There’s something different about being in the heavy music scene in 2025. The energy feels charged – like every show is part of a bigger movement. More women and gender-diverse artists are dominating stages, making noise that’s fierce, fun, and unapologetically theirs. And tonight with Japanese metalcore band HANABIE is no exception. From the glitter to the growls, this is a night where women rule the stage – and the crowd is here for it.
Lake Malice live @ O2 Institute, Birmingham. Photo Credit: Serena Hill Photography
You can feel the anticipation bubbling before LAKE MALICE hit the stage. The venue’s packed shoulder to shoulder, everyone buzzing with that pre-show adrenaline. As soon as the lights drop and the first distorted note hits, the room ignites.
Having carved their place in the UK scene with relentless touring and a sound that blends metalcore chaos with futuristic gloss, LAKE MALICE step up like headliners in waiting. Being the only support band is a heavy weight, but they wear it like armour. Alice Guala, all charisma and conviction, storms onto the stage like she owns it. One second, she’s belting a pristine hook that could sit on a pop record; the next, she’s unleashing a death growl that rattles your ribcage. Her voice is a weapon, and she knows exactly how to use it. Blake Cronwall, meanwhile, is pure kinetic energy – spinning, leaping, and darting across the stage with a grin that never fades. He doesn’t just play the guitar; he attacks it, feeding off the chaos of the pit.
Midway through the set, he jumps into the crowd, guitar still strapped on, joining the circle pit like it’s the most natural thing in the world. Beer splashes, bodies crash, and the energy doesn’t drop for a second. Tracks like Black Turbine and new single Nobody Wants To Be You hit like a controlled explosion – all glitchy electronics and throat-shredding catharsis. The crowd screams every word back, proof that LAKE MALICE aren’t the future of the scene – they’re the now. By the end, everyone’s drenched in sweat, grinning like maniacs. LAKE MALICE leave the stage victorious, setting the perfect tone for what’s to come.
Rating: 9/10
Hanabie live @ O2 Institute, Birmingham. Photo Credit: Serena Hill Photography
If LAKE MALICE were the spark, HANABIE are the detonation. The lights dim, the intro track swirls, and the four-piece stride out in full technicolour chaos: Harajuku fashion meets metal mayhem. The room erupts before they even hit the first note. Then the drop hits, and suddenly it’s chaos: double-kick drums, shredding riffs, and vocals that swing from cute to catastrophic in half a second.
They’ve dubbed their style Harajuku Core, and it’s the perfect name, a sugar-coated sonic uppercut that blends J-pop gloss with hardcore brutality. One minute you’re clapping along to a kawaii chorus, the next you’re dodging a crowd surfer flying past your head.
Yukina’s vocals are jaw-dropping – equal parts charm and chaos. One moment she’s beaming like an idol, the next she’s letting out a demonic scream that makes the floor shake. Matsuri’s guitar work is razor-sharp, slicing through the bubblegum melodies with precision. The rhythm section is relentless, keeping the chaos perfectly tight as the crowd loses their collective minds.
Hanabie live @ O2 Institute, Birmingham. Photo Credit: Serena Hill Photography
The band have clearly fallen in love with the UK – chatting between songs about visiting the Birmingham Bullring with Yukina commenting “It’s so big!” as well as asking the audience for local tips to check out the Red Brick Market. The banter’s wholesome, the energy’s infectious, and the audience adores them.
Even though it’s not a fully sold-out room, you wouldn’t know it. The atmosphere is explosive – strangers grinning and moshing together, people dressed like kawaii princess’s dancing next to metalheads in battle vests. It’s pure joy. By the encore, the floor is literally shaking underfoot. When they come back out for one last banger, the crowd loses it completely. Every clap, scream, and stomp echoes with that unspoken truth – this is special.
HANABIE might look sweet, but make no mistake: they’re dangerous in the best way possible. They’ve got the stage presence, the hooks, and the sheer guts to make even the toughest metal veterans rethink everything they thought they knew about ‘cute’.
Rating: 9/10
Check out our photo gallery of the night’s action in Bristol from Serena Hill Photography here:
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