Kim Dracula and HANABIE. Join Forces in Anaheim
- Kaiya Vandemark
- 4 days ago
- 3 min read
Updated: 17 hours ago
Kim Dracula and HANABIE. co-headlined the House of Blues Anaheim on April 5, 2025. The HOB Anaheim is my favorite Orange County venue. There’s a brightly lit parking garage, where you can walk right to the venue, if you park on Level 3. You can buy a discounted parking pass as you walk in or they will give you a $2 off voucher as you exit. If you want to take a gamble, sometimes they open the gates to let the traffic out quickly and it’s free! Every staff member from the security check to the box office to the bar is super cool. As a photographer, we are side by side with security, so make sure you thank them as they work hard to keep us all safe, especially if they catch you coming over the rail.
Kaonashi kicked off the show. You may have heard their song “I Hate the Sound of Car Keys” on TikTok. They had a lot of energy and were fun. I’m not quite sure how to describe the sound, as I don’t think I’ve heard anything quite like it. You’ll have to check it out for yourself! For an opening band, I was surprised how the crowd was hyped on them and knew their songs. Next up was Crystal Lake, a Japanese metalcore band that has been around since 2002. Kaiya had just told me about them recently, so I wasn’t too familiar with their songs, but absolutely loved them. They were engaging with the fans, lead vocalist John Robert Centorrino went out in crowd.
HANABIE. walked out on stage in their Harajuku style and there were a lot of fans matching the aesthetic. The band consists of four high school friends, lead vocalist Yukina, guitarist/singer Matsuri, bassist Hettsu, and drummer Chika, that came together and formed the band in 2015. Yukina, looked so cute in her long blonde ponytails and delivered some heavy dirty vocals. In between when she talked to the fans, she had a high sweet voice that you would never think came from the same person. The fans' energy literally rocked the floor of HOB Anaheim, which can feel a little intense being on the second floor. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many crowd surfers at HOB as there were for Hannabie. Security was busy body catching!
I’m obsessed with Kim Dracula! I never thought I’d say that about a nu metal/trap metal artist, but I’m obsessed. They gained popularity on TikTok with “Paparazzi” and I first heard them when I did my own TikTok to “SAY PLEASE!” I first saw them last year closing out America’s Gradual Decline in Morale Tour, so for this show I was expecting the coffin, but instead the band came out and they had us looking toward the back and center, as if Kim Dracula was going to run through the crowd from the back. As everyone was looking back, they snuck out on stage. It’s a fun show and the songs are all over the place in a good way. Their range is incredible from the growls to rap to screams like Rob Halford (yeah I went there and y’all know Judas Priest is my fav, so that’s saying something!). Opening with “Land of the Sun” the sweet melody and quick switch to scream “All they ever do is lie!”. “The Bard’s Last Note” starts out nice where you’re dancing and then scream “I don’t give a fuck!” They ended with “Killdozer”. It’s one of my favorite songs to listen to in my little Mazda sitting in traffic, screaming “I drive a mother fucking Army tank”! This tour has ended, but they will be heading to Europe in June!
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