Formed in Brighton by vocalist Alice Guala and guitarist Blake Cornwall, Lake Malice have an aesthetic heavily influenced by Japanese anime and that makes them perfect touring partners for HANABIE. Yet they’re no strangers to playing with big names, having shared stages with the likes of Skindred, Vukovi, and Enter Shikari, meaning that there’s no sign of nerves when they take to the stage, rather they explode with an effervescence that sends shards of sonics shattering in every direction. Performing as a power trio (in its purest definition, i.e. powerful), if you want to know just how heavy three musicians can get you need look no further than Lake Malice. As with such configurations, there’s no place to hide; each member must come to the fore and a sound is created that’s far bigger than their constituent parts. There’s a sense of danger emanating from the stage, with Alice prowling like a big cat stalking prey and Blake looking like he might invade the crowd at any moment, which he soon does (replete with guitar!) to join the swirling circle pit. Delivering a set of songs that come laden with melody, Alice adds an extra layer of heaviness via a passionate performance, singing from the depths of her soul and making sure these songs are delivered with the requisite punch. HANABIE. attract a partisan, hardcore type of following, yet Lake Malice win them over with a set that drains the tank and suggests they’ll soon be back, but next time as headliners.
The rabid fandom that HANABIE. inspire is very much in evidence today as a queue forms outside the O2 Institute from early afternoon with the hopes of securing a coveted position in front of the stage. It creates a certain amount of tension and means that even the crew get loud cheers as the final checks are made and the stage is prepared for the band. The excitement crackling the air makes the countdown to HANABIE.’s set tick painfully slow and means that when the band finally take to the stage it feels as if someone has released a safety valve and you can feel a collective sigh of relief that HANABIE. are finally here. Each band member arrives individually, first drummer Chika, then guitarist Matsuri, quickly followed by bassist Hettsu and last but not least vocalist Yukina, with each raising the crowd’s reaction exponentially and taking the volume inside the Institute to ear-splitting volume. This is even before the band have played a note so when they launch into opening track (the aptly-titled) ‘Warning!!’, things go off the Richter Scale. Like vipers peeling from their coils, HANABIE. spring into action, a riotous cornucopia of colour and sound, and there’s not one person present who is not touched by their sheer joie de vivre. It becomes immediately apparent that the bouncers are going to be in for a busy night as the waves of crowd surfers who crash over the barrier soon turn into a tsunami.
What makes a HANABIE. gig such an uplifting affair is its interactive nature. Harajuku has lost her voice, so the band build it into the show via a series of storyboards. Each band member vies for the crowd’s attention, but the high-kicking Yukina is particularly animated. Looking like an angel, but singing like a devil, the crowd obey her every command; crouching and jumping in unison and then forming huge circle pits that suck all into their swirling vortex. The band’s love of Akihabara and Harajuku street fashions makes for a very arresting spectacle and the over arching feel is of a big party, albeit one with an extremely heavy soundtrack, but it’s a gathering to which everyone is invited with tracks such as ‘Karu Garu Everyday!!’ and ‘GIRL’S TALK’ getting the whole venue clapping and singing in unison.
It’s said that time flies when you have fun and that means set closer ‘Osaki ni Shitsurei Shimasu’ comes around far too soon. However, the crowd’s cry for “One more song” is rewarded not with one, but two, both ‘ghost mania’ and ‘Sentimental Heroine’ draining the energy of both band and crowd, ensuring that no one leaves disappointed. It’s been a pleasure to watch HANABIE. grow since their UK debut at Camden’s Underworld venue (reviewed here) to their return playing these bigger venues. You get the feeling that next time we see them, it’ll be in the biggest arenas.
HANABIE. Set List:
- Warning!!
- Bucchigiri Tokyo
- Spicy Queen
- Meta-moru-phose!
- Ware Amatou
- Kotoshi koso Gal~Shoka ver.~
- Karu Garu Everyday!!
- Ito Okashi MyType
- GIRL’S TALK
- Reiwa Matching-sedai
- GAMBLER
- Choujigen Galaxy
- NEET GAME
- LOVE Ranbu
- TOUSOU
- Osaki ni Shitsurei Shimasu.
Encores:
- ghost mania
- Sentimental Heroine
