screeching with delight as her bandmates and interpreter chuckle. While others may crumble under the weight of jetlag and back-to-back performances, Hanabie remain in high spirits. “It’s a little tiring,” Matsuri admits. “But once we get up onstage in front of the crowd, the adrenaline pumps in, and it’s all worth it.”
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Following the release of Reborn Superstar!, Hanabie have quickly gained momentum. Just six days ago, security had to restrict entry to their Rock Im Park set to avoid overcrowding. “It was hard to see all the way to the back”, Hettsu gushes. “The fans are great – they’ve gotten more crazy. Even before we say anything, they’re already making a pit. It’s unreal – we go to new countries and the fans are all foreign, but they know us. They know our songs. It suddenly hits you: this many people know Hanabie, this many people love Hanabie.”
Hanabie are recognised everywhere they go, always receiving gifts. “We’ve stopped at petrol stations before and people have invited us over, given us friendship bracelets with our names on,” Yukina recalls. “Even in Australia we got gifted this stuffed animal called a Fuggler–”
Wrong. The mention of the Fuggler immediately sparks a debate. All the girls are talking at once, their interpreter struggling to keep up. “No, no, no,” Hettsu says, Chika and Matsuri chattering as a confused Yukina asks, “A fan gave it to us, right?”
It turns out Hettsu had bought the stuffed animal, with its unnervingly human-like teeth, herself. She has since added even more to her collection. “They’re cute!” she asserts, proudly.
As the van rumbles on, the group continue to bicker and giggle. They chortle about Hettsu being the band’s big drinker (“She’s always got a beer in her hand,” Matsuri explains), before howling with laughter when asked about Kurosawa, the actor who has cropped up in every video since playing a salaryman in Pardon Me….“At first it was the director’s idea to cast him, but now we’re always like, can we have Mr. Kurosawa for the next video?” Yukina cackles. “He comes to our shows too!” adds Hettsu.
When we ask how drummer Chika has settled into the band since joining last May, she pouts at the others. With puppy dog eyes, she jokingly mumbles, “Am I part of the family?” Everyone fondly rolls their eyes, a resounding chorus of “Of course!” making Chika grin. While only Yukina, Matsuri and Hettsu have known each other since middle school, it seems like they’ve all been lifelong mates. The girls really do come across like sisters.
In the last year, Hanabie have charmed a wealth of musicians. Ukrainians Jinjer have invited the quartet to support them this September, and Limp Bizkit took them on tour last winter. While the nu metallers embody machismo, Hanabie’s frilly tutus and effervescent chaos are seemingly an even match – watching footage of Yukina guesting on Break Stuff in Sydney, you can see how much Fred relishes her bite-sized rage, as she echoes his lyrics with growls. She may be short in stature, but her personality is titanic.
When asked to describe hanging out with Fred Durst, the van erupts into giggles. “At first I was so nervous to meet him, but when we performed together, I had so much fun!” Yukina says. “The experience gave us bigger dreams, more motivation to work for something bigger.”
This year they were invited to perform alongside eclectic alt metallers Maximum The Hormone – their idols. They tried to keep fangirling to a minimum. “They were so nice to us,” Yukina sighs, before Matsuri chimes in, fondly noting that, “It’s something I’ll never forget until the day I die.” The group’s ‘Harajuku-core’ grit draws fans of all ages, and they hope their sound can inspire others, just as Maximum The Hormone inspired them. “We hope we’re good role models,” Yukina reflects.
Chika has already influenced at least one youngster. “I used to be a drum teacher, and a young girl I taught has grown to love Hanabie,” she smiles. “She’ll learn my parts, copy the double kicks. She’s tried really hard to play just like me!”
By the time the van rumbles onto the Download grounds, there’s a sense of panic. We’re very, very late. Luckily Hettsu and Chika have already perfected their make-up on the drive, dazzling with their sparkly eyeshadow. Unfortunately, Yukina and Matsuri haven’t even started theirs. Press plans are cancelled – the race to the dressing rooms is the priority. Flinging their suitcases open, it’s like a fabric shop has exploded. Strips of sheer cloth billow out over the floor like neon tentacles, a mountain of bright mesh protruding out of the centre. Rifling through the assortment of materials, the band get to work. Unlike other big Japanese acts, the four girls are their own styling team. As they hunt down their desired skirts, scrunchies and leg warmers, it feels like a group of best mates getting ready – right down to Matsuri loudly proclaiming that “HETTSU NEEDS A BEER!”
When explaining their latest single, Girl’s Talk, Yukina says that it’s a reflection on missing their friends back home. Hanabie can be away on tour for months at a time. “Since we’re touring so much, we really notice the time we spend away from home,” she says. “When we get back to Japan and visit our friends, we realise just how much we miss them. Just being able to go for a drink with your girl friends – the conversations don’t need to be anything important, but just being together feels so special.”
As they hastily help each other get ready, it’s clear Hanabie’s friendship is a comfort on the road. “We miss home, but we’ve got each other,” Yukina smiles.
In front of the Opus Stage, fans have already gathered for Hanabie. Little do they know the girls are lined up backstage like a pack of J-metal Power Rangers: Yukina pink, Hettsu purple, Matsuri blue and Chika yellow. They adjust their colourful frills, twist around beaded bracelets, make sure their star-shaped hair clips are in place. Hettsu translates and scribbles some English onto her arm, nervously asking us to confirm it makes sense.
Hanabie take to the stage like they’re in a game show, running out one by one and striking a mighty pose. The crowd bellow with approval – before the futuristic Lovely Densetsu seizes control. Chika instantly becomes a machine, lost in the track’s hectic, blazing drums, as Matsuri riffs away like mad. Despite the instrumental carnage, Yukina frolics. She looks like a doll, plaits flying as she leaps and bounces in time with each thundering track. At one point she looks over, mid-air, and shoots us a cute grin, wiggling her fingers in a wave – before unleashing the most ravenous, guttural death growl.
When Hettsu finally consults the note on her arm, the crowd are like putty in Hanabie’s hands. “It was raining today… but it’s sunny!” she cries, the crowd responding with clattering applause. Then she makes a split- second decision to go off script: “Do you like… beer?” The response could register on the Richter scale. She grabs her own beer from the ground and poses the question again: “DO YOU LIKE BEER?” Suddenly, Hettsu is the people’s princess. She’s played perfectly into British festival drinking culture, and the crowd love her for it. Of course, the chants soon begin – and she most certainly will “down it”, rest assured.
As the gang close things with the magnificent Pardon Me…, the entire field looks full. Fans delight in the tickled-pink fury, throwing themselves into moshpits and crowdsurfing before the girls depart the stage as heroes.
Offstage, Hanabie are aglow. The set was a triumph, a glittering display of Harajuku-core power. But they can’t bask in the glory for long. While they’d love to stick around and chug some more pints, Switzerland’s Greenfield Festival awaits. Earlier, they admitted that “We’ve still got a long way to go, but it feels like our dreams are finally coming true” – and they’re working damn hard to ensure they do.
Reborn Superstar! is out now via Sony