Almost exactly one year to the day that Hanabie. first played The Van Buren in Phoenix, they brought their current North American tour back to the Valley of the Sun this past Tuesday, 4/7/26. Feeling less like a midweek show and more like a full-on cultural collision, from the moment the band hit the stage, the room charged into motion, equal parts hardcore pit and anime convention fever dream. HaNaBie.’s self-described “Harajuku-core” sound (which blends the hard hitting explosion of metalcore brutality with sugary J-pop hooks) translates perfectly for live performance. With startling precision, Yukina (vocals), Matsuri (guitar and vocals), Hettsu (bass and vocals), and Chika (drums) create a push-and-pull dynamic that kept the crowd constantly moving. A force to be reckoned with, Yukina commanded the chaos with ease from her mic, shifting with ease guttural screams and playful melodies, all while orchestrating pits that erupted nearly on cue.
What made the performance stand out wasn’t just the novelty of the genre fusion, but how tight and intentional it all felt. HaNaBie. kicked things off with “NEET GAME,” landing it with punishing force that served as a mere appetizer for the set list to follow. “TOUSOU” and “O•TA•KU Lovely Densetsu” injected a chaotic, almost comedic energy into the set with Yukina, Matsuri, and Hettsu jumping and bouncing around stage while also shifting into bonechilling guitar riffs and screams. Underlying the playfulness of their look, the band’s musicianship was razor sharp. Every breakdown hit with mechanical precision, every tempo shift locked in perfectly. Nothing felt sterile or preplanned; instead, there was a palpable sense of joy in it all, a willingness to embrace contradiction: cute versus crushing, polished versus feral. That duality is the band’s identity, and in Phoenix, it resonated deeply with a crowd that clearly understood the assignment.
By the time the encore rolled around, The Van Buren had fully surrendered to the experience. The pit never really stopped moving, and even those hanging back were visibly pulled into the spectacle. Hanabie. didn’t just play a show, they created a shared, high-energy dreamscape where aggression and playfulness coexisted seamlessly. It’s rare to see a band lean so hard into contrast without losing cohesion, but here it worked effortlessly. In a city that sees its fair share of heavy tours, this performance stood out as something genuinely different: loud, weird, and wildly “ICONIC”.
Set List:
NEET GAME
SUNRISE Miso-SOUP
Reiwa Matching-sedai
TOUSOU
Kotoshi koso Gal~Shoka ver.~
ICONIC
Spicy Queen
Ware Amatou
Watashitachi no 7kakan Sensou
O•TA•KU Lovely Densetsu
Tokimeki About you
Choujigen Galaxy
Osaki ni Shitsurei Shimasu.
