Hanabie. with special guests Left to Suffer and Outline in Color – May 30, 2024 – Portland, Oregon – Crystal Ballroom Show Review

All girl Japanese Metalcore – I mean Harajuku-core! These ladies presented a show in the iconic McMenamins Crystal Ballroom on May 30, 2024.

To start the night, Tulsa, Oklahoma’s own Outline in Color (OIC) got the bouncing started. With their hardcore sound with a mix of dirty and clean vocals, they made some new fans for sure. Outline in Color seemed to be really cool dudes. Their set was fun and even fun to look at with the chicken decorations. Unfortunately, we found out after the show that their van was broken into while in Portland. As most of our team are in the Pacific Northwest and see most of our shows in Portland, we extend our sincerest apologies for what happened. The city is definitely not what it use to be, but we hope it is trying to get back to the Portland we once knew and loved.

Next, if the name of band doesn’t tell you, it was deathcore Left to Suffer from Georgia. This band blew me away. The music and the heavy growls seemed to reverberate through the Crystal Ballroom. Left to Suffer has the stage presence that hold their own, they do their own thing and they do it well. I can see them play huge festivals for sure.

The audience was warmed up with these two amazing opening bands, and concert goers were excited with the anticipation of Hanabie. These girls are cute, talented, and fun to watch. There was a lot of bouncing and smiles, and the girls looked like they were having as much fun as the crowd was.

The Crystal Ballroom is a classic venue who has had iconic bands play in its halls such as James Brown, Marvin Gaye, Tina Turner, The Grateful Dead, Etta James, BB King, Little Richard, The Temptations, and Frank Zappa. Hanabie’s music encourages “bouncing,” and The Crystal Ballroom is the best place to do just that with it’s floating (bouncing) floor!

Hanabie on the surface looks like a cute, fashionable band but once the music starts, the headbanging starts, devil horns get thrown and at the sound of Vo. Yukina’s growls will melt your face. Cutsie vocals juxtaposed with guttural vocals, guitar leads, proper bass and drumbeats, Hanabie is a unique experience.

Groove driven, easy to predict, understand, and follow along, they encouraged the fans to participate often through encouraged bouncing, waving their arms in unison, getting down and up!

From my ability to translate Japanese to English, Hanabie, or 花冷え。means “flowers are cold” or “chilly.” There was nothing chilly or cold about Hanabie on this night! The crowd exuded heat, making the theater a literal sauna.

With such an entertaining show visually and groovy tunes with those deep growls, I have a feeling we will be seeing more of Hanabie.

Hanabie is: