Formed 2016, it’s hard to believe that Japanese metal idols Broken By The Scream will soon be celebrating their 10th anniversary. What’s even harder to comprehend is that they’ve yet to make a visit to the United Kingdom. That means there’s a weight of expectation that hangs heavy as the line of attendees starts to snake around the venue. It’s a feeling of excitement that reaches fever pitch as we descend the stairs to The Underworld, but if any band can rise to the challenge, Broken By The Scream can.
Broken By The Scream at The Underworld on 28.06.2025 | Photography by JJ Grant (Wonderlens)
When I was a young metalhead, the scene was radically different; it was a very masculine movement, populated solely by guys with beards and beer bellies. Looking around the venue tonight, it appears that the scene is now far more diverse and that’s thanks in no small part thanks to Japanese bands such as BABYMETAL, LOVEBITES and the unit performing on stage tonight, Broken By The Scream. They’re bringing a cleaner aesthetic to proceedings and all without sacrificing their heavy sound, and it makes for an intriguing tension of opposites. That insanely heavy music, along with the guttural growls that each member performs, is tempered by their appearance and cute dance routines, and that makes them a far more interesting proposition than the long-haired, denim-clad rockers who comprised the rock community when I was younger. Of course, the group could come across as gimmicky if they were anything less than talented, but tonight’s set proves that talent is something they have in abundance.
If there were any doubts about the band’s validity, then they are immediately put to rest as the group appears to the opening track Sayonara Birthday and proceed to bound around the stage with unbridled energy. The effervescence which the band radiates is highly contagious and it doesn’t take long for a lively pit to erupt (surely the ultimate seal of approval for any metal band) as a large section of the crowd good naturedly moshes and slam dances. On an already hot, sweltering evening, the group raise the temperature a few degrees whilst performing intricate dance moves to the following Do-Do-N-Pa!! and Kanjou Cross Counter on an endless quest to make eye contact with all present.
Broken By The Scream at The Underworld on 28.06.2025 | Photography by JJ Grant (Wonderlens)
Broken By The Scream will often be accompanied by a live band, yet tonight they are sans musicians and perform along to a backing track. That doesn’t make them any less powerful, quite the opposite, the lack of a band places great emphasis of the group’s vocal prowess and when the vocals are this good, that’s exactly where the attention should be. It’s a kind of vocalised gymnastics that each member indulges in that ranges from the highest glass-shattering shrieks to the lowest bowel-loosening growls and stops at all points in between. It’s a full-on affair with the group making use of the whole stage, swapping formations and making those dance steps look so easy, you fear that one false move would find the band collapsing in a tangle of limbs, yet their moves are razor sharp and just like their vocal lines, are timed to perfection.
Broken By The Scream at The Underworld on 28.06.2025 | Photography by JJ Grant (Wonderlens)
Another thing that bands such as Broken By The Scream have brought to metal is a sense of fun; throughout the show the band ruffle the hair of the newest member Yayoi Takayashiki and look like there’s no place they’d rather be than on the Underworld stage. It’s a manic type of energy with which the band operate and results in a non-stop type of affair and the only respite are the MC sections where the band express their love for all things British (especially fish and chips) and show off a rather nice line in merchandise. But mostly the band keep the ball rolling with energetic song following energetic song with Kira Kira Splash!! and Gyakuten no Kane wa Naru following in quick succession, meaning that when they return for a well-earned encore, both band and crowd are exhausted.
With no support band and Broken By The Scream’s set lasting only 70 minutes, this event has a fairly succinct feel, but the band have packed more into this evening than many pack into an entire career and in terms of energy levels, no one can feel cheated.
Broken By The Scream at The Underworld on 28.06.2025 | Photography by JJ Grant (Wonderlens)
Setlist:
1. Intro
2. Sayonara Birthday
3. Do-Do-N-Pa!!
4. Kanjou Cross Counter
5. TOKYO RIDE
6. Koi wa Otome no Nakidokoro
7. Ai wa Kimi no Mono
8. Message
9. Kira Kira Splash!!
10. Gyakuten no Kane wa Naru
11. KI-RA-I!!
12. Yumi Hanabi
Photography: JJ Grant (wonderlens)
