Tokyo’s loudest daughters, Hanabie, cast a riotous rainbow upon Electric Brixton this evening, with Lake Malice, giving us the perfect example of exactly what happens when Heavy Metal refuses to be what you expect.
Hanabie – Lake Malice
Electric Brixton, London – 7 November 2025
Words And Photography: Matt Pratt
The blend of Heavy Metal darkness and J-pop vibrance is hardly news to the modern scene. Babymetal boisterously introduced themselves to us over ten years ago and sit firmly at the top of the mountain, exemplified in their prominence on the recently announced Download Festival line-up.
Stylistic similarities aside, it would be lazy to consider Hanabie and Babymetal similar beasts. While Babymetal take a form consistent with the J-Pop genre – highly choreographed, performance-focused stage extravaganzas – Hanabie embody something far more familiar with Metal audiences.
The opening of tonight’s show displays the opposite of what we might see just across town in the West End, with each band member taking to the stage front to introduce and accept adoration from the crowd.
The crowd are as invested in them as individual characters, as they are the band as a whole.
The display of individual recognition makes a nice change from many bands which thrust the fame and attention on the vocalist, leaving the other members out of the spotlight.
Hanabie may appear sickly sweet, but their sound hits like a brick.
Grumbling riffs that you would not be surprised to hear from bands like Killswitch Engage or Bullet For My Valentine, paired with the guttural growls of frontwoman Yukina, scream of belonging with their Metalcore peers. 
Hanabie are not just another cookie cutter example of a genre that has in many ways become a catchall for modern Metal. Atop the firm Metal foundations sit sprinklings of bold identity, songs like Spicy Queen and Osaki ni Shitsurei Shimasu, sparkling with disarming high-pitched vocals delivered with rap-like velocity in the former.
The melting pot of styles arrives like a salty and sweet snack, opposing components that surprisingly emphasise the best of each. 
This is the final date of a tightly packed UK leg, and with the support they have garnered over the last few years on our island, the mood is one of celebration and gratitude.
Gracious throughout the show, the feeling is rich with significance.
The thanks are not only directed to the audience, as this evening marks the final date for which Lake Malice will be joining Hanabie as support and their final show of the year.
In honour of a tireless year of touring, the trio were invited back to the stage for a shot of chilli-infused Rum produced right here in Brixton by Market Row distillery. The trio grimace their way through the spicy shots as they depart, but the burn of the scotch bonnets sticks around as the headliners turn it up a notch.
The rowdiest of the crowd cycle over the masses and back around into the pit, empowered by the relentless assault on stage.
In an oversaturated market, Hanabie shines. Appealing to the typical sensibilities of their genre, the four-piece stand out with their own unique identity and endearing personalities.
Their comfort on some of the more daunting UK stages only solidifies belief in their long-term presence in the scene, and you have to expect it will not be long before they return to up the scale once more.
Lake Malice
If you have been to any number of Heavy Metal shows this year, it is more than likely that you will have caught Lake Malice at some point.
Constantly on the road, the duo, along with touring drummer, are not just hoping to be discovered, they are insisting upon it. Despite one of the busiest schedules this year, the pair have never lost their energy.
Trademark to the Lake Malice shows are athletic jump kicks that perfectly represent their energetic, bounding sound they produce. Their regular presence goes to show how well the two-piece fit in their scene, and picking up fans at each and every date, you would not expect it to be long before they take their own shows to platforms of such magnitude.
