Harajuku-core takeover: HANABIE. shakes The Ritz with an unforgettable, high-energy night of genre-bending chaos and pure metalcore energy.
The Ritz in Raleigh, NC, was visited by the HANABIE. for their 2026 North America Tour. Fresh off their Moshikashite! Kotoshikoso JAPAN Tour, HANABIE. is in the middle of a world tour that takes them to South America after finishing their North American dates in April. This show marks the third time HANABIE. has played in North Carolina, and the nearly sold-out venue full of merch-wearing fans suggested the local fan base was strong and excited for their performance.
Opening the evening right on time, Enterprise Earth took the stage and immediately ignited a high-intensity show filled with pulsing lights, plenty of fog, and a furiously aggressive sound. A deathcore band originating from Spokane, WA, Enterprise Earth has been through many changes in its lineup. Travis Worland is the current vocalist for the band and declared the show a “hometown show” because he lives 40 minutes from The Ritz. Intense from the start, Travis and the rest of the band delivered a solid performance, which, fortunately, most ticket holders for the evening had already arrived and were able to experience their set. The non-stop, loud, and aggressive setlist included “Psalm of Agony,” “The Descent,” and “Casket of Rust.”
An audience favorite, Nekrogoblikon next took the stage to an audience filled with band tee-shirts, horned ski caps, and “Goblin Mode” printed across the backs of tee-shirts. Joining the band on stage was a huge inflatable goblin head placed in the center of the stage, forcing the band to operate around it. Comical in every aspect of their appearance, lyrics, and on-stage behavior, Nekrogoblikon delivered an entertaining set filled with unintelligible screaming, Broadway-esque singing, lewd gestures and comments, and raucous fun.Fronted by the band’s mascot, the instantly recognizable and internet sensation John Goblikon, who repeatedly highlighted his internet fame by promoting his podcast in between brief skits. Opening with “Show Me Your Goblin,” the audience instantly reacted and began pushing towards the front stage barrier as the physicality increased in the mosh pits. The setlist included “Darkness,” “Secret Elephant,” and “This Is It” before closing with “Powercore.”
A simple stage setup with three front risers, a drum riser in the back, and a handful of light stands across the rear of the stage was all HANABIE. needed to light up The Ritz. One by one, each band member bounded onto the stage, leapt onto a front riser, and gleefully waved as they said hello to the audience. Opening with “Neet Game” from their 2023 Reborn Superstar! release, the band kicked the audience to the most intense level yet with their hard, intense, and genre breaking unique sound. “Harajuku-core” is described as a sublimation of metalcore and hardcore with Akihabara culture. Describing it from this performance, Harajuku-core is at one moment intense and screamy, the next groovy and poppy, and at all times upbeat. The setlist included “Tousou,” the blistering intense “Spicy”, and “L.C.G” for the encore.Singing mostly in Japanese, each band member said a few words to the audience in English to express their appreciation and excitement to be performing. Even when the translation didn’t quite work, and it wasn’t clear what was said, the youthful smiles and excited facial expressions communicated everything that needed to be said. The band delivered an incredibly entertaining and powerfully performed show that creatively bent genres at will to create a truly unique metalcore variant. The United States portion of the band’s world tour continues until April 12, ending in Los Angeles, CA, before going to South America and appearing in multiple festivals around the world.
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