Review: Hanabie. @ The Gov
Tokyo-based all-girl rockers HANABIE. blew everyone away with their chaotic set at The Gov and we were there to catch all the action.
Words by Will Oakeshott // Images by Danny Wallace
Hanabie. & The Gloom in the Corner @ The Gov 13/11/24
May 15th 2008, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Light Square, Adelaide.
April 30th 2011, The Chariot, Fowlers Live, Adelaide.
“In memory everything seems to happen to music.” – Tennessee Williams.
This esteemed American playwright and screenwriter speaks significantly loud volumes with this statement. The remarkable beauty of this quotation though is how it can be interpreted – the “to music” element can understandably represent the idea of an individual trying to retrace their life’s moments and hearing corresponding music reflecting that memory. However, the “to music” section could possibly portray the idea that the music has more involvement than the “soundtrack” element. For example: “I still remember the first time I tried Tempranillo was at WOMAD festival while Bon Iver was performing…” Sound familiar?
The two dates and performances noted above are milestones in this writer’s life where perception was altered permanently and positively. The mayhem, discordance, anarchy, lack of self-care and insanity both of these now defunct outfits, showcased to hundreds of unsuspecting witnesses, was beyond spellbinding. These are memories that happened to music; and more notably, music that this scribe (and assuredly many more) did not properly grasp until those moments in 2008 and 2011 respectively.
November 13 2024, Hanabie., The Gov, Adelaide. This was to be the latest amazing addition.
Melbourne’s The Gloom In The Corner are indisputably in the “hardest working bands of Australian metalcore” echelon. Although the quartet’s artistic output is rather bleak in lyrical themes and probably better described audibly as “The Boom And The Slaughter” – their showcase is always one of integrity and revelry. In fact, the best description of their performance is encapsulated by frontman Mikey Arthur and his storytelling in the track ‘Clutch’: “A chaotic grin on his face.”
This is how the four-piece leaves their audience, grinning chaotically. Truth be told, it is exactly how TGITC deliver their cinematic metalcore in two words. It is arguably impossible to find any gloom at all after the four-piece concludes their narrative. So, here is some of what transpired…
The poetic elegance of the introduction to ‘From Heaven To Hell’ was wondrous; it was strangely picturesque and Arthur’s tremendous transitions between heavenly harmonious singing over orchestral splendour, to raw screeches and guttural bellows over brash metallic breakdowns were practically superhuman. “Welcome To The Rabbit Hole” he shrieks at Adelaide over chugger-chug brutality – TGIC’s followers have all dived headfirst in.
How deep does it go?
‘Misanthropic’ bordered on terrorizing in the most tremendous way possible. Actually, the earth may have tremored, especially when Mr Arthur called out to The Gov: “Up for some deathcore?”
BOOM!
This rabbit hole just became endless.
‘Ronin’ was futuristic and beyond fierce. ‘Behemoth’ was delightfully demented – remember how Eric Bana transformed into Chopper? Remember how John Jarrat encompassed Mick Taylor in Wolf Creek? This is flawlessly Arthur – crassly charming and disturbingly dazzling, he leaves the crowd wanting more. ‘Warfare’ had Jesse Abdurazak (guitar) and Paul Musolino (bass) at their acrobatic and armed warrior best – their instruments weapons and their bodies’ gymnastic vessels. Their purpose? Assisting the Chopper and more so, the audience to slam dance at militant skillsets.
‘Bleed You Out’ brought about a trancecore meets dubstep fusion that was out of this universe only to be earthed by the devastating breakdown that shook the walls and ceiling. ‘The Jerico Protocol’ exhibited the earlier days of Chiodos with symphonic grandeur, and it continued to escalate in savagery and lunacy until the last pulsating breakdown brought silence.
The real insanity was still to come…
If The Gloom In The Corner transported The Gov to another universe – Japan’s Hanabie. Warped the audience into another dimension. In the most astonishing way possible, Yukina (vocals), Matsuri (guitar), Hettsu (bass) and Chika (drums) are from a different and extraordinary existence. It was undeniably an honour to have them bestow their brilliance on the capacity crowd.
As if a part of a game show, each member ran onto the platform, cheering and applauding, absolutely ecstatic to share their passion and astounding talent with us all. ‘O•TA•KU Lovely Densetsu’ opened the striking spectacle and it was a fantastic frenzy. Nu-metalcore is one of the subgenre identifiers, but that is only in what this dimension could possibly comprehend. Trancecore, J-pop and some incredible fusion of foremost Orange County melodic metalcore with the best anime soundtrack ever released covers other entrancing components of Hanabie. – yet, this depiction falls drastically short.
‘NEET GAME’ was a magnificent monstrosity of experimetallic popcore as a disco party with sublime choreography. What was most infectious though, was the positivity, THAT ENERGY – it was unavoidable. Even the flamboyancy that would perhaps confuse some of the stoutest metalheads would have more than likely left them spellbound by the flashy yet wicked metalcore that was blasted toward them.
Jokes about escaped koalas (yes, even outfits made an appearance) were a near-perfect part of the presentation, Coopers Pale Ale was engulfed (a “shoey” was almost executed), callouts to which city Hanabie. were actually dizzying with their tantalising and fun aura were asked, and “love heart” hand gestures were ecstatically expressed. Where were we? It didn’t matter, the most important aspect was that nobody wanted to leave.
‘TOUSOU (Run Away)’ was a circle-pit instigator that seemed illusory with its majesty. ‘Be Tha Gal’ was the highlight if one had to be picked – from peculiar trance-pop, to groove metal, to electrocore, to thrash metal, to NYHC-inspired metallic hardcore beatdowns. Most impressively was how the four-piece embraced the heavy music genre and made it THEIR own. They presented odd dancing and irresistible positivity, and when they needed to embrace the amazing aggressive approach of hardcore music – they executed it in a gigantic line of attack.
In true theatrical and monumental fashion, an encore was thankfully included for this remarkable revelation featuring ‘Choujigen Galaxy‘ and ‘Today’s Good Day & So Epic’. This was the quartet’s debut headline Australian tour and this night was their final show of the interdimensional experimetalcore journey they guided Adelaide through. It was incomparable, it was prodigious…
It has become a mesmerising memory that happened to music.
May 15th 2008, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Light Square, Adelaide.
April 30th 2011, The Chariot, Fowlers Live, Adelaide.
November 6th 2024, Hanabie., The Gov, Adelaide was
Check out the full gallery of images from Hanabie. at The Gov here.
