Live Report: Hanabie send shockwaves through The Academy

On a dull but surprisingly mild November night, Ireland's metalheads gathered together outside The Academy to see Tokyo-based metal/EDM fusion band, Hanabie. What followed was a full-on sonic assault of visuals, fierce riffs, and, of course, lots of vocal fry.

Kicking off the night at 7:30 pm was British-Italian alt-metal group Lake Malice, and wow, did they get the crowd going.

Starting with their first song 'Magic Square', the vibrations of the guitar shivered through every fibre of my body, making my pulse race and heart beat in time to the rhythm.

Lead singer Alice Guala was decked out in a black-and-red fur jacket that complemented her ocean blue hair, while guitarist Blake Cornwall matched the crowd with his fully black attire.

Lake Malice supporting Hanabie at The Academy on November 4th, 2025. Copyright Abigail Ring/ hotpress.com

There was a nod to Ireland with the drummer wearing a Guinness jersey, and that wouldn't be the first mention of Guinness seen tonight

Towards the end of their set came a moment of fierce irony: Guala dedicated 'Nobody Wants to be you ' to the minority of women in the metal scene to a predominantly male crowd.

"This one goes out to all the women in the metal scene and to all the fucking freaks who've made me feel unsafe, put your middle fingers up"

With the crowd complying, middle fingers could be seen all around the room, and finally, our first mosh pit of the night was starting to form.

Taking a moment to make sure everyone looks after each other, Lake Malice counted the crowd in, and boom, the mosh-pit exploded.

To close out their incredible set, Lake Malice announced that they are working on their first album, which is expected to drop in 2026. Giving the crowd a little teaser of what to expect, they played 'Ghost in a Hague', which is about feeling disconnected from reality despite being online 24/7, a very fitting song for today's online generation.

Lake Malice supporting Hanabie at The Academy on November 4th, 2025. Copyright Abigail Ring/ hotpress.com

As Lake Malice left the stage, 'Cotton Eyed Joe' played, getting the crowd really hyped up as they started swinging each other around and singing along to the lyrics.

With the crowd warmed up and ready to go, the clock struck 9 pm, and in the sea of Black, colour exploded onto the stage in the form of Hanabie.

The four members each got their moment to shine, coming out one by one in their "Harajuku-core" outfits, each time the crowd progressively increasing in volume.

It was when the final member, Yukina, came out in her pink O'Neills shorts (complementing her cheetah-print skirt) and introduced the band with "Hello everyone! We are Hanabie from Japan," that the crowd erupted into sheer chaos.

Hanabie at The Academy on November 4th, 2025. Copyright Abigail Ring/ hotpress.com

As soon as the first chords to 'Warning!!' rang out, scenes of headbanging with cult-like synchronisation accompanied by punk rock hand signals filled the room from the front of the stage to the back, where I was placed behind the sound engineer's desk.

By the time their 2025 hit 'Spicy Queen' played, a steady mosh pit had formed, and the energy can only be described as electric.

Yukina's vocal fry ability was absolutely top-tier, switching effortlessly between her natural high-pitched speaking voice to deep vocal fry in a matter of seconds.

After four songs, the band took a break to check in with the crowd, and bass player, Hettsu, with her pastel purple hair, climbed up to the centre of the stage holding a series of signs that read: "I lost my voice....the cause?...8 hour phone call with Yukina (main singer)...that was yesterday!" Hettsu then screamed, "I'm back!!!" - and the crowd went ballistic.

Hanabie at The Academy on November 4th, 2025. Copyright Abigail Ring/ hotpress.com

With Hettsu's voice restored, Hannbi switched up the vibe and leaned into their more EDM-heavy track, 'Kotoshi koso Gal~Shoka ver'.

Yukina donned a pair of white heart-shaped sunglasses and led a chant of "What the fuck!" which the crowd sang back in perfect unison.

Hanabie at The Academy on November 4th, 2025. Copyright Abigail Ring/ hotpress.com

Despite the language barrier, every fan was locked in, which was a real testament to Hanabie's cross-cultural charisma and ability to command the stage.

With every song, the energy grew in intensity, and surely enough, it wouldn't be long before the Irish concert ritual of chanting "Olé, Olé, Olé, Olé" would break out.

The moment would arise when Hanabie started a discussion about what their favourite Irish alcohol was, with Hettsu saying she tried Guinness and commented on the love that Irish people have for a good pint of the black stuff.

Guitarist Matsuri then chimed in, mentioning Irish whiskey, where Yukina suggested they should all try a shot, and, surely enough, a bottle of Jameson was brought on stage.

The crowd seized their opportunity as each of the girls took a swig, and the sounds of  "Olé, Olé, Olé, Olé" rang out throughout the entire venue.

As the set drew to a close, the energy didn't waver for a second. The crowd, sweaty but euphoric, chanted "One more tune!" until the band obliged with a blistering encore.

Hanabie at The Academy on November 4th, 2025. Copyright Abigail Ring/ hotpress.com

Before leaving the stage, Yukina thanked everyone, "Arigato, Arigato, Arigato, we'll be back again, promise!"

And with that, the night ended as it began, full of colour, chaos and an unbreakable sense of community.

Hanabie's debut Dublin show was nothing short of a masterclass in controlled chaos -  Hanabie made sure it wouldn't be forgotten.

For one wild November night, The Academy became Japan's loudest outpost - every person inside left grinning, breathless and a little bit dizzy and deaf from the hours of headbanging and moshing.

• See the full setlist down below:

Hanabie Setlist
1. Warning!!
2.Bucchigiri Tokyo
3. Spicy Queen
4. Meta-moru-phose!
5. Ware Amatou
6. Kotoshi koso Gal~Shoka ver
7. Ito Okashi MyType
8. GIRLS TALK
9. Reiwa Matching-sedai
10. GAMBLER
11. Choujigen Galaxy
12. NEET GAME
13. TOUSOU
14. Osaki ni Shitsurei Shimasu.

Encore
15.O•TA•KU Lovely Densetsu